Today's topic has actually had me struggling to write what God wants me to write. I actually wrote out a survey, passed it out to a couple of kids at school, and even posted it on a forum at SusieMag.com. I got some great responses from other young, Christian teens that helped spur me on to go ahead and write this post, a day late.
What I mean by "The Almost Good With A Little Bit Of Bad Mixed In Song" is pretty self explanatory. This kind of song- to save screen space- will also be known as "The Iffy Song." Have you ever liked a song because of its catchy tune, and then stopped to listen to the lyrics and thought, "Whoa... I didn't know that was in there!" There have been so many instances like this in my life. One of my favorite songs is "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz... but it has the "d-word" in the lyrics. Another song that I enjoy is "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas, but it takes God's Name in vain at least twice. There are so many other cool songs like these two that are so fun, so likable, so catchy... but then there's that teeny-tiny little thing that makes them iffy.
So are they okay to listen to?
This is a tough one for me because I do like some of these "iffy" songs, and I am almost afraid that if I say that it is a sin to listen to them, then I will not only be a hypocrite... but I'll have to stop listening to these songs. And I love these songs!
This week, I have been praying constantly to God that He will show me the truth about the music that I put into my ears, and what I have decided to do today is put up a short series of questions below and let you decide for yourself.
1. Does the "iffy" part in this song turn you away from God at all? I mean, has this song put a naughty phrase or word or idea in your head more than you would think about it than usual? Have you found yourself singing along with the lyrics, even the "iffy" ones?
2. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the worst, how bad is the worst part of your song? Is the word "hell" used inappropriately once or is there a raunchy paragraph about a sexual encounter? Think about it... some words and some lyrics are worse than others.
3. How do you feel about the fact that you, as a follower of Christ, are listening to a song with an "iffy" part that does not glorify God while there are people who are being tortured and killed right now around the world because they are standing up for God as outspoken Christians? Does this song set you apart from the world or make you blend in more than you should?
4. Can you get a clean, radio-edit version of this song? For example, "Teardrops on My Guitar" by Taylor Swift can be purchased without the one cuss word. In my small opinion, the edited version of that song is automatically moved to the "Neutral Song" list.
5. What do your parents think about this song? Do they disapprove of what you're listening to, or do they say, "I think this song is okay for you." Their opinion does matter.
I think that for the most part, the "iffy" songs do need to go. Jesus wants us to serve Him with our lives, and that may involve sacrificing the fun things that are a part of blending in with the world. The Lord has called us to be Set Apart. Jesus made the sacrifice of being beaten, mocked, and murdered on a cross for you and for me. The least we could do is sacrifice a few awesome songs that don't glorify Him. Think about it.
I'm not going to sit here and say, "Every single "iffy" song out there is bait from the devil, and if you listen to these songs, then you're a horrible Christian!" Ultimately, your song choice depends on your heart. My song choice depends on my heart.
However, I do strongly encourage you to sit down and talk to God. Get His opinion. Let Him speak to you and help you to decide how to clean up your playlist. After all, He does know best.
One way I look at art is as a conversation between the artist and the audience. A novel is a conversation between a novelist and her reader. A movie is a conversation between a director and the moviegoer. A song is a conversation between a musician and her listener.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite songs is "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz... but it has the "d-word" in the lyrics. Another song that I enjoy is "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas, but it takes God's Name in vain at least twice.
When you're listening to "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz, you're having a conversation with him. If Mraz is not a Christian, you cannot expect him to talk (or sing) like a Christian. If you got the opportunity to have a face-to-face conversation with Mraz, would you introduce yourself with, "Hi, I'm Emily and please do not cuss throughout our conversation, because I'm a Christian"?
The question then is, as a Christian, should I have conversations with non-Christians? Almost every Christian would answer that question with "yes."
Unfortunately, many Christians think the only reason to have a conversation with a non-Christian is to witness to them. And that's a shame. For one, if the only reason you talk to non-Christians is to witness to them, you don't see them as people (as God sees them) but as targets. For another, if you only talk to people who believe the same way you do, your faith can never grow and you miss out on a lot you can learn from people of other beliefs.
I engage in conversations with Muslims (in person when possible but mainly by reading books by Muslims) to see what I can learn from Muslims. I engage in conversations with atheists and non-Christians (in person but also by reading books, listening to music, and watching movies by atheists) to see what I can learn from them. I can't expect them to talk like Christians, because they aren't. But that doesn't mean they don't have much that I can learn from them.
I can see where you're coming from, but the problem with having a conversation through a movie, book, or song is that you can't talk back... and a conversation usually consists of communication from two people. And if Jason Mraz cussed in a personal conversation, I would ask him to please refrain from saying that word again... so when I listen to that song over and over, I'm not doing what I would in a normal conversation. However, I do agree that you can learn something from everyone, even if they aren't a Christian.
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