Contemporary Christian Music

[amazinglove92]

If Third Day are so Christian than why do they not have Christ as their influence but have Toad The Wet Sprock as an influence?
ummm how exactly do you make Christ your influence in music? We can't exactly hear Him sing to us.
We are going to have the music we write be influenced by what music is arround us. The music of the hymns was big because that was what everybody was singing it was no problem it wasn't different. The song Red River Valley I could change the words to Myself in the Valley and it owould sound Christian as can be.
the music of the hymn sounded just like the worlds maybe a tad more reserved. It is obvious play any song from back in the day. I mean way back no Beatles and you will find an old hymn that sounds close to it.


#4. If CCM is holy than what is unholy? Now that we have "Christian" rock , rap, regGAE, and jazz, can "Christian" Budweiser be far behind?
Music is completely different from an acoholic beverage that hurts the body, destroys families, and wreaks havoc on many different planes!

It is no surprise to me that CCM is unholy, lets look at the king of CCM, Michael W. SMith, who, "at the same time he was penning gospel songs, he was also using marijuana, LSD and cocaine." (Wall Street Journal, 9/11/91, p.A-11)
Do you know how many pastors get up and preach every service message after message and are living in wicked ungodly sin? We had an active homosexual preach at my church for 2 years no one knew he was a great preacher "smooth" they said.
Everyone makes mistakes and it is unbiblical to bring up Smiths sins God has forgiven them. He is an obvious Christian. Why do we insist in stabbing every Christian in the eye reaptly who falls?

 

[amazinglove92]

About the Christ influence thing I should have written influence you by the lyrics but music is another story. He wouldn't give you a African song when you live in America. The style would be one your comfortable with.

Matt

 

[Comrade]

How about we have Christian pornography? that doesn't destroy the body. If you're praising God during it then it must be Okay right? God likes sincere praise so as long as we are sincere it's all right.

Read the OT When a new king would come they tried to worship God but they did it in the Pagan temples and the high places. God wanted a peculiar (separated) people for Himself. (Titus) If I take a song by Marilyn Manson and change the words anyone who can hear that song (especially if they are a Marilyn Manson fan) will think that is what I'm listening to.

With God it is either right or wrong. no middle. no gray. Eve took of the forbidden fruit. It probably didn't have poison in it. It was might have had nutrients in it. But God said no. If God says "come out from amoung them" them why does our music stay the same? Why does it sound the same other than just changing the words? Words our powerful but only music can affect emotion and make you feel a certain way. When you have musicians who are "Christian" but look just like the musicians of the world something is wrong.

PS I came to these conclusions through prayer and study of the scriptures. I don't get preached this week after week.

 

[Blazin4Christ]

#1. Christ can influence them lyrically through His Word,

#2. You think Rock won't affect your life? believe me, I took a bite out ofthat fruit, and I know it destroyed me, physically, and mentally

#3. Pastor being gay, regarding this...I think it is just sad that a sin like that is excused, if you think that is fine I am very sorry for you, a sin is a sin, regardless of how good the persona who covering it is,

#4. If CCM is holy then explain the big difference intheir lifestyle, music, and lyrics?

 

[amazinglove92]

1. Christ can influence them lyrically through his word. I mentionted that in my other post, but is it possible for Christ to influence them in the style of music? If that is so then every CCM music and all who write CCM are drastically mistaken and all of their praise to God is vulgar!
Keith Green is mistaken.(how can you not call this man a man of God?!)
All of Delirious? music is wrong. Mercyme is wrong. All of the stuff that is sung in some peoples churchs is wrong and no true worship is going on. David Crowder is wrong. Matt Redman is wrong. Charlie Peacock is wrong.Steve Green, Steven Curtis Chapman, Phil Joel, Peter Furler, Chris Rice. All of these men are wrong. now they may not be part of our denomination , but you must admit they are Christian and from what I read from them they are really good Christian men. -no offense to the ladies of CCM- So all these men are not blessed with the spiritual discernemnt to know that their music is wrong.
What destroyed you in rock? the hard syncopated rhythym? the use of a electric guitar? or the message implanted in your mind and the lyrics? I also listened to rock for a while I am out of that Praise God. I had noticed a change in myself from it. I had bad thoughts and stuff. But this wasn't caused by the music it was brought on by the lyrical content.
Okay and about the pastor being gay. I do not approve of this sin. I am mearly saying that a man can fall in the ministry yet still minister spiritually. So to explain why Michael W. Smith oculd still play music. If a man comes out of a homosexual life style it is a blessing. God is good praise Him for the deliverance not spit on the poor man everytime he comes in your direction! If you do this I am sorry for you and your church. Alla, "If we are the Body" CCM fans know what I mean.
If you came to the conclusion that you shouln't listen to CCM then praise God for giving your convictions. You should never go back on them in fact it would be wrong for you to listen to it if that is what God gave to you.
But this is what God gave to you he did not give it to every one so then you should not press it on them.
Matt

