In this essay, I ask a question that every intelligent person taking a strong stand on an issue should occassionally ask. Although I do not honestly believe that I have been wrong in defending Christian rock, there are some problems that I think must be brought to light and, somehow, dealt with.
The first problem is addiction. I have seen it in my life and in others' lives. It is possible, and, in America at least, almost universal to be addicted to music. Any addiction is incompatible with whole-hearted service to God, because you will always be holding back just a little bit from him. However, I don't perceive this as being a problem exclusive to rock music; any form of music—from classical to southern gospel to rap— can be addictive.Actually, this problem isn't solely related to music either. It's a problem with noise. This culture has so immersed us in a constant stream of information—radio, tv, the internet—that we cannot tolerate silence. And this is a tragedy. Quiet contemplation has virtually become anathema to us. We as Christians need to take time to step out of this stream of noise and listen for God's voice. Like Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still, and know that I am God" (NIV).
The second problem is that of the celebrity. Even at its best, the Christian celebrity is a rather strange beast. As a celebrity, his job is to be constantly calling attention to himself. "Look at me! I'm cool; I'm important." Yet as a Christian, his duty is to constantly be pointing away from himself and to God. These two are such a contradiction that it's almost impossible to reconcile them. More than once I've seen statements from those involved in Christian rock indicating that they, too struggle with this problem.But again, this isn't just a problem with Christian rock. Any Christian in a position of fame has to deal with this problem. For different people it will take different forms. Billy Graham, Frank Peretti, James Dobson, all these people have to come to terms with this somehow.
Another important issue is one brought up in Romans 14 and I Corinthians 8. If you read those passages carefully, (something I believe all of Christian rock's critics should do) Paul describes issues that cause some Christians to stumble but not others.The "Christian-ese" term for these issues is "meat sacrificed to idols." This is because one of the first issues of this type was whether or not Christians should eat such food that has been placed before an idol. For some who came to Christianity from idol worship, this is a sinful practice. According to Paul this is because "their conscience is weak" (I Cor. 8:7 NIV). That is, they consider it wrong, and for them to do so would be wrong.
But Paul also talks to those who know otherwise, those who realize that "An idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one" (I Cor. 8:4 NIV). For these people, there is nothing at all with eating such meat as long as they do not cause their brothers to stumble.What does this practically mean? For some people Christian rock is sinful. This isn't because it is an inherently evil style of music penned by Satan himself. This is because they believe it to be wrong, and associate it with their sinful past. I know a couple of people in this position, and I would never play my favorite bands around them or ask them to listen to my newest CD. This would be causing them to stumble. Their conviction is valid for them, but that particular rule of their life does not apply to me. If God is telling you that you need to stop listening to Christian rock, then stop. Although you might want to consider praying to make sure God is leading you in this direction. If God isn't telling you not to listen to Christian rock, then enjoy, but don't cause your brother to stumble.
Although I've been maintaining this web-site (Shredding the Lies) for nearly a year and have known about these passages for some time longer, I only recently realized just how close of a parallel this is. Christian rock, for many people is music sacrificed to idols. Some people look at rock music and say that it has been sacrificed to the "gods" of this world and Satan himself. They say that rock was made and used only to draw people into sin. Others, like myself, say that rock music is just a style of music, and can be used to glorify God as much as any other. Although the music may have started out being used by the "gods" of this world—illicit sex, drunkeness, drugs and violence—these "gods" are a joke when placed beside the one true God, who is more than powerful enough use "their" music when it so pleases him. They say the music has been sacrificed to idols, we say that the idols have no real existence. Read I Corinthians chapter eight; this is almost straight out of the Bible. Whichever side you are on, please love your brothers in Christ, even if you don't agree with them, even if they aren't loving to you. And if you so feel led, defend your beliefs (but again, in a spirit of love) after all (and this is one of the main justifying verses for this site) the Bible commands us: "Do not allow wht you consider good to be spoken of as evil" (Romans 14:16 NIV).So that's it. Could I be wrong in defending Christian rock? Yes. Do I honestly believe I am? No, but there are some problems that have to be dealt with.