This is some great insight (bellow) by a worship leader of a church pertaining to secular music. Give it a read and ask yourself about the music you listen to. It is important to know what kind of band you are supporting with your money and your mind. Really pay attention to the lyrics and see what they are all about.
Rock’s False Gospel
Sometimes false gospel messages in music are easy to spot. For hip-hop, it’s blatant self-promotion and indulgence. For R&B and pop, your boyfriend or girlfriend relationships will save you. But with a lot of rock music, the message is more abstract. If prompted, what would you say is the false gospel of a band like Coldplay, or better yet, Radiohead?
Radio Who?
Radiohead is an especially unique band. Ever since they redefined Brit-pop in the mid-90s, countless bands have been influenced by their music, and they've drawn a cult-like fan base, many of whom are culture-makers. Radiohead embodies postmodern music.
Culture Teaches—Whether You Notice It or Not
In Luke 6:40 Jesus says, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” In your life, where have you given way to the lies that the world teaches? Lies are usually subversive. Before you know it, lies can become so much a part of your worldview that they disciple you to an imbalanced view of the gospel.
This is what happened to me. As a Radiohead mega-fan, I passively bought into their ideology: hopelessness, cynicism, apathy, and generally a “down with the Man” attitude. My gospel understanding was only half true—my total depravity and Christ’s crucifixion, without the new identity and Christ’s resurrection.
Pay Attention
Whatever you do, don’t focus so much on contextualizing as a missiologist to the point that you lose sight of how the gospel contextualizes to you. Understanding the message behind the music that we love is not just important for how we see the culture that we minister to, but also how we see culture teaching us. We need to remember that every moment is a gospel opportunity, and leisurely listening to music shouldn’t be an exception to the rule.
By: Joel Brown leads the Mars Hill band Red Letter.
Get Red Letter's album for whatever you want to pay from Re:Sound.
Thank you and my God cause you to have a deep hunger for the things of righteousness.
C.C. Sortini
I actually liked this post.
ReplyDeleteIt's really true.
You honestly have to be careful with what you listen to.
Music touches people because the lyrics, the music, and especially the emotion it gives.
People might hear a song at a time when the world around them is crashing, and that song gives the listener a connection to the song/singer. Suddenly the listener is living by that song. The song is depressing and the listener instead of relying on God and having faith and believing everything will get better, they lose touch with the situation making everything only worse around them.
The same can go for any situation.
Heartbreak, tragedy, even small things. Hey, even the good times!
Music is powerful.
Music was made to praise God.
But, like many thing that are for God, they've been made corrupt, to better "fit the world" or "give what the people want"
People want a feel good moment, a moment where they feel sometype of fufillment.
Just a moment. Instead of seeking an eternal fulfillment.
Sometime you might hear a song that isnt exactly the best thing to listen to, but its catchy, and you find yourself singing a small part, then eventually the whole song, and then eventually following the ideaology the song is portraying or the artist conveys.
Thats just what the world, and i'd hate to say media, because its so typical and overblamed, but its exactly how it is.
Small songs or bits of songs that creep into our minds, challenge what we believe and think, and slowly or radically change our stand.
We have to be careful to what we expose ourselves to.
I know i can say it from personal experience.
-Steph C.