Christian Music

“As a Christian, where should I draw the line when it comes to music?”

If I were to receive a penny every time I heard this question being asked, I wouldn’t quite be a millionaire but a handsome pension would certainly be on the cards. It’s a classic issue for youth groups to address, together with healthy movie habits and the rights and wrongs of clubbing.

There are two sides to this debate; Argument a) states that we should only be listening to “Christian” music – anything beyond that is no longer glorifying God. Argument b) proposes that it is, in fact, okay for a Christian to listen to most music without dishonouring God or placing worldly values above heavenly.

I’d like to start off by looking at argument a). Most people who are of this view will immediately turn to 1 Corinthians 10:31, where Paul writes this:

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

It’s clear what Paul is saying here. Whatever you’re doing – whether it’s eating, drinking, talking, running, painting, building, chopping, cleaning, decorating, cooking…even listening to music. Whatever it is, do it for his glory because your abilities are God-given! As I write this blog I realize that I have a talent, albeit an undeveloped one, for writing. I’m so thankful for that gift, and I want to use it in a way that helps other Christians in their faith. Everything we do should be honouring God, which is why argument a) seems so convincing – surely if we are to honour God through listening to music, it has to be “Christian” music that we listen to. If it’s not for God, then it’s against him? That’s biblical, there is no middle ground.

Argument b) doesn’t contradict 1 Corinthians. Most Christians support argument b) – myself included. These are the lines it runs along:

If we were to not listen to any music other than “Christian” purely because it was written by non-Christians, where do you draw the line? Would you stop eating sandwiches that are made by non-Christians because of who they’re made by?

That was a rhetorical question…no, of course you wouldn’t. Am I going to stop watching NFL because most of the guys out there on the field are attention-seeking playboys? I love my Philadelphia Eagles, so that’s unlikely. See, some things on the earth are just intended for our personal enjoyment. God gives people the ability to write catchy lyrics and beautiful harmonies because it makes life just that little bit more fun. We need to ask ourselves why we single out music as being different from any other aspect of life. It’s so easy to think of singing and music as “worship,” but in truth everything we do is an act of worship – how we live our day-to-day lives. Most of us have far more serious issues to worry about – the most important thing to remember about this issue is its relative unimportance. It’s tempting to enter into heated debate about silly controversies, but ultimately we’re all brothers and sisters in Christ and we all share one thing in common – a love for our Lord Jesus.

I hope this has been of some help to you. If you’re not a Christian and have questions about the faith, please be inquisitive.

PS Apologies to any sandwich-makers I might have offended, I’m sure you’re all lovely people!