Some music advice from a Jesus-lover who loves music.

Music. I love music. Anyone who knows me for more than ten minutes can tell you that. I think the way I love music even confounds my friends a bit. I just get so much out of it. I take in the lyrics, the rhythm, and the hidden intentions behind a song. So don’t think this post on discernment comes from someone who listens to only three artists and 90.5 (no offense to those who listen to 90.5 and if you follow my blogs and don’t know what that is, it’s a prominent Christian radio station in my area).
You see I used to only listen to Christian music. I never really ventured past Toby Mac, P.O.D, Relient K. I began to start listening to secular music but only the ones on the family friendly radio station. However family-friendly usually just meant they would play all the songs that the other stations would play but they would bleep the bad words out. As I grew up though, I realized that was kind of a silly way to go about it. Why do I want to listen to music that has to be censored in order for me to get it pass my parents? And my parents aside, what did God think? Did he think this music was ok as long as there were no cuss words in it? I began to evaluate my Christian beliefs alongside the music I listened to. The cuss words weren’t the only problem. It was the very lyrics, the very meaning behind these popular songs.
Care for a blast from the past? How about 3 years ago way back in 2006 when I was in the prime of my teens (aka 17 sorry 15 16 and 18 year olds).
There was this new song out by a new artist called Akon. Now Akon released this song “I Wanna Love You” on the popular radio stations. Sounds cute right? Only problem was the true song, the original was called “I Wanna F**k You”. Even the stations that weren’t family friendly had to use the “love” version. Well hey they changed the word in the title so that makes the song about love and not sex right? Wrong. The fact is, the song is just as sexual but it has the “bad parts” bleeped out. Here is the chorus of “I Wanna Love You”
I see you windin’ and grindin’ up on the floor
I know you see me lookin' at you and you already know
I wanna love you, you already know
I wanna love you, you already know
But if the original song has “f**k” instead of “love”, what does that make this song about?
In my late teens, I came to a place where I took a hard look at the music I listened to. I had been constantly looking for excuses to listen to popular music “Well yeah this song says this but this part talks about angels so I can listen to it right?” That was my typical reasoning with a secular song. Clawing and clawing to find some part of good in this song so I could listen to it. And I decided it had to come to a stop. So I deleted my music library and began a new quest for music. I came to a realization that I am not obligated to have all Christian music but if I will listen to secular music, I need to evaluate its meaning and lyrics. If it is detrimental to my walk with God or my walk with others, it doesn’t get to be in my collection of music. I didn’t swear myself off of secular music nor did I forever turn from Christian music. I merely applied the truth of God to my songs. Because you see, if we, as Christians are merely scanning a song for bad words or the graphic sexual words, we aren’t applying God’s truth to our music. A song can very well be classified as “clean” by those standards and still be a damaging song to our walk with God and with others. Really, our standards should be lining up closer to what Paul wrote to the Philippians “…Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable (admirable), if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Phillipians 4:8). This is not meant to be a commandment but rather a holy suggestion inspired by God. He wants us to focus on what is good, pure, and admirable. How does your music measure up?