Ever since the '60's, Rock Music has been incredibly popular. Today it continues to be incredibly popular in its various forms. You can hear it on the radio, on TV, in shopping centers. People love the feeling this music stirs up in them. Its a multi-billion dollar industry. Its influence is everywhere. Well known rock singers are known and admired the world over. Their publicity material adorns the bedrooms of many an adolescent admirer!
Great things are ascribed to Rock and Roll. One hit song tells us "We built this city on rock and roll". E.L.O. let us know that "Rock and Roll is King". The Beatles informed us, "Its gotta be Rock and Roll music, if you want to dance with me". Another song informs us, "Sex and drugs and rock and roll is all my brain and body needs". We see that Rock and Roll has taken on many of the attributes and functions of deity! It is King, it provides all we need, and it is the foundation for our achievements! I'd like to suggest that for many, rock and roll really is a god. Its a lying god to be sure, but its a god none-the-less. I know that people get upset when you blaspheme their gods. On the other hand, there is always the risk of offending the true God if we fear the wrath of pagan gods. That is a risk I don't want to take at the present time.
Psychological Effects of Rock Music
It is a fact that we are influenced by what we hear. Psychologists know very well that the messages we hear do go into our brain and do go on to affect our attitudes to some extent. This is true even when we reject the message with our conscious mind. If we like the music enough we will allow its message to repeat inside our heads even if we disagree with it initially. Rock music, and more recently, rap, hip-hop and other forms of audio entertainment is generally repetetive, insistent and seductive in nature. Its a perfect tool for brainwashing people. It can totally transform and mould the personalities of those who are devoted to it. This is what has been happening in the western world for the last forty years and now we are beginning to reaping the fruit.
A lot of people say they are not influenced by what they hear, but this is hogwash. For the most part, we are a product of what we have heard and believed. Obviously, what we like to pay attention to will be very influential in our lives. Everybody is following somebody, but the one you are following, do they know where they are going?
If you don't believe you have been influenced by the values and philosophies of rock and roll, I invite you to read the next section and consider whether your beliefs vary significantly with what can be shown to be the recurring themes of rock and roll and other forms of popular modern music.
What is the Message of Rock Music?
Every song is different, but there are certain messages that come through again and again in rock/pop and rap music.
Message Number One - Rebellion and Lawlessness
"Do what you want."
"No one can tell you how to live your life."
"I don't care what you say anymore, this is my life".
These lyrics encourage young people to despise the authority of parents, teachers, church leaders, government authorities - anyone who would dare to try to instruct them and teach them in the way they should go. They appeal directly to pride, independence and lust. If everyone followed these principles without compromise the world would be an unbearable place to live in. There would be no happy families, just a bunch of selfish hedonists hell-bent on having a mad time. In practice, the constraints of society put limits on these kind of thing, but there are many rock and roll stars who are out to convince us that such a society should be destroyed anyway so that we can get on with the serious business of fulfilling our own lusts without limits.
Message Number Two - Lust is the Way to Go
A lot of songs talk about love, but often this doesn't mean much more than lust. Love want to give, but lust just wants to
take. Lust views people as a means to sexual gratification - not a really high view of humanity, in my view. The body
language of today's pop musicians is loaded with sexual innuendo. Even if the words aren't always about sex, the body
language on channels like MTV usually is. It is well known in the music industry that sex sells. Modern music has had an
enormous influence on the attitude of people towards sexual morality. Whereas before the 1960's most people believed in
keeping yourself sexually pure unt
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Christian music debate, can anyone advise me?.