 

[Comrade]

They may be but when it looks like a duck it must be a duck. But if that duck moos then you don't know if it is a duck or a cow. The point is that whether or not the words are praising God it is the fact that it looks and sounds like the world's music. God says be different and if you aren't acting and looking different and beign separate then You are breaking God's commandment.

 

[amazinglove92]

The world wears Nike. Does this mean that we should not wear them. The world wears Rangler jeans, I wear rangler jeans. Am I not being separate? Are we taking this seperation issue to far in some areas, and not far enough in others?
Separation is not an outside appearance as much as a inward heart condition.
I admit that some bands do sound just like the world and are just on the CCM stage to get onto the bigger secular music platform. But you cannot, I say cannot, judge the whole movement by a handful of bands.

Matt

 

[Blazin4Christ]

Originally posted by amazinglove92:
The world wears Nike. Does this mean that we should not wear them. The world wears Rangler jeans, I wear rangler jeans. Am I not being separate? Are we taking this seperation issue to far in some areas, and not far enough in others?
Separation is not an outside appearance as much as a inward heart condition.
I admit that some bands do sound just like the world and are just on the CCM stage to get onto the bigger secular music platform. But you cannot, I say cannot, judge the whole movement by a handful of bands.

Matt

all CCM is just like the world and are just on the CCM stage to get onto the bigger secular music platform, tell me one CCM singer who is not influenced by a bad secualr singer

 

[Trotter]

Matt,

Don't bother, brother. These cats have decided that ALL CCM is unholy/ungodly/sinful, and nothing we say or do will change their minds. Although I wish we could.

But you are right, brother- "But you cannot, I say cannot, judge the whole movement by a handful of bands." Unfortunately, several have, and they will not consider that they could possibly be wrong.

I have been looked down on for lesser things, and having my salvation questioned by the likes of these is nothing new- it happens a lot in the Bible Versions/Translations forum. But at least there it is direct violation of the rules.

What someone chooses to condemn is their own preference, as there are no Scriptures that speak to this (outside of ripping them out of context and twisting them to say it). That I choose to praise my Lord and Savior with modern music is a choice that is between me and Him, not some narrow minded IFBer.

What is really funny is that, 50 years ago they would be just as hot and heavy against the CCM of the day...the very hymns they stand and sing every Sunday. Go figure.

In Christ,
Trotter

 

[amazinglove92]

Thank you Trotter. You are a blessing!
I think I might retire from the angry strifefull world of arguments about CCM.

Matt

"Jesus is the rock and he just rolled my blues away!"

"My God is not a secret so get off, get up, get off your backside"

 

[Trotter]

I sort of feel the same way, Matt. I get so tired of all the hatred and legalism. It was that kind of attitude that kept me from accepting Christ a whole lot sooner in life.

In Christ,
Trotter

 

[amazinglove92]

That is to bad. Where all the churches around you legalistic?
I had a really good friend and we were really close for a while. But then I started thinking for myself on certian issues. Like CCM and the KJV issue no major issues. But his people, Hyles, teach them to seperate themself from people who hold those certain standards.
The hatred of these cultlike groups are tainting the beauty of Christ by their ugly antics.
These groups would have stoned the women caught in a adultrous act!
Tolerance has been cramed down are throats so heavily by the liberals that a lot of us have responed in a very unloving, which is to say unChrist like, way. It is a only natural response.
But it is scary where it can take us!

Matt

 

[Trotter]

Not all the churches, Matt, but a lot of the people who represented themselves as "Christians" that I met and/talked to were of that strain.

