Music, Movies and Personal Holiness

How does God feel about whats on your iPod? How, as Christians, are we to enjoy entertainment for the Glory of God, specifically in the area of music? I believe the argument I will lay out applies similarly to movies, tv and video games, but I will deal mainly with music because I can quote songs I haven't heard in years and there is no deleting them from my mental hard drive.  Before I get into the actual argument, let me give a few disclaimers:

1. I do not claim to be an expert on the topic and need to continue to research the topic, primarily in the Scriptures and also in Christian literature.

2. I am deeply passionate about Evangelism and desire like Paul to become all things to all men that by all mens I might win a few. (1 Co. 9:22). 

3. I am appreciative of the Dutch Reformed influence that teaches Christians should transform the culture and specifically the arts, rather than be fundamentally against culture.

4. I have learned much of what I will argue through my own mistakes and therefore write this blog in the context of humility that deep conviction and brokeness brings, not in ‘holier than thou’ judgement.

5. My primary passion is God’s glory, His people’s good, and His people’s witness to a lost and dying world.

Let me start by telling you where and how this burden originated with a few brief stories.  6 years ago I walked out of an amazing time of worship on New Years Eve with hundreds of other college students at a Campus Outreach (Campus Ministry I have worked for the last 7 years) New Years Conference and into a “Dance Party.” I entered with several non-Christians who were exploring Christ and young Christians who wanted to grow. Surprisingly over the speakers I heard a hit song of that year, Usher ft. Ludacris “Yeah.” The song’s beat and catchy hook were undeniably good, but the lyrics of this song include Luda saying, “So gimmie the rhythm and it’ll be off with they clothes, then bend over to the front and touch your toes.” After this song and a few other club bangers, I went over to the CO staff that were running the music and asked them if we were really playing club music at a Christian Conference Dance party. He assured me it was okay because they were the “edited version.” Unfortunately, all this meant was that the curse words were bleeped out or changed, but the lyrical pornography was blasting for Christians, non-Christians, new Christians and seekers a like to enjoy. This word enjoy is very important to me and I will explain why later. 

I had previously played questionable music at similar events in the name of being relevant and “becoming all things to all men,” until a few things happened. A non-Christian student whom I had been ministering to walked into the event and after hearing the music looked at me and said, “I thought this was a Christian event.” He made this statement because he knew the God I proclaimed and the message of the songs I was playing were clearly at odds with one another.  I also had a convicting conversation with a brother in the faith that helped me see the conflicting messages I was sending to those seeking to know more about Christ.

These, along with several other stories that I will save for the book that this blog would be if I’m not careful, lead me to seek the scriptures and really analyze the lyrics of pop-culture’s biggest hits. It also sent me into evaluating my beliefs and motives behind why I was playing and enjoying much of the music that I was. So with that brief history I would like to propose the following thesis as the argument for this blog:

It is impossible to Glorify God by enjoying entertainment that explicitly and intentionally boasts in that which is offensive to God and therefore it diminishes your capacity for true joy.

I state this thesis negatively because it is mainly an argument against an error I have made and have recently run into again. I will break down the thesis briefly in three separate phrases. 

Impossible to Glorify God

I start with this phrase because I believe glorifying God is the reason we breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. We were created by Christ and for Christ’s glory (Col. 1:16, Is. 43:7). We were bought with His precious blood to display His beauty, goodness, grace, mercy, and justice in the person and work of Christ and we do this in our bodies (1 Co. 6:20). We are to display His glory in our bodies in all things, even simple things such as eating and drinking (1 Co. 10:31).  With this presupposition now acknowledged I start off with the statement, “It is impossible to Glorify God...” It is impossible to live according to your ultimate purpose in entertainment if you enjoy that which explicitly and intentionally boasts in sin.  God’s glory must be the motive of all that we do, even and especially in our entertainment.

By Enjoying Entertainment that explicitly and intentionally boasts in that which is offensive to God.  

