Real World Issues

Music and Christian Rock

What about Christian Rock? Is it wrong? Can't God use it? Should I listen to secular music?

"Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts; praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance; praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals; praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord." (Psalm 150).

It is clear from the Scriptures that music is an important and integral part of worship. David commands us in the Psalms to praise God upon the instruments. I wonder however, if today, music has become too important, and if too much emphasis is placed upon it. Music seems to be at the forefront of most ministries and the outreach of most churches, especially when reaching the youth. Certainly God can use music to touch hearts, but the Scriptures state, "It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.... we preach Christ crucified." (1 Corinthians 1:21,23). Only in a few instances was the singing of songs mentioned in the New Testament. The focus of the early Church was always the preaching of Christ and ministry of the Word.

When I was a teenager back in the late 70's and early 80's, I listened to music created by Lynyrd Skynyrd, Boston, Journey, Bon Jovi, Madonna and others. Country music became popular during this time and Charlie Daniels, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson were some of my favorites. I'm telling you this to let you know that I am not against Christian Rock because of a matter of personal taste. When I became a Christian in the mid-80s, I lost all desire to listen to this music. Even as Christian Rock began rising in popularity, I did not listen to it, because it reminded me of the life I had left behind. David said in the Psalms, "I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a NEW SONG in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord." (Psalms 40:1-3). Today, I want to sing the new song God placed within me, a song of praise, and I have no desire for the songs or musical style of my old life.

So much of Christian Contemporary Music and Southern Gospel today is little more than putting on a show or entertainment. Musicians have crossed the line from ministering to performing. "No flesh," Paul told the Corinthians, "shall glory in his presence..... He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:29,31). Because they cater to the flesh, it is the flesh of their listeners which draws a response, and not the spirit. "I like the music. It makes me feel good," many say. But somewhere in all of the music, the message, if any, has been lost or compromised. If the music draws a response from the fleshly man and not the spirit man, herein is the barometer by which music should be judged. It is no longer about you or your desires, but about Christ living in you and what pleases Him. Paul told the Galatians, "I am crucifed with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20). It was Paul's prayer concerning the Ephesians that they would "be strengthened by his Spirit in the inner man." (Ephesians 3:16). Music should always praise and uplift Christ.

Instead of mentioning Jesus in their songs, most modern songwriters use the term "you" or "love" in place of Jesus or God. This allows their songs to be played on secular stations, confirming their ultimate goal which is to break into the secular music industry, and not using their music and talents to praise the Lord. Jesus made it clear, "No man can serve two masters." (Matthew 6:24). If their songs were of God and the message clear, it is certain that secular radio stations would refuse to give them air time, for the "natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, for they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14).

CCM Artist Steve Camp

CCM artist, Steve Camp, "nailed" the Contemporary Christian Music Industry (CCMI) with his "A Call for Reformation in the Contemporary Christian Music Industry" and his "107 Theses". Following the pattern of Martin Luther as Luther nailed his 95 theses onto the door at Wittenberg in 1517, Camp "nailed" his "107 Theses" to CCM. Steve Camp mailed out 1,500 copies of his "Call for Reformation - 107 Theses" on October 31, 1997 - Reformation Day - to 1,500 people involved in CCM.

Camp readily admits in his early CCM career of compromise and fleshly lusts: "Early in my own musical journey I wrote songs that neither represented good music or precise theology. My motives were vitiated; my actions were not godly; and my lips were unclean. The thirst for prominence and position made my heart prideful, judgmental and callused."

Steve Camp says of Satan's infiltration of CCM:

"But beloved, The Serpentine Foe of compromise has invaded the camp through years of specious living, skewed doctrine and most recently secular ownership of Christian music ministries. . . The Apostle Paul warns "it takes only a little leaven to leaven the whole lump." (1 Corinthians 5:6) When sin is tolerated it ultimately permeates and corrupts the entire church. What is pure today will inevitably be polluted tomorrow if we do not "purge out the old leaven. . . " (Ibid. 5:7) In the past several years, there has been a not-so-subtle drifting away from Christocentric music to an anthropocentric music. Sadly, this has resulted in various visible manifestations of spiritual sedition where currently, the CCMI finds itself on a slippery slope sliding away at accelerated speeds from the Savior, the Scriptures and the church."

