SHOULD CHRISTIANS LISTEN TO SECULAR MUSICS?
WHAT IS MUSIC?
The dictionary defines music as
vocal or instrumental sound (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion.
vocal or instrumental sound (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion.
We can also say that music is a collection of coordinated sound or sounds.
WHAT EXACTLY IS SECULAR MUSIC?
Simply put, secular music is any music not written for the church. Any non-religious music is a secular music.
WHAT THEN IS CHRISTIAN MUSIC ?
Christian music is any music written to express personal or a unified belief regarding Christian life and faith.
Christian music is basically what we can call church music. It could be in form of praise, worship, encouragement, admonition, salvation or even lamentation.
Now to the big question ;
SHOULD CHRISTIANS LISTEN TO SECULAR MUSIC?
In determining whether or not to listen to secular music, there are three primary factors we need to put into consideration :
1) The purpose of music,
2) The style of music, and
3) The content of the lyrics.
Talking about
1. THE PURPOSE OF MUSIC – Let’s answer these questions :
1. THE PURPOSE OF MUSIC – Let’s answer these questions :
Is music designed solely for worship, or did God also intend music to be soothing and/or entertaining?
The most famous musician in the Bible, King David, primarily used music for the purpose of worshipping God (see Psalm 4:1; 6:1, 54:1, 55:1; 61:1; 67:1; 76:1).
However, when King Saul was tormented by evil spirits, he would call on David to play the harp in order to soothe him (1 Samuel 16:14-23).
The Israelites also used musical instruments to warn of danger (Nehemiah 4:20) and to surprise their enemies (Judges 7:16-22).
In the New Testament, the apostle Paul instructs Christians to encourage one another with music:
“Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” (Ephesians 5:19).
Do you know that the happy birthday song is a secular song and so is the ABC song. But are these songs evil?
Of course No.
So, while the primary purpose of music is to worship God, the Bible did not condemn its usage in some other areas aside worship.
2) THE STYLE OF MUSIC – The style of music varies among Christians based on beliefs and doctrines.
There are Christians who adamantly demand that no musical instruments be used.
There are Christians who only desire to sing the “old faithful and spiritual ” hymns.
There are Christians who want more upbeat and contemporary music.
There are Christians who claim to worship best in a “rock concert” type of environment.
There are Christians who claim to worship best in a “rock concert” type of environment.
Instead of recognizing these differences as personal preferences and cultural distinctions, some Christians declare their preferred style of music to be the only “biblical” one and declare all other forms of music to be unwholesome, ungodly, or even satanic.😁😁
The Bible nowhere condemns any particular style of music. The Bible did not in any place pronounce any particular musical instrument to be ungodly.
The Bible mentions numerous kinds of string instruments and wind instruments.
While the Bible does not specifically mention drums, it does mention other percussion instruments (Psalm 68:25; Ezra 3:10).
Nearly all of the forms of modern music are variations and/or combinations of the same types of musical instruments, played at different speeds or with increased emphasis.
There is no biblical basis to call any particular style of music to be ungodly or outside of God’s will.
Talking about the third one which is –
3. THE CONTENT OF THE LYRICS –
This is the greatest and most important factor of the three.
This is the greatest and most important factor of the three.
Since non of the prementioned factors (the purpose and style of music) determine whether a Christian should listen to secular music, the content of the lyrics must be deliberately, carefully and consciously considered.
Though not specifically speaking of music, Philippians 4:8 is an excellent guide for musical lyrics:
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things”.
If we should be thinking about such things, surely those are the things we should invite into our minds through music and lyrics.
Can the lyrics in a secular song be true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy?
If so, then there is nothing wrong with a Christian listening to a secular song of that nature.
Oh yeah.
But then, it is sad to know that bulk of the secular music around does not meet the standard of Philippians 4:8.
Most of the Nigerian secular music often promotes immorality, desperation for money, violence and sin as a whole, while belittling purity, integrity and upright living.
If a song glorifies what opposes God, a Christian should not listen to it.
However, there are many secular songs with no mention of God that still uphold godly values such as honesty, purity, and integrity.
Some songs corrects the ills of the society, teaches us about life, love, proper behavior to mankind etc. Listening to such songs is not a sin.
If a love song promotes the sanctity of marriage and/or the purity of true love—even if it does not mention God or the Bible—it can still be listened to and enjoyed.
A good example is the song ‘Iyawo mi’ by Timi Dakolo, ‘Ade ori mi’ by Fola Moses, ‘Olo mi’ by Tosin Martins- and a host of other beautiful love songs.
I know many might oppose me on this but before you do, ask yourself this intently, is God glorified when couples are happily in love?
Does a love song bond couples or does it break them?
You can take it up from there.
Does a love song bond couples or does it break them?
You can take it up from there.
Whatever a person allows to occupy his mind will definitely determine his speech and his actions.
This is the premise behind Philippians 4:8 and Colossians 3:2, 5: establishing wholesome thought patterns.
Second Corinthians 10:5 says we should Cast down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
These Scriptures give a clear picture of the kind of music we should not listen to.
Obviously, the best kind of music is that which praises and glorifies God.
We have seen many Christian musicians work in nearly every musical genre, ranging from classical to rock, rap, and reggae. There is nothing inherently wrong with any particular style of music. It is the lyrics that determine whether a song is “acceptable” for a Christian to listen to.
If anything leads you to think about or get involved in something that does not glorify God, it should be avoided.
I believe that by now we know the answer to the question of whether Christians can listen to secular music or not.
Do you have contributions or additional thoughts to share, feel free to share in the comment section.
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