I am a Christian/messianic Jew and mother of two sons one nesrly 17 and the other nearly 19. I have at times had to tell my sons of the danger of listening to music that is not pleasing to God. My sons are both very recently reborn, well at least they tell me they are. Both are independent spirits if you know what I mean, and it has been a hard struggle. Their choice of music being one of the struggles as a part of that. I had an incident a week or two ago when one of my sons started to play a bad music choice. You see some music I outright ban in my house as I find it disturbing to my soul. I got a slammed door in my face and words from my son saying I take things too far and that a bit of music can't do any harm. Anyhow he turned it off. I prayed for my sons. As a mother I worry for them and want to keep them on the straight and narrow path. Well God started to work immediatly. You see, I as a part of my normal week listen to Christian music on the internet. It helps me in some way. Well this week I found myself listening to new Christian rock music, music I had never much listened to before and I found myself loving it. I had heard it before but had not so much gelled with it, if you know what I mean by that. Anyhow getting to the point. I have now found lots of Christian music that my sons would like. God has opened my heart to new music, to help my sons on their road in life. Then out of the blue, I got a phone call this week asking do I want 4 Bon Jovi tickets. The timeing uncanny. I have no real knowledge of Bon Jovi and wondered if anyone could tell me is he a safe bet from God or if this is a trap from the enemy. I don't have a clue. I have heard it rumoured that Bon Jovi is born again but don't know for sure. Fellow brothers and sisters please help me to know should I accept these tickets for my sons or not.
I myself am in a christian
I myself am in a christian rock band. I play the bass (or "bass anchor" as I like to call it since it holds the music steady)
and sing back up vocals while my brother sings lead and plays guitar. I love it. I'd like to eventually get some strings as part of our band. I believe that music is one of the most wonderful gifts that God has given to us, and that it can be used to not only spread the love of God, but to ultimately give Him the glory.
I think that it is a shame what people have done with music, they have taken it and, like all good things God has blessed us with, have perverted it. But God looks at the heart and if you listen to secular music then I don't think it's wrong. I just feel that it should be balanced by some good, positive, music that in its lyrics glorifies God.
This is an interesting music
This is an interesting music debate, does listening to rock music turns you into a bad aggressive person? I love listening for pop music and, it always makes me feel better. I am a huge Madonna fan and I wouldn't miss the chance to get Madonna tickets and see her live. Music makes me feel free, this is the message I get.
Humility
I mave been a musician since I was eleven years old when I was given my first guitar.
As I was growing up, I became a fan of rock and heavy metal and by my late teens was starting to get "pretty good " on the old guitar.
My dream was to become an "axe hero", up on stage blasting out some awsome guitar solo and being the object of peoples adoration.
Even though I knew that the chances of me making it in the music industry were pretty slim, I held on to this dream as an excape from the mundane life that I was living.
When I became a Christian at the age of 25, The Lord clearly showed me that I needed to turn away from the idolatory of the music scene so I abandoned the whole thing, got rid of my albums and just kept a guitar which i would use to make up a few tunes once in a while.
I became involved in a local church and was asked to accompany the worship. I was happy to do this as service to the Lord. I was not putting myself before God because rythm guitar was not a strong point of mine. My pride was lead solos.
A few years later I was involved with a church that had an annointed music ministry. The focus of which was the gospel choir.
I did not jump to become involved at that point but was content with helping with the equiptment and such.
After a year or so, the bass player left and the Lord was telling me that I should take up the role of bassist in the choir.
I kept his word to me secret and one day the choir was approached by the BBC to participate in a "songs of praise special" which was to be conducted at Goodison Park, home to Everton football club.
The musical director invited to me to become involved in the project.
Even though I knew that my skills as a bassist where pretty weak, I saw this as a confirmation of what the Lord had said to me so I accepted and we set about reherasing for the concert.
When the day came, Goodison was packed to the rooftops with church members from all over the north west of England. There were 34,000 spectators in the park and the TV coverage was watched by millions.
It was a hugely enjoyable time for me. I was serving the Lord with the best of my ability, not showing off with my talent and skill.
The show was a great success and the thing which amazed me was that God had fulfilled the dreams of my youth, not for my glory, but for His.
I continued with the choir for a further two years after that. We ministered to hundreds of thousands, even millions through further newtork coverage.
Through my act of submitting my music to God, I can now enjoy it as something which was created by Him, for us.
Secular music, by nature, will not glorify God, but we can, and must bring all things (including music) into submission to the holy spirit.
God bless,
Pete
Thats great
I agree with what you write - I believe God can and does use music for His glory.
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