I grew up a child of science and evolution, but not really an atheist. These people came at me with their legalistic attitudes and their "holier than thou" ways, so I just turned my back on it all. Praise God that He led me to a wonderful woman (who I married) that lived out the true Christian life before me.

I had never heard of CCM until about three years after I was saved. Up until then I still listened to the same stuff I listened to before I came to the Lord (no one told me any different...I accepted Christ and was given a bible and left to fend on my own). Thankfully, a brother made me a tape of several CCM artists, and I discovered what I really needed.

Now, I am a licensed SBC minister and well grounded in the word of God. But without CCM to lead me toward a deeper relationship with the Lord, and the bible teaching that I heard on the same radio station, I would have slowly drifted back out into the world.

Praise the Lord!

In Christ,
Trotter

 

[Trotter]

Sorry. Double post. AOL is the tool of the devil at times.

In Christ,
Trotter

 

[Aaron]

Trotter and Matt,

Sounds like you all hold the corner on vitriol, comparing those who can defend their beliefs to murders and cultists.

I can just feel the love.

 

[Comrade]

Let's go back to the duck. You hear a cow but it looks like a duck. That's confusing. If you heard before you saw you would think there was a cow there, but when you saw that it was a duck it would confuse you.

God is not the author of confusion. When first heard it sounds like the world's music but you hear the words and it sounds like God's music. That is confusing.

People use to think that radio was evil because it used air to transfer its signal and because the devil was the principality of the air it was wrong.

God says I want a peculiar people. (separated) If you don't recall in the OT when the people were worshipping God in the high places He wasn't happy with it. They were worshipping God with the same practices of the pagans. If you sing to the same music as the rest of the world then what makes it so different from the Israelites worshipping God in the high places?

You say as long as the words praise God and I'm sincere it's okay. I say can't you do the same thing with pornography? Change the words. Make them praise God. As long as they are sincere right?

God says that we are in the world not of the world.

 

[Trotter]

God is not the author of confusion. When first heard it sounds like the world's music but you hear the words and it sounds like God's music. That is confusing.

I'm not confused.

People use to think that radio was evil because it used air to transfer its signal and because the devil was the principality of the air it was wrong.

You seem to be using the same reasoning.

God says I want a peculiar people. (separated) If you don't recall in the OT when the people were worshipping God in the high places He wasn't happy with it. They were worshipping God with the same practices of the pagans. If you sing to the same music as the rest of the world then what makes it so different from the Israelites worshipping God in the high places?

Israel was offering sacrifices (including children), engaging in orgies, worshipping false idols. Gee, I really see a connection...not.

You say as long as the words praise God and I'm sincere it's okay. I say can't you do the same thing with pornography? Change the words. Make them praise God. As long as they are sincere right?

I never said anything about sincerity. Get your facts straight.

Nor was anything said about pornography, outside of your own references. Do you equate praising the Lord with porn? I don't.

God says that we are in the world not of the world.

Exactly. Thus, I do not sing about drugs, sleeping around, killing people, etc. I praise my Lord.

Comrade, where in the bible does it tell us what style of music is pleasing to God? The bible tells to to sing with praises and psalms and spiritual songs...all of which can describe Southern Gospel, choral music, CCM, and a host of other styles. There is nothing in the bible about a certain style of music or a certain sound it should make.

So, why are you attempting to add to what the bible has already said, and have everyone else goosestep to your tune? Show me in the bible. That is all I ask.

In Christ,
Trotter

 

[Comrade]

But they were worshipping God. With CCM you are taking the world's music and blending it with good words. Tell me how that is being separated

 

[Jim Ward]

Originally posted by Comrade:
But they were worshipping God. With CCM you are taking the world's music and blending it with good words. Tell me how that is being separated

I forget which major magazine it was, I think Newsweek, that had a featire on CCM. One of the things that stood out was all the satanic salues (index and pinkie fingers extended) being displayed by all of these so called Christians. These salutes are more then enough to show who is behind ccm.

And what of the history of ccm? We can trace it back to what, the late 60's and Chuck Smith and Calvary Chapel? Some wing-nut decides God's way isn't good enough and finds a way to compromise witht he world to reach the lost. Where do you find this teaching in Scripture?


Jim

 

[Comrade]

If you lookat the singers of CCM you will notice that they look just like the singers of the world. The mixing of the world and Christianity isn't right.