Music is referred to in the Bible over 500 times. God certainly sets forth principles that apply to what kind of music Christians should play and listen to.

First, the purpose of music should be to bring glory to God.

Psalm 104:33 I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
1 Corinthians 10:31 ...whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
Psalm 145:7 They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.

Much contemporary music places more of an emphasis on man's spiritual "experiences" and is vague in references to God.

Psalm 105:1 O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.
105:2 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.

Godly music should tell of God's "name," "deeds," and "wondrous works." Much contemporary music speaks of "you," "me," and "I" with, again, very vague references to God.

Ephesians 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.

Music should be "to the Lord," not for entertainment or personal gain. Charles H. Spurgeon once said, "The devil has seldom done a more clever thing than hinting to the Church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them."

Many churches use rock music simply to attract more people. But why are those people coming out? Many come simply to be entertained by music with a shallow message and sensual beat, not to bring glory to God. Sure, sometimes people are saved in these meetings. But does the end always justify the means?

Here's a quote from an unsaved author, Allen Bloom, cited in Frank Garlock's book Music in the Balance, "Rock music has one appeal only, a barbaric appeal, to sexual desire."

Does music that can be described this way have any place in the church?

2 Corinthians 2:17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

Many CCM performers have become very popular and rich. Yet they have paid a price for their popularity--the price of disobedience to God through compromise with the world. This leads to my next point: God-honoring music should be distinctly different from the world's music.

Psalm 40:3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.

I was browsing the ccmcom.com (CCM Magazine) website while doing research for this article. On the site I came across an article on a "Christian" band called The Elms. I was immediately turned off when I saw their picture--longish hair, shabby clothes, not a smile on their faces. It didn't look like a happy bunch of people to me. As I read through the article, I was abhorred by some things I saw.

"The very nature of rock is risk. It’s danger," says The Elms 24-year-old bandleader, Owen Thomas, pondering his definition of what really is the essence of rock ‘n’ roll in a dimly-lit, empty Lincoln Park pizzeria. "Things like spontaneity and soul come with rock," he says, four hours pre-show to opening for Jars of Clay at Chicago’s vibey Park West club.
Spontaneity? God is not a God of spontaneity. He is a God of order, and this should be reflected in music that honors him.

[Their] current priority is making good music, which, in the guys’ view, must be in place first in order to further the message of Christ to an audience they aspire to reach.
So basically they use a musical style that appeals to the world, then throw in some "Christian" words.

Owen isn’t knocking the [Christian music] "industry," per se, he says. His own band currently has a foot in both worlds—playing bars like the Chicago haute one night and a youth convention the next in support of its recent release Truth, Soul, Rock ‘n’ Roll (Sparrow).
A "foot in both worlds"? Ever heard this verse? "Ye cannot serve God and mammon!"

1 Thess. 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
If they can perform for Christians one day, and use the same kind of music to appeal to a drunken crowd of bargoers another day, there is something seriously wrong with their music.

Lev. 20:26 And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
2 Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Ephesians 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

Clearly from these verses, there is to be a distinct difference between Christians and the unsaved world. Children of God should be separate from the world. This doesn't mean that we have to go live in a convent and have no contact with the outside, just that we should not adopt the ways of the world system that denies God. This can apply to the way we dress, the way we talk, the places we go, the way we act, and the music we listen to!! We should "prove what is acceptable to God."

Music clearly has an effect on us, whether good or bad. It is not amoral, as some say. Music can affect our emotions, thought life, and actions. Rock music is used by the world to promote ungodly, immoral values.

"But," you say, "Any kind of music can be used for good or bad. You can't just take one style and say it's good or bad."

Turn on the radio. Do you ever hear classical music with words promoting immoral values? Do you hear ungodly words set to music that doesn't have the pounding beat of rock music, or the swing of country or jazz? Not very often! Rock music is, by far, the predominant style of music used to promote these ideas. There's obviously something more that just the words; the kind of accompaniment and the style of singing used to reinforce the words have power.

These quotes are cited in Music in the Balance:
From the English sociologist Frith:
The sexuality of music is usually referred to in terms of its rhythm--it is the beat that commands a directly physical response.

Listen to a Sousa march. The strong rhythm makes a person want to march or tap his foot in time to the music. Now, there is nothing wrong with that, but when music has a rhythm that makes one want to gyrate the whole body in a fleshly way, can it be of God? Too much syncopation and emphasis on the 2nd and 4th beats instead of 1st and 3rd call for a sensual physical response, even if it is not always shown.

From a respected medical doctor, John Diamond:
With the ears completely blocked, the body still responds to sound. This is because we "hear" not only with our ears, but also with our bodies.

Dr. Garlock goes on to explain why rock music has a different effect from ordinary music:
Rather than a strong-weak-weak, waltz-like beat pattern which reflects the heartbeat and the rhythm of one's body, rock music employs a weak-weak-strong sequence.

The emphasis on the off-beat (e.g. one-TWO-one-TWO instead of ONE-two-ONE-two), overuse of syncopation, overemphasis of beat over melody, and a breathy, moaning singing style constitute rebellion against order in music and in God's creation.

Later in the book he uses this quote from a Christian author, Richard Taylor:
There are music forms, whether secular or sacred, which create moods of pensiveness, of idealism, of awareness of beauty, of aspiration, and of holy joyousness. There are other forms of music which create moods of recklessness and sensual excitement. Surely it doesn't take much judgment to know which forms are most appropriate for religious functions.

Rock music is used in churches to create a "sensual excitement" that is mistaken for a religious experience.

Here's a quote from Steve Halpern, cited in Music in the Balance:
When you realize that much of pop music is built around a bass drum pattern that has been getting increasingly louder in relation to the melody and other aspects of the song, you have an inkling of just how pervasive this artifact of our culture is. . . we have been so inundated with this beat, massaged for years without even being aware of it, that we don't notice the subtlety of its power. . . a common denominator cutting through most subjective reactions is that of sexual arousal. . .

The beat of rock music is appealing to the flesh--that's why so many people like it. 1 John 2:16 says that "the lust of the flesh. . . is not of the Father, but is of the world." The music we use should seek to glorify God, not to entertain people and satisfy fleshly desires.

Rock music is not "just another style of music." It is a tool of Satan to cause rebellion, a questioning of values, and a casual attitude toward the things of God. Rock music has subtly crept into so many churches, and so many people are blind to its true nature.

Haggai 2:11 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying,
2:12 If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No.

The principle of this verse is that the clean cannot be combined with the unclean. Christian words cannot be combined with a sinful, wordly music style.

On a positive note, there is a lot of music that does please the Lord. Christians should strive to only perform and listen to music which honors our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

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