Christian Contemporary Music

[kevinmiller]

One guys voice carried the melody, while the other who was louder carried the harmony... (If they both did, then they would have sung the same tune). Isn't that placing the harmony above the melody? I thought that the instruments had to be primarily melody as well for it to be Godly.

Some music is definitely harder to discern than others which is why we must be in tune to the Holy Spirit's promptings. Bluegrass and acoustic country music genres, I will admit, are harder for me to place my finger on whether they are right or wrong. I know the music issue goes deeper than drum beats because the principle goes deeper than drums. Obviously the trumpet or saxophone when used for jazz and swing clearly takes on a sensual aspect to it. We have to be very discerning that our music is pure and right before God and I don't believe that any music where the rock beat, which has an obvious sensual rhythm, is present can be pleasing to Him. And I do believe that there is a balance in music, and a rock beat is far easier to see as being out of balance than is something in a greyer area. Unfortunately, we won't know all there is to know about any subject until we get to Heaven. Until then, we just have to stay as close to what is pure and as far away from what is carnal as we can.

[Kubel]

Is Christian Contemporary Music okay to listen to?

Yes.

Why or why not?

Because it brings praise to God and encourages believers.

[kevinmiller]

Yes.



Because it brings praise to God and encourages believers.

If the music is fleshly it exalts the flesh and not God. If it is a lust of the flesh it is not of the Father but of the world. Light has no fellowship with darkness nor godliness with ungodliness and worldly rock music with Christian lyrics has no fellowship with God.

[IM4given]

If the music is fleshly it exalts the flesh and not God. If it is a lust of the flesh it is not of the Father but of the world. Light has no fellowship with darkness nor godliness with ungodliness and worldly rock music with Christian lyrics has no fellowship with God.

:thumb Now you're getting it kevin! (nice avatar BTW)

[IM4given]

The biggest and best way to discern worldly music from godly music, is that worldly music makes you want to get up and dance, while godly music is "marching" music and it makes you want to stomp your feet.


Here are the Peasall sisters again, singing Farther Along - as you listen to it see how it makes you feel? Do you feel the spirit passing over you as you listen to it? You may have to double-click it to hear it - that takes you to the YouTube website.

[tube]sc6mcKUucaw[/tube]

[Kubel]

If the music is fleshly it exalts the flesh and not God. If it is a lust of the flesh it is not of the Father but of the world. Light has no fellowship with darkness nor godliness with ungodliness and worldly rock music with Christian lyrics has no fellowship with God.

The music I listen to praises God and encourages believers, just like bluegrass and hymn music (which I like as well). When I listen to Third Day or Casting Crowns, it doesn't make me want to go have sex or smoke pot. Some times it encourages me. Sometimes the Holy Spirit uses it to remind me of problems in my life. But it definately doesn't make me want to do worldly things.

Music isn't bad or good because of the style. It's bad or good because of what it says.

The problem is that when something new comes out, people want to associate it with evil. The style of what we would consider old hymn music was at one time looked at as modern and evil back when it was new and fresh. Eventually this will all pass away, and what we consider evil CCM might be looked at as old fashioned gospel music, while something new takes its place and is once again condemned.

I'm not opposed to todays Christian music because I know that it has helped me focus my life more toward Christ, and I know I'm not alone.

People are condemning others because of the translation they read, the style of music they listen to, the food they eat, etc... Can't people see that they are hurting the work of Christ through their unrighteous judgment? People need to stop trying to find Satan around every corner.

[John81]

The music I listen to praises God and encourages believers, just like bluegrass and hymn music (which I like as well). When I listen to Third Day or Casting Crowns, it doesn't make me want to go have sex or smoke pot. Some times it encourages me. Sometimes the Holy Spirit uses it to remind me of problems in my life. But it definately doesn't make me want to do worldly things.

Music isn't bad or good because of the style. It's bad or good because of what it says.

The problem is that when something new comes out, people want to associate it with evil. The style of what we would consider old hymn music was at one time looked at as modern and evil back when it was new and fresh. Eventually this will all pass away, and what we consider evil CCM might be looked at as old fashioned gospel music, while something new takes its place and is once again condemned.

I'm not opposed to todays Christian music because I know that it has helped me focus my life more toward Christ, and I know I'm not alone.

People are condemning others because of the translation they read, the style of music they listen to, the food they eat, etc... Can't people see that they are hurting the work of Christ through their unrighteous judgment? People need to stop trying to find Satan around every corner.

Good posting Kubel! Even though I do believe there are some forms of CCM that I don't see how it can glorify God or be edifying to believers (such as the rap and thrash metal styles) and the fact that some of what passes for CCM today doesn't even come close to having lyrics that seem to have any "Christian" to them at all.

That said, I have found some CCM, Southern Gospel, and other forms of music that I do find edifying.

[IM4given]

This group claims to be Christian! How can ANYTHING that sounds like THIS be considered edifying? :puzzled: :puzzled:

[tube]B79I_BnE8w8[/tube]

[John81]

I agree Janet! Some of the stuff they pass off as Christians I just don't see any Christian there at all!

