(Aside: While I do listen to some secular music this blog is not meant as an attack against people who do not listen to secular music out of personal conviction. I really respect such convictions and really believe God honors such commitments.)
Then songs like "Sympathy for the Devil" came out and wacko's like Jim Morrison started playing with the occult. And the divorce papers were written up.
The divorce settlement went something along the lines of: Church music would consist of country music, gospel music, or choir music. If church music were to have anything to do with rock music, the band would have to play absolutely terrible rock music. Also church music could have Creed and MC Hammer.
Rock & Roll was left to it's own free to sound really sweet at times tempting Christians for all times to come to the dark side. Also they would get Amy Grant on loan once she started hating Christianity.
The Conviction
Which leads to a message about how damaging secular music is complete with overbearing sexuality, cursing, and promotion of violence.
this line of thought is usually followed up by some weird idea that Satan invented music from a poorly interpreted verse from Ezekiel and then preach that Satan uses music as his main mechanism to attack Christians.
Then some of us show videos about the history of Satan and rock & roll that just scare the living daylights out of you complete with corny 80's graphics.
Most of the time this rhetoric is enough as the youth are gripped with conviction and repent of how much evil they have subjected their ears to.
We come home rocking the HG like no other at our church complete with an extra dance in our step and a little more enthusiasm in our screaming of "Freedom." The devil has been finally put in the back seat of our lives complete with relistening to the Michael W. Smith cds that were previously sitting on our shelves gathering dust....
But give it a few weeks....if we are strong we may go a whole season...but at some point....when we get sick of hearing the same Christian music over and over again, and hating that if we are completely honest the Christian music is not nearly as catchy and fun to listen to as Rihanna.......we sit on the edge....
and eventually it comes....the temptation has grown too strong...the boy/girl of our dreams that we had been talking with on the phone has either stepped up their pursuit of you and we start blaring every love song in the book or the opposite mate has suddenly cut things off and we start blaring "Single Ladies" by Beyonce, completely forgetful of our prior commitment towards not listening to secular music. Most likely though it happens with getting into a church friend's car on a Friday, and this is the friend who has always led you astray from being 100% in church because they make the world seem so much fun and they are so cool so who are you to ever have the guts to tell that friend off? So you get into the car and the night is just right for some serious happy laughs and texting and eating at Chili's....and before you know it, that demon of a friend is blaring that really annoyingly catchy Pit Bull song and you wrestle with yourself and think about repenting secretly, but quickly succumb to the hypnotic beat of "1, 2, 3, 4...." and your moving your shoulders right in line with the song....and alas the commitment is delayed another 9 months until the next message that convicts you comes along
So every once in a while, the youth pastor will realize why his youth group is in such a lull: It must be the music they listen to...
Which leads to a message about how damaging secular music is complete with overbearing sexuality, cursing, and promotion of violence.
this line of thought is usually followed up by some weird idea that Satan invented music from a poorly interpreted verse from Ezekiel and then preach that Satan uses music as his main mechanism to attack Christians.
Then some of us show videos about the history of Satan and rock & roll that just scare the living daylights out of you complete with corny 80's graphics.
Most of the time this rhetoric is enough as the youth are gripped with conviction and repent of how much evil they have subjected their ears to.
Dear Devil Music, Get thee behind me!
Then of course a more popular escape from secular music is when one goes to a retreat or camp of some sort and one of the messages has to do with getting the sin out of our lives. The message is probably intended for teenage drinkers and sexual fornicators. But then there is 40-70% of the audience whose lifestyles stay clear of such hi-jinks, but are left still gripped by the conviction of the speaker....So what sin is in these relatively innocent creature's lives that must be done away with in the flood of tears at the alter? Most likely these youth will resolve to either stop secretly going to the movies or their mind goes to all their time of listening to the latest Lady Gaga and Beyonce songs on the radio, and those Justin Timberlake songs on their computer. They repent as if it was the blood of Abel calling out their guilt from the ground....We come home rocking the HG like no other at our church complete with an extra dance in our step and a little more enthusiasm in our screaming of "Freedom." The devil has been finally put in the back seat of our lives complete with relistening to the Michael W. Smith cds that were previously sitting on our shelves gathering dust....
But give it a few weeks....if we are strong we may go a whole season...but at some point....when we get sick of hearing the same Christian music over and over again, and hating that if we are completely honest the Christian music is not nearly as catchy and fun to listen to as Rihanna.......we sit on the edge....
and eventually it comes....the temptation has grown too strong...the boy/girl of our dreams that we had been talking with on the phone has either stepped up their pursuit of you and we start blaring every love song in the book or the opposite mate has suddenly cut things off and we start blaring "Single Ladies" by Beyonce, completely forgetful of our prior commitment towards not listening to secular music. Most likely though it happens with getting into a church friend's car on a Friday, and this is the friend who has always led you astray from being 100% in church because they make the world seem so much fun and they are so cool so who are you to ever have the guts to tell that friend off? So you get into the car and the night is just right for some serious happy laughs and texting and eating at Chili's....and before you know it, that demon of a friend is blaring that really annoyingly catchy Pit Bull song and you wrestle with yourself and think about repenting secretly, but quickly succumb to the hypnotic beat of "1, 2, 3, 4...." and your moving your shoulders right in line with the song....and alas the commitment is delayed another 9 months until the next message that convicts you comes along
Hahaha... I just laughed out loud - in class. Thanks :/
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