jon Way back when I was in high school, our youth pastor cautioned us against listening to secular music. He used a slice of pizza as a metaphor. Pizza is always a welcome meal, but would you enjoy that same slice if it had been served to you on top of a trash can filled with garbage? Probably not. In the same way, even if a secular song was okay to listen to, why would you want to dig through the trash of the secular culture to get to the good parts? It was with this reasoning that we were taught good Christians only listen to Christian music.
What is Christian music, anyway?
So if my old youth pastor is right, we are only supposed to only listen to Christian music. But this raises the question, what exactly is Christian music?
- Is a song Christian if it mentions Jesus in the lyrics? Can instrumental songs be Christian?
- Is a song Christian if it is played by a Christian band? What makes a band Christian to begin with?
- Is a song Christian only if it is praise and worship music? What about hymns?
- Is a song Christian only if it explicitly endorses a Christian worldview? Or is a song Christian if it doesn’t endorse a non-Christian worldview?
Answers are surprisingly hard to come by
If a song can only be Christian if it mentions Jesus, then the biblical book Song of Songs is out, as are all of the Psalms. On the other hand, if you can replace all the instances of “Jesus” in a song with “boyfriend” and the song still makes sense, is it really a Christian song?
If a song is Christian by virtue of being played by a Christian band, well, what makes a band Christian? Can a band be composed of Christians and not be a “Christian band” (e.g., Switchfoot, FF5, and perhaps U2)? Or does a Christian band have to market itself as such? Do they have to be on a Christian label?
What if a Christian band has bad or vague theology? Can a Christian band have non-Christian members? What if a member of a Christian band is divorced or ends up leaving the faith–are they still okay to listen to?
If a song is only Christian if it endorses a Christian worldview, what about Veggie Tales and their “Silly Songs with Larry?” Are those still Christian songs?
We could go on and on asking these types of questions, and the chances are good we wouldn’t get very far.
A false dichotomy
The problem with approaching music in this way is that involves a false dichotomy. By saying, “I will only listen to Christian music,” you are creating a box called “Christian music.” But what goes in the box? The Bible doesn’t tell us; it doesn’t have this category. I believe the term “Christian music” is something we have largely created as part of our larger Christian sub-culture. If anything, it’s perhaps a half-step above a marketing term. At the very least we cannot look to scripture to define what “Christian music” means.
What the Bible has to say
While the Bible doesn’t directly inform us what is or isn’t Christian music, it does give us guidance on what we should listen to. In the Gospel of John, for instance, Jesus tells us that we are to be engaged with the world around us–but we are not to be overly influenced by it. Escaping the culture by staying in our Christian bubble doesn’t seem to be what Jesus had in mind for us.
Paul also gives us guidance that directly relates to what we listen to. At one point, he told the Philippians,
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. – Phil 4:8
We’ll come back to this in a minute. Right now, though, let’s talk a little more about Paul.
What would Paul listen to?
The Apostle Paul was a master at engaging the culture. One of the best instances of this is found in Acts 17, when he visited the Areopagus in Athens. Paul sees idols throughout the city, and it grieves him. He decides to do something about it. His plan is to go to the cultural center of the city and witness to the Athenian elites. And how does he approach them?
He starts by mentioning he saw an altar “to the unknown god.” He then tells them that he knows who this unknown god of theirs actually is. He gives them some basic information about God that they can understand, and then he says,
for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’” –Acts 17:28
Paul is quoting two Greek poets to support his argument. These poets were not Christians, or even Jewish. They were pagans, with radically different worldviews and values than Paul had. Yet Paul knew enough of their poetry that he could recite these lines from memory. Paul knew that even pagan poetry can point us to God.
Wait, so Paul was familiar with the secular poetry of his day? It appears that he was, to the extent of memorizing some of it. Furthermore, he even used it in a way that pointed people to God.
Paul did not limit himself to the study of the scriptures (although he knew them extremely well), nor did he limit his musical/poetic tastes to the Psalter. So how did he choose what to put before his eyes and ears?
Think of these things
Let’s go back to Philippians 4:8. Instead of trying to suss out what “Christian music” means, perhaps it is better to think about the principles Paul lays out here, and to judge our musical selections in light of them. Here are some questions to consider:
Whatever is true – Does the music I listen to speak to things that are true? Doe it truthfully represent the way things really are, or does it present a distorted view of the world, others or self?
Whatever is honorable – Does the music I listen to honor men and women of every color and creed, or does it dehumanize or bash a segment of the population?
Whatever is just – If the music I listen to speaks to issues of justice, does it do so in a morally responsible way, or does it seek to fight injustice with injustice, and violence with more violence?
Whatever is pure – Doe the music I listen to have wholesome lyrical content, or does it contain profanity, sexually illicit themes, or glorification of violence?
Whatever is lovely – Does the music I listen to focus on themes that encourage love and respect of others, or is it focused on self, destructive behavior, or hatred?
Whatever is commendable – Is the music I listen to good enough that I could recommend it to others in good conscience?
If there is any excellence – Is the music I listen to well-composed, well-recorded, and well-produced? Does the artist or band strive for musical excellence?
If there is anything worthy of praise – Is the music I listen to truly good music qua music? Does the music transcend the mundane and point me to God, even if only via its quality or excellence?
Looking at music in light of these principles, and not in light of the false dichotomy of “Christian vs. secular music,” gives us much better insight into what we listen to. We no longer have to cram music into an artificial box or label. We can take each song, album, and artist as they stand and evaluate them accordingly.
Guidelines vs legalism
Now this isn’t to suggest that every last song you hear must pass muster on every characteristic listed by Paul. That would be legalism, which is the very thing we’re trying to avoid in the first place. I am the first to admit that not every song I listen to passes the Philippians 4:8 test on every single item. But generally speaking, the kind of music we allow ourselves to enjoy should be in line with the above list.
The downside to this method is that it takes work. It’s not as simple as sorting things into predefined buckets. It takes time and effort to interact with and contemplate our options.
The upside is, using these characteristics to evaluate music potentially opens up a wide range of musical styles, artists, and songs that aren’t necessarily “Christian” but can still point to what is true, honorable, and just. At the same time, we can also use these questions to weed out music that is better left untouched—and that may even include certain “Christian” songs.
That being said, if you only choose to listen to certain kinds of music labeled “Christian” because it helps you in your walk with God, then by all means, keep doing that! You have the freedom in Christ to listen to what edifies you.
If, on the other hand, you choose to listen to certain kinds of music labeled “secular” that are in line with biblical guidance and do not hinder your walk, then you also have the freedom in Christ to do that.