“Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament! 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 lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!”

-Psalm 150

There was an era of silence.

Yet before this era, music had abound. It first started with Alan Jackson’s Precious Memories (Vol. 1). A collection of hymns sung in honor of his mother and mother in law. Then it advanced to My Mother’s Hymn Book by Johnny Cash. Soon it was choirs and groups. Traditional hymns. Songs of old. Songs with deep theological meaning. “Amazing Grace”; “Come Thou Fount”; “The Old Rugged Cross”; and “How Great Thou Art” to name a few. Our little ones paraded through the house singing as loudly as their little hearts desired. Our friends were astonished that our children knew the hymns. It was because it played before them all the day long. It was what we sang in church. It was all that they knew. 

In time, though, our family grew. And with that so did the volume. But not from singing the hymns. No. But the volume of everything else. In lieu of a more peaceful and quiet home with less migraines, the stereo was played less. And then less. And then less. Until it was seldom ever turned on. CDs collected dust. Some were sold or given away. You could say, in a way, that the music died. Only with special occasions (such as long trips) did we break out a CD or two. 

Recently something happened. I do not know what birthed it and why. I’m uncertain as to its origins. But I believe it started when my family took interest in one of our local Contemporary Christian radio stations. Who started it I do not know. In lock step the entire household fell in line. Except for… me. But I will get to that in a moment. The radio played nearly all day after the children had awakened from their nightly slumber. Until nightfall when the older ones would fight over the headphones while the little ones slept. They started talking about their favorite songs. Their favorite artists. People that I’ve never heard of. It was Greek to me. We went to a local Christian Store. They all paid money for CDs of these people. I got a T-shirt and a sticker for my truck. 

The scene reminded me of myself when I was their age. Being a massive music fan, guitarist, and songwriter, I had amassed quite a collection of heavy metal cassettes and CDs. Music was my life. It was my escape. It was my world. Most of the music that I owned I bought with my own money. What I didn’t pay for were Christmas gifts. But as I looked on to this new revival in my children, I gained a great concern. The music that they are following is not “Holy”. Some of the artists on modern Christian radio sound exactly like artists of The World. From the talentless singing to the pop dance beats. I do not like a majority of it. To be honest I cannot tell the difference between modern Contemporary artists and secular pop artists. But then I realize that I too am a hypocrite. One of my Pandora stations is “Disciple Radio”. Disciple. Kutless. Pillar. POD. Skillet. You can take the boy out of the metal band, but you can’t take the metal band out of the boy.

So I asked myself this question: “Who am I to stand in the way?”

Is it possible that God could use Danny Gokey, Toby Mac, Brandon Heath, and Mercy Me to speak to my family? Does Skillet and Pillar have a place in my music feed? What does The Word say? And like most Fundamental Independent Baptists would say- will we turn our backs on God and go to Hell for listening to Zack Williams? 

I think it’s time to set the record straight.

New Beginnings

My family is currently going through some sort of Contemporary Christian Music revival. I don’t know why. But allow me to rewind back to 2004 when I was saved. As mentioned before, I was a metal head. Metallica. Megadeth. Korn. Slayer. Pantera. Sepultura. The list goes on and on. My love of music was rooted in my own ability in music. It was me and I was it. We were one. Once The Shadow of The Cross had consumed me with Grace, my interest in music changed. First it was Kutless. Then Pillar. Then Disciple. Then Demon Hunter. There was no way that on Thursday I could have been headbanging to Slayer, and then on Friday sing along to The Steve Pettit Evangelistic Association. There had to be a transition. In time my Christian Metal softened to Third Day, Casting Crowns, and Chris Tomlin. Then Praise. Then Hymns. I still listen to all three genres. Praise and Hymns most of the time. Christian Metal when I’m in a mood. So yes, even Demon Hunter served a purpose.

