Why do passions and
controversy seem to run so deep and rampant surrounding the
subject of music within the church and in the Christian's
everyday life? I believe it is because music is such a powerful
medium. I have not always been "into" Christian music, because I
have not always been a Christian or at least a Christian who is
truly seeking God's will for my life. But having said that, I
must say that I have always been a music lover because music is
powerful! Think about it, music, even without any words, has the
power to set virtually any type of mood. ...
Why do you think music is used so extensively in movies and
every kind of television show from news intros to romantic love
scenes? ... Music alone does drastically effect people's
emotions, which in turn, more often than not directly affects
their outward behavior. Music can delve into the depths of the
human heart (...the heart of your being which contains your
innermost desires and tendencies) and dredge up feelings and
even actions that we may not even have consciously realized were
there. ...
...the Bible warns that we should "keep thy heart with all
diligence; for out of it are the issues of life" (Proverbs
4:23). We are told by God to keep our heart, or please allow me
to expound on the word keep: "guard" our heart. To guard our
heart means exactly that to keep it from evil influences to
avoid corrupting it.
....the question then is can music (without words) in and of
itself be evil or have evil influence on the heart? ... I think
the answer is yes, music is that powerful and it can effect the
heart, mind, soul, and, most noticeably, the body.
Let me explain. I have observed my own children at even their
smallest toddling age. They were never taught to dance or
anything at all about music at the time, but their natural
reaction when certain musical scores with a "rock beat" were
played... [was] to move their body in a carnal, worldly manner.
If an adult were to do the same, it could most certainly incite
within others natural sensual thoughts.
Melodious Christian
music does not produce this effect. Yes, I am saying that the
body naturally responds to certain stimuli in a certain way that
can only be overcome by the conscious thought of the individual
in a resistant manner. Now, if you must consciously resist a
certain body motion that is induced only through the medium of
music, then there are certainly potential problems there. The
Bible clearly teaches self control, or more properly, us
allowing God to influence and control our actions and even
bodily functions.
We are told in
reference to controlling substances such as intoxicating
beverages to "be not drunk" or controlled "with wine, wherein is
excess; but be filled with the Spirit". We are commanded not to
allow ourselves to be influenced negatively by outside forces,
but to be controlled by the Spirit of God. Music, like alcoholic
beverages, is a spirit, or a strong influence on every part of
us, even the heart. This explains the sudden changes of mood
that we experience when under the influence of music. Therefore,
if a certain "beat" or rhythm in "Christian music" or any other
type tends to make the body naturally move in a way that to even
a casual observer can be understood to be sensual or make a
person look more sexually appealing, this music should be
avoided by the Christian, because it cannot really be considered
Christian music.
The term Christian
means "Christ like." I could be wrong, but I cannot see the
Savior dancing to a musical score: WWJD comes to mind. Even if
the Christian is a "strong" Christian and has no real desire to
do or think that which is not Godly, their heart and body can
and may still be caused to stumble thereby. No matter how we
love to think of ourselves to be in control, it has been proven
over and over through the centuries that man, even redeemed man
(and woman), is still fallible and the natural bent toward
sinful thoughts and behaviors is not eradicated once a person
has been born again. ...
There is a certain "sound" that I believe should differentiate
Christian music from rock music. What I mean is that I believe
that our "worship" should always sound like worship. For
example, if a person were to walk by a gathering of Christians
during a the musical portion of a worship service at any given
place, if they did not know what was going on inside, they
should be able to tell by the "sound" they hear if that this is
indeed a worship service and not a rock, rap, R&B, pop concert
or country music event. The sound of Christian music should
literally speak of God's Holiness, His glory, and righteousness.
Christian music
should be like everything else in a Christian’s life... it should
make us stand out from the world and portray Christ as lovely.
Just as there should be a clear difference in the way we behave....
Christians should remain unspotted from the world in as many
areas of life as possible. Christian music is distinctive. ...
In the common man's vernacular, "If people are saved and
the church is growing, it cannot be wrong.” This Theology is
faulty because it clearly negates the fact that although we
should be careful not to be too legalistic in our methodology,
God has always put a certain premium on ministry being done His
way. God doesn't always expect us to use the newest ministry
methods available, because, believe it or not, every method is
not necessarily acceptable or O.K. with God.
For example, in 1
Chronicles chapter 13 the story is told of the children of
Israel as they were moving the Ark of the Covenant back to
Jerusalem after it being away for a long time. David and the
Israelites were so excited and in such a hurry to get the Ark
back where it belonged that their zeal (which was a good thing)
was turned into an evil thing in God's sight simply because they
failed to follow God's plan for transporting the Ark from place
to place. What most folks would consider a small breech in
protocol... God thought was such a big deal
that He reached out and killed (yes I said killed) Uzza . ...
While the Ark was
being carted to its destination, the oxen that pulled the cart
with the Ark stumbled and Uzza thought it was going to fall, but
his well intentioned move to reach out and steady the Ark to
keep God's property from being soiled was turned into death for
him, because God had declared that only the Levites were to
touch the Ark. God killed a man who was trying to do a good
thing to protect a sacred object... simply
because the man, as well as the people of Israel, did not follow
God's methodology!
Does that make you
mad? It shouldn't, because
God is in control
of this thing. He designed the entire creation including us. We
are the ones who mess things up because we don't follow His
lead. ...
Uzza is not the only example of this we see in the scriptures.
There are many more. Leviticus Chapter 10 tells of Nadab and
Abihu, who were sons of Aaron, ordained by God into the ministry
who offered what the Bible calls "strange fire before the Lord,
which the Lord commanded them not." In other words... they added
something "strange" to the worship of God that He did not
ordain.... You see, we Christians should be very careful in
adding anything to our worship of the Lord that we are not 100%
sure that He approves of. This certainly includes Christian
music, because... Christian music is distinctive.
To read the whole,
informative and insightful article, go to
http://www.christianbaptistliving.com/Christian-music-1.html