Having acknowledged the motive of God’s glory, I now move into the actual argument. I want to first highlight the word enjoying. I am specifically talking about entertainment (music) we choose for the sake of pleasure. There are some whom I believe must, for the sake of the Gospel, study all types of art, including music, in order to understand culture and/or to develop their own art form (this should be done prayerfully in community).  That is not what I am addressing here.  So I wouldn’t say, “it is impossible to Glorify God by listening to music that explicitly and intentionally boasts in that which is offensive to God,” but instead say, “It is impossible to Glorify God by enjoying music that...”  This word is key to why I am willing to use the massively terrible phrase, “Impossible to Glorify God.” 

Most would very quickly agree with this conclusion if I was talking about murder or adultery. No Christian would argue with the statement, “It is impossible to Glorify by God by committing adultery” yet when it comes to playing a song like Party Rock Anthem, (lyrics: http://www.metrolyrics.com/party-rock-anthem-lyrics-lmfao.html) some Christian’s would argue that the song was “rescued” or “redeemed” by being danced to in a Christian context. These statements usually come from those who are deeply passionate about reaching the lost, (which I couldn’t applaud more than I do) yet haven’t thought deeply about the wrong beliefs behind such a statement.  When I played music that had explicit and intentional boasts in that which was offensive to God, there was a wrong underlying belief that God needed help being relevant and cool enough to reach the kind of people I was trying to reach. This belief is full of ignorance and arrogance. Ignorance because the Scriptures are clear that the Gospel is the power of God for salvation (Ro. 1:16), Christ is the wisdom of God that those who are perishing see as foolish but those who are being saved see as the Power of God (1 Co. 1:18-31) It is ignorant (lack of knowledge, not the demeaning sense of the word) that makes us think God needs help saving lost people, but worse it is also arrogant. I laid on my apartment floor confessing this to God years ago.  I was deeply convicted that I thought the Creator and Redeemer of my soul needed my help to be cool enough to save others who didn’t know Him.  What I have learned from the wisdom of older saints is that, “what you win them with you win them to.” Win them with entertainment, then you will keep them with entertainment. Win them with the Gospel, you will keep them with the Gospel.  Win them by being cool, you keep them by being cool.  Win them with Christ, keep them with Christ.

So promoting a song with content that is anti-God is surely a terribly wrong application of “becoming all things to all men that by all means I might save a few” (1 Co. 9:19-23). Paul was surrendering his rights and cultural preferences to serve those whom he was ministering to, but by no means would the Apostle encourage promoting messages or messengers via art that contradict God’s character by boasting in sin.

I need to pause here and say that I really am not seeking to expose any one particular person or specific event. I am the chief of sinners in this category and have had this conversations with literally dozens of people.  Many who observed the most recent experience with me will think I am trying to correct an individual or a group of individuals, but that is not the case.  The most recent experience just inspired me to blog about what I have taught and been talking about for years.  My goal is to promote passion for the Glory of God, trust in His sovereign power to redeem sinners and encourage all of His people to pursue personal holiness in the category of enjoying entertainment.

I also need to insert a caution before I give some categories that have been helpful for me. I want to talk about a hot button word that I consistently hear from young zealous but immature believers when this category is brought up: legalism. I saw a Christian artist defend his use of the acronym H.A.M. on twitter and then warn people to not, “get all legalistic.”  So let me get this straight, questioning the use of a symbol that represents “Hard as a Mother F*****” makes me a person who trusts in good works for salvation? No! A person is guilty of legalism when he/she is trusting in good works to earn God’s favor, not when he/she is seeking personal holiness because of the grace God has given. A passion for personal holiness has been present in every revival that the church has ever seen.  This is a passion that is to be fanned into flame not corrected or quenched by the fear of being called a legalist.  But to be clear, in no way, shape or form is what I am about to give as helpful categories a way to earn God’s favor. Only salvation by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus will give you God’s favor.  Out of the overflow of that favor, He will give you a passion for personal holiness and love for His glory.   

While I stated before that I believe in redeeming the culture, including the arts, these categories help me distinguish between that which is redeemable and that which is to be abhorred.

Christian/Spiritual - Music, Movies, TV...These are in line with Col. 3:16 (psalms, hymns and spiritual songs). Clearly songs that talk explicitly about God can be enjoyed for the Glory of God. However, I would exhort you to pay attention to make sure Christian songs content is teaching truth and be aware that some of it can also be self-boasting and man-centered and therefore could be as destructive as category 3 below. 