But They’re Unholy

It is a common argument against modern Christian music. That it is unholy. That the artists promote bad theology and doctrine. But these accusers seldom give a good explanation as to why Chris Tomlin and Hillsong are Lucifer in disguise. When I listen to “How Great Is Our God” and “Oceans” I ask the question “What is wrong with this?”. As a graduate with a Theology degree I see great truths in the lyrics to these songs. They are pretty accurate. Now there are some that aren’t. Jesus Culture had a song where they repeated “…my heart is in lust for you”. I don’t think that that word means what they think it means. There is another song, sung by Elevation Worship (I think) where they sing “God you haven’t failed me yet”. I was unaware that God was capable of failure. As you can see it is common for songs to be offensive and of bad theology by world renowned praise bands. More on this later. But to say that all modern Christian music is ungodly is a far stretch. I believe that it is a matter of preference for The Ones Pointing The Finger. They paint their accusations using a very broad brush. They simply do not like the music. 

The People Behind The Music

It almost sounds like a special on VH1. One argument that The Ones Pointing The Finger make is that modern Christian music is ungodly because of the lifestyle that the artists live. That we should not listen to or purchase their music because we are paying for a sinful lifestyle. This is an accurate statement. But it is also complex. If you have a Christian artist that practices The Alternative, or promotes drug and alcohol use, or blatantly blasphemes God to the point that you cannot determine that they are of The Redeemed, then yes you should avoid their work. Chances are that they are a wolf wearing a sheep’s cloak. That they aren’t really of Christ. That they could not make it in the secular world so they put on a mask to pretend so that they could make it in Christ’s. 

Years ago I used to listen to a station from Liberty University called “The Light”. It played Christian rock, metal, and rap. One day they played a song from secular metal band Chevelle. I contacted the station to ask why they would play a song from a non Christian band. They responded by saying that many artists that aren’t Christian will proclaim to be Christian early in their career in order to get into the industry. Chevelle was one of them and they said that they would promptly remove them from airplay. Two other bands that started out under the guise of Christian, only to be discovered as fakes, were Evanescence and Creed. You’ve probably heard of them.

In many cases there are also Christian artists that come out of the closet dancing with skeletons and renounce their faith. This happens in every aspect of society. Whether it is in the music industry, the film industry, sports industry, politics, or the workplace. But it doesn’t mean that all that are involved in those industries are deceptive.

The other end of the complex spectrum that one needs to consider with CCM artists is what denomination that they belong to. Do they belong to heretical cults such as The Mormon, Catholic, and The Methodist Church? Such of which can influence the theology of the artist. Some denominations turn a blind eye to Sin and even promote The Alternative. In many of those churches the congregation believes what they are taught and know no better until someone comes along to wake them up. So do they know what they believe is heresy and intentionally try to deceive the masses? Or are they still asleep?

A Guitar Without Strings

David played the harp…

Many of The Ones Pointing The Finger will also denounce modern Christian music, all genres I might add, because they play musical instruments. They denounce the drums and guitars, all the way to the piano and organ. Because in their eyes the instruments are worldly because worldly artists use them as well. Therefore we should lay them down, put them in a case, cover them, and let dust and rust have their way with them. And only sing acapella. 

This argument is absurd. The World is filled with many things that are shared with Christians. To say that we should silence the music because the world perverted the instruments makes no sense. Do we absolve true Godly marriages between man and woman because the world has taken and perverted and desecrated the marriage bed? I believe that this argument is not rooted in truth and doctrine but is rooted in preference. There are many Christians out there that place restrictions on Christian living and put words into God’s mouth that were never spoken in order to persuade Christians to follow in their belief system. They feel that instruments are of Lucifer and should be abandoned to the storage space under the stage. They have such lack of faith that they feel that the only safe space for them is to never play music again to avoid hellfire and brimstone. Evidently playing guitar removes Salvation from your account. So they resolve to Voice only. Should I tell them that there are secular songs in existence that are sung acapella? Maybe Silence is the only cure.

They probably then should open their Bibles up and tear out Psalm 150. They won’t be needing that anymore.

Guilty By Association 

The Ones Pointing The Finger also like to argue that we should steer clear of modern Christian music because of who the artists associate with. I will never forget the Sunday that I first heard one of my favorite and beloved hymns “O Sacred Head Now Wounded”. I was so taken aback by the lyrics that I could not finish singing it. I was almost in tears. I was speechless. Awestruck by words that were so beautiful and yet so sorrowful at the same time. I remember speaking to the wife of the music director and telling her how much I loved it. She responded by telling me that they did not like the song and did not want to include it in worship because the writer was supposedly Catholic. Never mind the fact that nothing in the song promotes Catholicism. I recall in a church meeting that her husband argued against singing the music of a certain hymn writer because he was friends with the ungodly Beethoven. 