"Contemporary Christian Music originally began unashamedly declaring Jesus Christ as Lord. Within a few years His name was replaced by several generic titles filtering out the name of God ultimately to the non-specific cognomen, "Love." This led to a multitude of pseudonyms: "The Man Upstairs"; "My Higher Power"; "Our Family Values Expert" ad nauseam...ad infinitum. This Biblical illiteracy I've coined as theological ebonics - Biblical language diminished to cultural unintelligible chatter affirmed as profound, acceptable spiritual truth. Os Guinness is "spot on" when saying, "(we have seen a change) from an emphasis on 'serving God', to an emphasis on 'serving the self' in serving God." The object of faith is no longer Christ, but our self-esteem; the goal of faith is no longer holiness, but our happiness; and the source of faith is no longer the Scriptures, but our experience. Christian music currently reflects this. We are producing a generation of people that "feel" their God, but do not know their God."

Here's a few of Camp's "107 Theses":

6. We fail to glorify Him when we praise the servant through awards and accolades rather than exalt the master. "I was but a pen in God's hand and what praise is due a pen?", said Baxter. God will not share His glory with another. (Psalm 115:1; Isaiah 42:8).

7. We fail to glorify Him when we speak of God out of our own vain imaginings or recreate Him in our own image; instead of honoring Him by how He has revealed Himself through His holy Word. (Psalm 50:21; 1 Corinthians 2:13-16).

31. For if in our worship we pervert the truth about God. If in our music we distort His doctrine, we distort a right view of Him. If in our song we misrepresent the Scriptures, we misrepresent the Savior. And if in our ministries we twist His truth, we dishonor His character. (2 Timothy 2:15) (DTTM: ditto, Carman-Resurrection Rap, dcTalk - Jesus Freak, Bride-Scarecrow Messiah, et. al.).

32. Failure here is costly - for it is tantamount to breaking the third commandment: "do not take the name of the Lord God in vain." (Exodus 20:7).

41. Christian music, originally called Jesus Music, once fearlessly sang clearly about the gospel. Now it yodels of a Christ-less, watered-down, pabulum-based, positive alternative, aura-fluff, cream of wheat, mush-kind-of-syrupy, God-as-my-girlfriend kind of thing.

45. Christian music stands separate from the world's music for by definition it is Christ-centered music. Even the style is not neutral and music in and of itself is not amoral, but it is "the incarnation of the message." (Horton). Both must honor and bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Chronicles 15:16).

46. Therefore, when Christian artists today take the old song of the world, dress it up, modify it and say that it now represents the person of Jesus Christ, a Christian message or describes the character of God, they fortuitously assault the gospel and diminish the gift that has been entrusted to them. This is inappropriate at best and sacrilegious at worst. We cannot pour new wine into old wineskins. (Psalm 137; Mark 2:22) (DTTM: ditto: dcTalk, Amy Grant, Point of Grace, Rez Band, Johnny Cash, Pat Boone, Holy Soldier, Jars of Clay, Mark Farner, MxPx, Petra, etc.).

74. The CCMI has committed spiritual adultery in joining itself with the wayward world in trying to forward the message of the gospel. This has and will prove to be fatal for Gospel music as we know it today. (Deuteronomy 32:22-24; Psalm 1; Jeremiah 17:5-8).

81. Satan's number one assault on the church is to infiltrate with error. He doesn't want to fight the church - he wants to join it. (John 8:44; 2 Corinthians 11:12-15; 1 Timothy 4:1).

82. Undicerning believers think it a profound ministry strategy to join forces with unregenerate people in forwarding the gospel. Unwittingly, they harness Jesus Christ, the Worthy One, with Belial or Satan, the worthless one, in an unholy alliance - the very essence of being unequally yoked. (2 Corinthians 6:15).

83. "Ephraim is joined to idols. Let him alone." (Hosea 4:17).

Read David Wilkerson's article, Driven to Darkness

.