I listened to some Christian top ten on some TV program last year and of the top ten I think only three songs had even remotely Christian lyrics.

[kevinmiller]

The music I listen to praises God and encourages believers, just like bluegrass and hymn music (which I like as well). When I listen to Third Day or Casting Crowns, it doesn't make me want to go have sex or smoke pot. Some times it encourages me. Sometimes the Holy Spirit uses it to remind me of problems in my life. But it definately doesn't make me want to do worldly things.

Music isn't bad or good because of the style. It's bad or good because of what it says.

The problem is that when something new comes out, people want to associate it with evil. The style of what we would consider old hymn music was at one time looked at as modern and evil back when it was new and fresh. Eventually this will all pass away, and what we consider evil CCM might be looked at as old fashioned gospel music, while something new takes its place and is once again condemned.

I'm not opposed to todays Christian music because I know that it has helped me focus my life more toward Christ, and I know I'm not alone.

People are condemning others because of the translation they read, the style of music they listen to, the food they eat, etc... Can't people see that they are hurting the work of Christ through their unrighteous judgment? People need to stop trying to find Satan around every corner.

I never said it would make you want to have sex or smoke pot. Glorifying the flesh does not mean sex and drugs Kubel. A person can glorify the flesh in any number of ways. And music is indeed one of them.

And no, music can be wrong in and of itself. You make it amoral if you say that the words are all that matters. Would you preach in a bar? Would you use porn sites to advertise your church? Why would using rock music to glorify Christ be any more acceptable? I would say that it is not.

And it has nothing to do with something new coming out. I am the last person to shun something because it is "new." Rock music isn't new. Christian rock is fairly new because Christians used to shun it for the heresy that it is. I hope that it will never pass away and that Christians will never stop fighting the carnality that comes with contemporary Christian music.

And to sum it up, I never condemned anyone. To say such is a poor argument since you will find me in the Bible threads opposing much of the condemnation there(regardless of the position) and I have not judged anyone anywhere else, least of all here. Standards don't hurt the cause of Christ. Condemnation and arrogance, yes that does. But standards don't. Don't associate standards with judgement. I don't see Satan around every corner but he does seek to destroy and he will do it within the church if he can. And his latest and greatest ploy is Christian rock music.

[IM4given]

:goodpost: :goodpost:

[bibletotingunslinger]

The biggest and best way to discern worldly music from godly music, is that worldly music makes you want to get up and dance, while godly music is "marching" music and it makes you want to stomp your feet.


Here are the Peasall sisters again, singing Farther Along - as you listen to it see how it makes you feel? Do you feel the spirit passing over you as you listen to it? You may have to double-click it to hear it - that takes you to the YouTube website.

[tube]sc6mcKUucaw[/tube]

I just listen to what I like, and I like this stuff.

[IM4given]

"This stuff" is not some recently invented style of singing or music - it is centuries old, passed down from one generation to the next, which is why I feel it is the truest form of worship music that can be found today.

Ricky Scaggs did not invent Bluegrass Gospel Music, he was born into it, just like his father and grandfather were born into it. These beautiful little Peasall girls did not invent the style of music they are singing, it is the same music their mother and grandmother sang when they were children.

The only thing "new" about this form of music is that new media has been invented to record and distribute it, but the music remains the same as it has always been.

BTW - the Peasall girls are the ones who sang "In the Byways" in the movie O Brother Where Art Thou?

[Kubel]

Even though I do believe there are some forms of CCM that I don't see how it can glorify God or be edifying to believers (such as the rap and thrash metal styles) and the fact that some of what passes for CCM today doesn't even come close to having lyrics that seem to have any "Christian" to them at all.

That said, I have found some CCM, Southern Gospel, and other forms of music that I do find edifying.

I agree. For years, Christian music stations were playing Evanescence on their stations thinking they were a Christian band (particularly with their hit, "bring me to life"), until one of them finally publicly said something like "we aren't even a !@#%ing Christian band" because they were tired of the 'bad' name they were getting being associated with Christian music. There's a lot of garbage out there that can be confused for worldly music- where the lyrics are just so generic that they could hardly be called "faith-based", much less "Christian". I'm not a fan of that.

But for lumping all modern Christian music into the pot of Satan's subliminal work- I'm not cool with that. My mom has some pretty severe paranoia, and she even looks at license plates as we are driving and associates them with secret messages that she thinks Satan is trying to use against her. I think a lot of believers have a similar kind of paranoia (even with right minds) trying to find Satan in everything (even good things). That's not to say wickedness is often clever. But if you look hard enough, you will always 'find' what you are looking for, even if it's not really there.

[kevinmiller]

I haven't found God in rock music or Christian rock music to prove to me that Satan isn't there. But that really isn't the issue anyway since I used to listen to rock music, I wasn't always paranoid. :wink