A more recent example happened with Chris Tomlin and his friendship with womanizing pot smoking drunk country artists Georgia Florida Line. At one of their loud and lewd concerts Tomlin came out on stage to sing with them “How Great Is Our God?”. It was surprising to hear that Georgia Florida Line and their fans knew the words to the song. Let alone even who God is. There was a great controversy about this move on Tomlin’s part. He even released an album of duets where the country duo sang with him. I agree that Light should not be one with Dark on this account. Tomlin sharing music with filth on his album served no purpose for The Kingdom. If anything it introduced a naive crowd of Tomlin’s fans to an interest in Georgia Florida Line. Him coming out on the stage to glorify God with one of his well known modern hymns could have planted a seed in some broken hearts. Yes. It could have had the potential to soften some stone ones as well. Yes. But the main issue that The Finger Pointers had was that he was even friends with them to begin with. Are not we Believers friends and acquaintances with The Unregenerate? In the workplace, schoolrooms, and our personal lives? If we are allowed to associate with Unbelievers then why not Chris Tomlin? Now I am not defending his confused career move. If he hung with them in his personal life that is one thing. Assuming and hoping that he isn’t smoking pot and chasing women while throwing back a pint. But to mix a genre of music that glorifies God with one that glorifies the works of The Enemy is like Light dancing with Darkness. It should not be. But to condemn the man for being friends with them is a bit legalistic. It is true that he has the potential to lift them up and they have the potential to pull him down. But is that not the burden that we all risk in our lives with our associations?

Ridiculous Arguments

There are a plethora of ridiculous arguments out there that put the previous to shame. I’ve heard them with an eye roll and a snicker. You have probably heard some yourself that have caused you to laugh and mock the accuser. But one stands out for me that epitomizes the absurd.

Many years ago I came across a webpage. It wasn’t a website. It was just a page. Black background with blue, red, and white Times New Roman font. Not much effort put into it. A step below this very website that you are reading right now. This man, whoever he was, had a real issue with Mr. Michael W. Smith. According to him Smith was a secret agent for Satan. Sent to deceive the masses into the pit of Hell. He should be avoided at all costs. Condemned. Blacklisted. Christ’s no more.

His argument?

Prepare to laugh.

His argument as to why Smith was a heathen is because Michael W. Smith is… handsome. He’s good looking. And that is a major problem because women think that he is attractive. So since there are women out there that think that he is attractive, then he is wicked. Now we are not talking about him realizing his attractive attributes and using them to his advantage by seducing women into the sheets. He is guilty for simply being attractive. I guess, according to this writer, his looks that were bestowed upon him by God will cause him to spend an eternity weeping and gnashing his teeth. His only chance for Salvation now is to throw acid into his own face and let the deformation bring him back into God’s Grace.

Some of the other ridiculous arguments that I have heard go something like this: 

“Contemporary Christian music is bad. It is ungodly and is meant to steer you away from God. How so? Because they use beats that make you want to move your body. To dance. To move your shoulders. Your arms. To tap your feet. And no Christian should move their body to music. No Christian should tap their feet!”

“You see those Contemporary Christian singers there? They are of the Devil. How so? Because there is too much breath in their voice when they sing. It is too breathy, you see. They are trying to seduce you with their breathy singing. Trying to seduce you to Sin. They should just come in right on the note. No breathing in between should be heard, you see.”

“That artist is demonic. This song is full of bad theology and doctrine”

(Listening to 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman) “How so?”

“It’s just bad theology. All over the place. He is leading people straight into Hell.”

“What part of this song is ungodly? What part is unbiblical?”

“That part right there!!!”

“But that part is in The Bible. What part is deceiving?”

“It’s just bad theology. It just is. All of it!!!”

