Do you know what you're listening to?

My wife and I (Dylan) were watching American Idol this evening. I know it’s played out and it’s been around for years, but my wife and I really just started watching it last year so it still has a freshness to it. Anyhow, the last three performers are pretty talented young guys. I especially enjoyed Kris Allen’s performance. He performed The Fray’s arrangement of Kanye West’s song Heartless. All of this music listening got me thinking about, well, music. I think that music is one of the most powerful mediums there ever has been or will be. Great music has the ability to inspire, it can heal a broken heart and even make me cry. If you’re anything like me, you love music. I would go so far as to say I couldn’t imagine life without it and wouldn’t want to for that matter. I looked up the definition of music and it read:

Music: an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner.

Music is defined as a form of communication. I often ask people what they like about a particular music group, genre or singer and they typically say, “I just like the music” (beat, groove, rhythm, etc.) These individuals say they focus more on the instrumental. I too enjoy a great instrumental. But, where does the communication part come in? So many people I talk to say they really don’t care or pay attention to lyrical content. I then ask, “how can you sing the lyrics without even knowing the message being conveyed?” They respond with something like, “I dunno?” The only reason I bring all this up is because a lot of popular music today communicates a totally different world view from what Christians believe. By world view I mean how one sees or interprets life in this world. 

 I checked out iTunes top 10 songs. Some of the songs on the top ten were these:

# 3 Poker Face by Lady GaGa

# 4 Sugar by Flo Rida

# 5 Don’t Trust Me by 3OH!3

# 6 I Know You Want Me by Pitbull

# 10 Blame It by Jamie Foxx

I wasn’t surprised by the songs that made the top ten. Why? Because that’s the world. All of the songs above are sexually supercharged. The world view they convey is one of substance abuse for the sake of inhibition and sexual promiscuity. This is totally contrary to the biblical world view. We know that people aren’t to be used as objects to be had, but people to be loved. And furthermore sexuality is beautiful within the context of marriage, but practiced out of the confines of marriage brings hurt and brokenness. I think that most people know that to live like this is wrong so in order to suppress this knowing they inhibit themselves via drug and alcohol abuse. 

Ultimately, I’m not saying don’t listen to modern contemporary music. What I’m advocating is that we need to become critics of the media we choose to watch or listen to. Whether you think so or not media has an influence on you, me and everyone. And even if you feel able to not be affected by music and lyrics what about your neighbor? How do your choices of music, movies and media impact the relationship you have with others. 

Paul calls us (more important Jesus calls us) to practice deference when we read 

1 Corinthians 8:9-12 (NLT)

9 But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. 10 For if others see you—with your "superior knowledge"—eating in the temple of an idol, won't they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol? 11 So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer for whom Christ died will be destroyed.12 And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ. 13 So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live—for I don't want to cause another believer to stumble.

All this is simply food for thought. We are each called to 

Romans 12:1-2 

“give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

So I call to all who will hear. Let us strive to follow Christ with our whole beings music, media and all.