Mainstream/Secular - Music, Movies, TV...these would be songs that are songs about life that don’t mention God necessarily but are just an expression of art where an individual is processing some aspect of life. These fall in line with Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” I believe the Gal. 5:1 freedom can be cited for this assuming it has Gal. 5:13 as its bookend context. Lovely, gifted expressions of art are shadows of the beauty of the Creator and if we can celebrate the art as an expression of worship, then by all means we can Glorify God by enjoying it. However all art has an agenda and a worldview and even if it is not vulgar it may be promoting and teaching a satanic worldview (normal course of this world is satanic) that could be destructive to you (Ephesians 2:1-3). This category is extremely slippery and I would encourage you to process it in community with older mature saints who have a high standard of personal holiness, a good understanding of the scriptures and are aware of current pop-culture. If you err, err on the side of personal holiness not satanic entertainment. 

Sin Boasting - This is the category that this blog is about. Songs (movies, music, tv) whose central theme/thesis/goal is to promote or boast in that which God forbids.  The scriptures are clear on how we are to feel about and treat sin...Romans 12:9 “Let love be genuine, abhor what is evil hold fast to what is good.” and I Thess 5:22, “Abstain from every form of evil.” 

This last category is to be abhorred and abstained from, therefore it cannot be enjoyed for the glory of God. We can rescue the art form and the expressions but we cannot rescue that which God has destroyed on the cross, namely sin. This is what Christ rescued us from and is what is enslaving the very ones we seek to minister to. May we use this category for God’s glory by exposing the lies that it promotes. If the world, the flesh and the devil are the three enemies of our soul, I think sin-boasting entertainment is the pulpit from which our enemies preach. We must expose their false teaching with truth to rescue sinners from their deceitful snares, starting with ourselves.

And therefore it diminishes your capacity for true joy.

Sin always leads to death (Gen. 3, Romans 3:23, James 1:15). Sin is never a better option because it is fun or relevant. As Christians it doesn’t add to our ability to minister to others because we are relevant in a particular sin. This is already true because we are human. We need not work to be more relevant in sin, but give hope that Christ can save and transform sinners. But here is the best news, God is not out to stop your joy or fun, but instead explode it. Sin offers to temporarily gratify, but never satisfy. God offers full and forever lasting joy (Psalm 16:11). God’s manifold wisdom and goodness is on display in creating us for the purpose of His glory in that we find the most joy when we live according to this ultimate purpose. Our happiness and His glory are not enemies, but the closest of companions. I am forever indebted to God for the beauty of these truths that I have learned from John Piper’s ministry, especially His classic Desiring God. He summarizes these beautiful truths, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” So know this Christian, God wants you to enjoy music and entertainment more not less.  The only way to enjoy entertainment more is to enjoy The Artist behind all beautiful art. God is the greatest musician of all time, He created the notes, voices and ability to craft poetic rhyme schemes. He is the greatest director of all time unfolding the greatest story of all time that He wrote you into! His masterpiece of creation is what inspires every artist who has ever picked up a brush.  So be encouraged, the Author and Creator of everything you enjoy invites you to more and refuses to let you settle for less. He hates sin yet loves sinners enough to save us from His wrath for sin, by crushing His Son instead of us. May we come to Him through the Lord Jesus and seek His glory in the entertainment we enjoy. 

I pray that you are stirred to ask this question:

Is what I am enjoying in this entertainment a means of enjoying God or a means of enjoying that which He crushed His Son to save me from?

I would love any responses...

Grace and Peace,

Clint

For More on this issue please read CJ Mahaney’s short book Wordliness. Bob Kauflin’s treatment of music (Ch. 3) is excellent. Also check out a lecture from Shai Linne here: http://www.capitolhillbaptist.org/audio/2010/12/2394/ and a couple articles at Gospel Coalition:

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2010/11/12/art-for-from-and-facing-the-church/

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2010/11/22/the-3-most-disturbing-words-on-tv/