What about Christian rock and rap?

An independent Baptist preacher said recently: 

“ The “hymns only crowd” is just as much of an extreme as the “contemporary only crowd”. 

You don’t hear brothers in Christ fighting over food.  They’ll attack you for listening to a contemporary song, but go down to McDonald’s and get 3 Big Macs and a large Coke with no hesitation. 

There are some songs that are bad for your Christian walk, there is some food that is bad for your health, but not all songs and all food are bad in moderation.  Everybody has an opinion. Using scripture to teach an opinion is dangerous.  

I proudly listen to some contemporary songs that are intricate in song writing, talent and biblically sound. A lot of them have a rock beat. 

As a Pastor I’d never let drums into my church, but it doesn’t mean I wouldn’t listen to a song with drums. 

Quit being ridiculous and yelling at people who listen to contemporary music. It’s a strawman argument.  There’s no definitive scripture that is in context that teaches what these people claim. You can have an opinion and a rule for your church, but you cannot call it “doctrine”.”

My perspective is that if rock music is wrong and rap music is wrong, why try to polish it up and make it ‘Christian’? It is obvious that the people who developed “Christian rap” and “Christian rock” were fans of worldly music and were attempting to make the church’s music sound more like it, whether it was for their own flesh’s entertainment or to try to appeal to worldly people. We have been told to “come out from among them” and “be ye separate” (2 Cor. 6:17). I would say that adapting our music to sound like the world’s music is not following Romans 12:2 “be not conformed to this world”. We are also commanded to “abstain from all appearance of evil” (1 Thes. 5:22).  

I do agree that the main thing is for the words of  the song to reflect sound doctrine that praises God, and some new music does that. But the exception proves the rule. Most of the newer songs do not hold a candle to the old hymns as far as meaning and doctrine. This is not to say that all hymns are good. A lot of hymns are not dispensationally correct doctrinally speaking. And this is not to say that any new song is bad. I am speaking about “church” music designed to sound like rock or rap.

God created music for His honor and worship before the world began (Ezek. 28:13, Job 38:7). When you see His music in the Bible, it always worships Him for His works, His character, and provokes thanksgiving and fear of Him in those singing it. Worldly music is designed to appeal to the flesh. You can contrast the song of Moses “unto the LORD” in Exodus 15 with the “noise of the people” sung in Exodus 32 in connection with idolatry and immorality. 

Exodus 15:1 Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.

Exodus 32:

[17] And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.
[18] And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.

[19] And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. 

I am not saying that all of man’s music is worshipping idols or is connected to immorality, but it is safe to say that a lot of it is. Most rock, rap, country, etc expresses desire for fleshly lusts such as alcohol, drugs, money, sexual immorality, covetousness, etc. 

At best, worldly music offers worldly wisdom to make us feel better about worldly problems and rejoice in things other than the Lord. 

1 John 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

1 Corinthians 7:31 And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.

1 Corinthians 1:20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

I think if we consider these principles in music, it will eliminate a lot of music other than hymns. “But let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind” (Rom. 14:5). 

“Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen…” (Jer. 10:2)