You have country, rock, or other similar music? Ditch it!

I didn't realize polka was music, period.

 

All praise and worship music lacks substance? You'll never get a brush that broad to fit in your paint can.

Some P&W songs are theologically vapid--just as some hymns are. Some hymns are replete with spiritual soundness and depth--so are some P&W songs.

It's called "discernment." I use it.

I really don't mind at all if you like one genre of music or worship style and dislike another.

Well...let's just take a worship set we did last month: Titles and song excerpts...

Here I Am to Worship:
King of all days, oh so highly exalted
Glorious in heaven above
Humbly You came to the Earth You created
All for love's sake become poor

One Way:
I lay my life down at Your feet
‘Cause you’re the only one I need
I turn to You and You are always there
In troubled times it’s You I seek
I put you first that’s all I need
I humble all I am, all to You


I Am Not Skilled to Understand:

I am not skilled to understand
What God has willed, what God has planned
I only know at His right hand
Stands One who is my Savior

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross:

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of Glory died
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride.

There....now tell me about "lack of substance."

 

I asked for scriptural basis. You gave me opinion. Try again.

 

Excellent point.:thumbs:

 

Are you serious? There are some that preach against wire rimmed galsses? What do they say about them? And what do they say is wrong with colored shirts? Does David Cloud support this thinking?

And as for the part about the P&W... I sing it and CCM too. So are you going to tell me I am ruining our church by leading them in P&W songs?

 

The substance of the song has no bearing on worthiness of the genre of music. It is the substance of the heart. You can sing the holiest of song like worthy is the lamb, but if in your heart you are not worshiping on high, it is counted as not.

 

Wait a minute, I need clarification. Is the issue country, rock, polka, etc. or "Praise & Worship", Christian music? I'm confused. I know, I know... it doesn't take much these days.

 

Hey! TinyTim!

that song you posted in the first page of this thread!

Moby did a remake of that song! so amazing!
---

here's a fact: no christian music hinders me in my relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
---

read romans 14 - dont judge people who listen to christian rock(etc) because you think its not Godly - and we shouldn't boast to you about listening to such music if that is what is hindering you.
---

Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God... whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
---

 

Same here

I generally didn't like CCM since most of what I heard had no depth to it whatsoever. Some of it sounded like watered down nothingness with a good sound to it. But then I heard Casting Crowns and now I'm opening my eyes to the fact that CCM can at times be bad and at times be good, just like preaching, just like Bible translations, just like hymns, just like... well EVERYTHING.

My favorite:

"While You Were Sleeping"

Oh little town of Bethlehem
Looks like another silent night
Above your deep and dreamless sleep
A giant star lights up the sky
And while you're lying in the dark
There shines an everlasting light
For the King has left His throne
And is sleeping in a manger tonight

Oh Bethlehem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
For God became a man
And stepped into your world today
Oh Bethlehem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping

Oh little town of Jerusalem
Looks like another silent night
The Father gave His only Son
The Way, the Truth, the Life had came
But there was no room for Him in the world He came to save

Jerusalem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
The Savior of the world is dying on your cross today
Jerusalem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping

United States of America
Looks like another silent night
As we're sung to sleep by philosophies
That save the trees and kill the children
And while we're lying in the dark
There's a shout heard 'cross the eastern sky
For the Bridegroom has returned
And has carried His bride away in the night

America, what will we miss while we are sleeping
Will Jesus come again
And leave us slumbering where we lay
America, will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for its King
Will we be sleeping
Will we be sleeping

______________________________

Instruments are amoral. Some will suggest that an instrument or music style is somehow evil because it was used in the past. But if you think that, then you better watch out, because there's so much stuff in this world that Christians use that has had a wicked past.

VW, particularly, the Beetle, was drawn by Hitler himself on a napkin in 1932. He wanted it to be the car for the people, about the cost of a motorcycle with a sidecar, and capable of cruising at about 60MPH. The chassis for this car and many other components except for the body style was used on the Kübelwagen, Germany's Jeep used in WWII- and was produced until the 60s. With a slight chassis and body design, it continued being produced for South America until 2003. Even the Beetle design was used on the Kommandeurwagen, used to transport Wehrmacht/SS officers. In the early 40s, the Beetle was provided to the Nazi elites. The style of Hitlers car carries on to this day with the New Beetle. Who can deny this car was created and used for evil? Yet you don't see Christians slamming VW owners for their vehicle choice because it had a history of evil.

Like someone else mentioned: I drive a Ford. Fords connections weren't exactly Christ-like. He was buddy-buddy with the nazis and very anti-semetic. But Christians haven't got a problem with Fords. Many are employed by this company (my dad is).

What about the Internet? The very first industry to capitalize on the Internet is... tada: the porn industry. Yet the very same people who argue that a certain music style is evil are people who are using things with a history of evil every day.

Music has nothing to do with how it was used in the past. It has to do with whether or not it is giving praise and glory to Christ. Some do a good job at that. Others do not.

 

Poetic Freedom

There are numerous songs that I enjoy that have references to things that are not necessarily found in scripture. One is VICTORY IN JESUS, I heard about the angels singing; where in the Bible does it make referance to the angels singing? (It says they will not sing the song of redemption) I dreamed I went to heaven and bowed and cried HOLY. People do not dream that they themselves die. Just trivia not intended to be controversal.