Knowing The Difference

There is one valid argument that The Ones Pointing The Finger make. Somewhat valid. That  there is a correlation between how a Christian acts and the style of Christian music that they listen to. Sacred hymns and Contemporary Christian music to be exact. I must confess, through observation, that it seems that those that listen to sacred music outside of Sunday mornings tend to practice modesty more. In speech, action, and dress. I see more men and women dressing to not draw attention to their bodies that listen to hymns, for example. I see more and more men and women that listen to modern Christian music dressing like they are trying to lure each other into Sin on Saturday night. In speech (cursing and coarse jesting), in action (practicing worldly practices such as drinking, smoking, and fornication), and dress (leaving little to the imagination). And do not get me started on tattoos and piercings. Many that argue this point state that the worldliness that you see in these Christians is a direct result of listening to worldly Christian music. I beg to differ. It is not rooted in their musical choice, but in their convictions. The Christians that I know that listen to sacred music do so because they chose to live modestly first. Their musical choice is a reflection of that desire to not be like the world and to stay as far away from it as possible. These Christians are typically the ones that you will find singing hymns corporately in a small country church on a Sunday morning. The Christians that I know that blur the lines between godly and worldly almost always listen to Contemporary Christian music. Not because the music led them down that path. It is because they desire excitement and entertainment. Two things that the world is full of. Two things that are lacking in sacred music. These Christians are typically the ones that are dancing amongst the smoke and mirrors of a megachurch on a Sunday Morning Funhouse of Entertainment Concert. Not to mention I have noticed that more people that listen to Contemporary Christian also listen to secular music as well. The correlation between the two groups and their respective forms of Christian music is quite odd, isn’t it?. As said, the music doesn’t create the path. It just fits better with the chosen path. For example, I listen to Chris Tomlin Radio on Pandora. When David Crowder comes on I do not suddenly say “Wow! I got this sudden urge to vape and to get sleeves on my arms.” When Lauren Daigle comes upon our local Christian radio station, my wife does not say “Wow! I suddenly got an urge to pierce my nose and dye my hair green.” My children have their favorites, but they also sing the hymns in our small country church without complaint. It is about an understanding of who we are and what our faith requires. It is about choice. But that is a discussion for a different day. Do with it what you will.

Splitting Them Apart With Purpose 

These aforementioned points against modern Christian music seem ridiculous. That we should condemn artists based on their friendships, their playing of musical instruments, where they attend church, and if they breathe too much. I believe that what it ultimately boils down to is preference. When we attended the Independent Fundamental Baptist Church we steered clear of Contemporary Christian Music. It was never sung in worship nor as what is usually called “a special”. There were congregants that were dismayed by this. They had a desire to sing Contemporary Christian. Yet the powers that be would not allow it. Especially the aforementioned music director. He and his wife made it clear that they were offended by CCM. I believe that we as a church chose to not offend our brethren than to entertain the desires of a few congregants. This eventually led to a split in which some left the church after Pastor resigned. 

I had mentioned that all Contemporary Christian Music serves its purpose. Somewhere. But there is a time and a place for it. CCM is nothing more than entertainment. It is music that touches our flesh. Whether it makes us dance or bang our heads. The lyrical themes cover everything that Life has to offer. From Love to Hate. Sadness to Joy. Hope to Despair. Divorce. Poverty. Sickness. Death. Most from the point of view of “I”. I have been made to listen to it because of this “revival” in my home. However, I hear the messages in some of these songs and think to myself “Wow. Someone out there needs to hear this.” Life isn’t always “Come Thou Fount” 24/7. But again, its only purpose is to entertain. Just like if one was to watch “God’s Not Dead” or “Fireproof”. It isn’t worship. It exists to entertain. To move you. To touch you. To make you think. 

The problem with modern Christianity and Contemporary Christian Music is that it has created a culture of blurred lines. They both go hand in hand and feed each other. What has happened is that The Modern Church has turned into a Sunday Morning House of Entertainment. Usually wrought with a band of twenty somethings with tattoos and piercings, playing at 372 decibels for 45 minutes. After they have worked hard to represent their miniature celebrity status and have wiped the sweat from their brow, they step down to allow their 46 year old CEO Pastor to brandish his latest Abercrombie and Fitch T-Shirt while he delivers a 15 minute inspirational message. This has created an atmosphere where the sole purpose of church is to be entertained and have felt needs met.

The issue primarily in these Modern Churches is that the “Praise Team” focuses on the newest and latest music. Hillsong releases a new song on Tuesday and then “BAM!”, the Praise Band plays it five days later. What you end up having is a few congregants singing along because they have had it on repeat since it appeared on Spotify, but the rest of the congregation stands around looking at the lyrics on the Jumbotron. Uncertain as to what on earth is going on. Not knowing the melody. Yet this isn’t out of place. Because the idea is for the congregation to stand there and watch in awe anyway. Modern “Worship” is nothing more than an entertaining Christian concert.

Biblically worship in song is supposed to be done on a corporate level. It is also meant to be sacred. A time where we die to ourselves in consecration to lift up our Lord in song. As one. Traditionally this has been achieved by singing from a Hymnal. Before then Psalms. Everyone opens the same book, looks at the same melody, sings the same song, and is on the same page. The “stars”, if you will, are the church body. Not the “Praise Team”. It is “Let us sing…”, not “We’re going to do a little diddy about Jesus. Just came out last week by a band called Jesus Culture. You might have heard of them? Anyway, sing along if you know the words…” Sadly this has also watered down the impact that corporate worship has had for generations. Now young people are at a point where they cannot worship in a church that sings Hymns. “Grandmas music” they call it. Boredom. If it isn’t loud and proud then they cannot work with it. Because worship is no longer about becoming less that He may increase. Singing simplistically to Him to lift His name on high. It becomes about the “Me” and having the fleshly need to be entertained met. If it is not fun then run.

The Last Word

The point that I am trying to make is that there are many of The Redeemed that point their finger in judgment against modern Christian music. Some of it is warranted. There truly are a great deal of CCM artists out there that practice bad doctrine and theology. Whether it is bad lyrics about lusting for Jesus, a sinful lifestyle and a promotion of such, or trying to intentionally replicate secular artists to persuade believers in one way or another. And there are many that are so fake that it is only a matter of time before they renounce their faith in Christ and hope that they can drag their followers down with them. But there are a great deal that get it right. They perform under different genres, yet they write and speak Truth. They perform the style that they perform because that is what they like to perform. As a former heavy metal song writer I briefly switched to writing Christian metal post-conversion because that is what I liked. I would not have switched immediately to Christian bluegrass because I did not listen to nor did I like bluegrass. Yet The Ones Pointing The Finger accuse such artists as intentionally trying to lead Believers away from God by performing music that is not “sacred”. They claim that it is bad theology, yet they can never point out what in the song goes against The Bible. It is a matter of preference. They do not like the modern Christian music that runs the gamut between Demon Hunter and Casting Crowns, to Sandi Patty and the Gaither Vocal Band. I believe that their disdain is not rooted in bad doctrine (because they fail at proving their point), but because the music is new and they do not like that. It is true that it is newer than hymns. However even the hymns are newer than the Psalms. So at what point does the timeline no longer matter? Therefore they try in vain to come up with arguments to justify their argument against modern Christian music. From too much breathing in between words, to being too handsome. They just don’t realize how ridiculous they sound while they do it.

Modern Christian music, whether good or bad doctrine, is nothing more than entertainment. It is meant for us to enjoy in our redeemed flesh as we drive our cars and mop our floors. Just like watching “Courageous”, “Moms Night Out”, or “Duck Dynasty”, or watching our favorite sports team perform. It is all meant to entertain the parts of our mind that naturally desire to be entertained. A desire that has existed in man since the dawn of time. I know a great deal of Christians and Christian Leaders that are quick to condemn listening to modern Christian music and watching Christian movies for entertainment purposes (or any kind of Christian entertainment at that), yet they have no problem watching their favorite football team on Monday night. Hypocrite much?

Modern Christian music is entertainment and there is nothing wrong with listening to it as long as it is Truthful in word and subject. No lusting please. If you have a preference of genre then there is nothing wrong with pursuing that. But one must not let the worldliness of its sound turn their hearts to the world itself.

However, church is meant for us to come together in worship. To become lesser than us that we may exalt Him. As one body. This cannot be achieved if some of us are only singing to the songs that the Praise Team knows. This cannot be achieved when “worship” is a 45 minute concert where we watch in amazement as the most talented and select musicians show off their skills. This cannot be achieved when our main focus on Sunday morning is whether or not the Praise Team will perform a song that we will like. When our worship is rooted in our love to be entertained, then it is no longer about Him. It is about us. If we walk into church on Sunday morning and run away when all we see is a hymnal and a piano, then our hearts were never worshiping Him to begin with.

Our hearts were never right.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

-The Apostle Paul to The Church at Colossae