 

Had I not read this thread, I would have had no exposure to any new form of legalism, today! :smilewinkgrin: :laugh:

What's next on an agenda ? 'Talk' radio or Sunday afternoon football??

Ed

 

Joshua, my point was where or should we try and draw a line based on man's genre ratings? Do you remember this song by Lionel Richie? It rose very high on the pop charts yet in an interview, he said he was praising his Lord.

JESUS IS LOVE
(Lionel Richie)

The Commodores

Also recorded:

Allen & Allen; Willie Clayton; Monifah; N Phase;
Darnell Owens; Derrick Stars; Ben Tankard.

Father
Help Your children
And don't let them fall
By the side of the road, mmm...mmm...

And teach them
To love one another
That Heaven might find
A place in their hearts

'Cause Jesus is love
He won't let you down
And I know He's mine forever
Oh, in my heart

We've got to walk on
Walk on through temptation
'Cause His love and His wisdom
Will be our helpin' hand

And I know the Truth
And His words will be our salvation
Lift up our hearts
To be thankful and glad

That Jesus is love
He won't let you down
And I know He's mine
Deep down in my soul

Jesus is love
Oh, yes, He is
He won't let you down
And I know He's mine, He's mine, He's mine, He's mine, all mine
Forever, oh, in my heart
Help me, heart, heart
Ooh...ooh...

(Deep in my heart)
I know, I know, I know, I know
Ah, 'cause His love's the power (Power)
His love's the glory (Glory)
Forever (Ever and ever)

Ooh, yeah (Yeah, yeah)
Ooh, yeah (Yeah, yeah)
Ooh, yeah, yeah (Yeah, yeah)

I wanna follow your star
Wherever it leads me
And I don't mind, Lord
I hope you don't mind

I wanna walk with you
And talk with you
And do all the things you want me to do
'Cause I know that Jesus

(Jesus is Love, I know) 'Cause I know, Lord
(And if you ask, I'll show)
(Love is the word forever) And ever and ever

Who can bring you love (Jesus)
Who can bring you joy (Jesus)
Who can turn your life around (Jesus), oh

Ooh, yeah (Yeah, yeah)
Yeah (Yeah, yeah)
Hey

Who will pick you up (Jesus)
When you fall (Jesus)
Who'll stand beside you (Jesus)
Who will love us all

Hey, hey, Jesus (Yeah, yeah)
Jesus (Yeah, yeah)
Oh, yeah (Yeah, yeah)

One thing I wanna say
Who can heal your body (Jesus)
Who can make you strong (Jesus)
Who can help you to hold out (Jesus)
A little while longer

Ooh, yeah (Yeah, yeah)
Yeah (Yeah, yeah)
Jesus loves you (Yeah, yeah), Jesus wants you
If you call Him, He will answer

(Jesus) Call him in the mornin'
(Jesus) Call him in the evenin'
(Jesus) Call him in the midnight hour

Hey, hey (Yeah, yeah)
Yeah (Yeah, yeah)
Yeah, yeah (Yeah, yeah)
Yeah, y'all say it for me

(Jesus is love)

 

Yep, eternal destiny is dependent upon what music one listens to. :laugh:

 

One thing I think that alot of people who quickly condemn any secular music is that, well, it's often well conducted good music, even though it's not religious. I listen to alot of stuff that I can appreciate the music and the songwriting talents and all of that, even though I may not agree with what is being said. I mean, I listen to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, I got started listening to them because Flea was ranked the #2 bass player in the world. Can't you guys just chill out and listen to something because it's good music and not take the lyrics to heart?

This is America anyway, we have freedom of speech over here. Music is a form of expression, and it could cover any subject imaginable. But, if I am to not listen to ANY of it if it's not religious, and even then if it's not representative of my exact denominational beliefs, then should I take those ideas and apply them elsewhere? Should I never listen to a word that any democrat has to say simply because I am a republican right now? I won't bore you with going further, but you know what I mean. Why should we never listen to anything that people have to say unless it is related to the religion that we believe in?

My point is that if you expect to be heard, I don't think you can preach about how people shouldn't listen.

 

So then...

...are people that listen to secular music unsaved? Hope you can swim in cold water...that ice looks mighty thin...


I've noticed over the years often times that people that were immersed in a certain lifestyle or industry often had to leave entire genres of music behind--simply because it brought them back to the "old days." A buddy of mine in his earlier life was an alcoholic, drug-abusing front man for an alternative band in the 80's-90's.

Today, he listens to no secular music--but his reason is for himself. He is reminded of past sins because he covered many of the songs he might listen to...even songs that in and of themselves weren't wrong in their lyrics. This guy doesn't prescribe his limitations on others...but for him, it helps avoid sin. But this is a descriptive way, not a prescriptive one.

Think of music as art for just a second. Would we have a pornographic image of "art" in our house? Nope...sinful. Do you have art currently in your house that was done by a non-Christian, and is "secular" in nature? Almost certainly. Maybe it's a landscape--or a painting of a tree--or a dog--or an old farmhouse. But if we applied your music rules to it, it would have to come down.

 

Well, if we can't listen to secular music, then we can't watch secular television or secular movies, right? I mean, secular music is in these things, but even if its not, well, its still secular stuff, sometimes with the exact same subjects. I just really can't imagine that you folks who are bashing secular music are really doing this and giving up all non-religious TV and movies. If you are... wow, I bet you are some boring people. :laugh: