Mining Secular Music for Biblical Nuggets
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an entire genre of music is the devil. I would love to hear why you believe that.
Me too.
As I replied to Edify, I believe God gives gifts or abilities to everyone that may be used from good or evil motives for good or evil purposes (PHP 1:15-18). Gifts given to Christians when motivated by love and used for Christ are spiritual or manifestations of the Spirit (1CR 12:7). Folks who misuse or bury their gifts grieve God and will be punished appropriately (MT 25:24-30).
Drawing the line between genres of music is a subjective endeavor, but lyrics would seem to be more obvious than music. Godly lyrics can be inserted in a song belonging to the rock genre instrumentally, and ungodly lyrics could be inserted in an ostensibly Christian song.
For example, I think I remember that the person who used their gift of music to compose "Who Will Answer" was a Christian, who hoped hearers would answer the question with "God will answer and has answered in the Gospel".
Unfortunately, my impression is that the Beach Boys were not Christians, even though songs such as those I posted sounded heavenly and seemed inspired to me. Brian Wilson's last hit song was "Love and Mercy". If these words were penned by Michael W. Smith would it be considered acceptable?
I was sittin' in a crummy movie with my hands on my chin
Oh the violence that occurs seems like we never win
Love and mercy that's what you need tonight
So, love and mercy to you and your friends tonight
I was lyin' in my room and the news came on t.v.
A lotta people out there hurtin' and it really scares me
Love and mercy that's what you need tonight
So, love and mercy to you and your friends tonight
I was standin' in a bar and watchin' all the people there
Oh the loneliness in this world well it's just not fair
Hey love and mercy that's what you need tonight
So, love and mercy to you and your friends tonight
Love and mercy that's what you need tonight
Love and mercy tonight
Love and mercy
What about "In My Room"?
There's a world where I can go
And tell my secrets to
In my room, In my room
In this world I lock out
All my worries and my fears
In my room, In my room
Do my dreaming and my scheming
Lie awake and pray
Do my crying and my sighing
Laugh at yesterday
Now it's dark and I'm alone
But I won't be afraid
In my room.
There are many Christian’s that just simply write good secular music. Whether the artist is a Christian or not though really doesn’t affect me listening to them. Like you said it’s about the lyrics. Many of Bob Marley’s lyrics come directly from the Bible. Whether he was a Christian, Rastafarian, or just a pothead really makes no difference. There’s some rock that could definitely be from the devil. But you could say the same about all genres especially country which most just seem to think it’s all good. Lately I’ve been mostly on Christian music but prob 80% of what I listen to is rock and rap.
Yes, as I shared in #97, Larry Norman, one of the founders of CCM, asked this question:
Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?
Some people say rock 'n roll is of the devil, I don't believe that
It came from the church, belongs to the church
There's a good world that God has created here, He's given us everything
The devil has tried to steal it
I don't know why the devil should have anything, anything
Not your soul, not your life, not your marriage, not your future, not your music
One, two, one two three
I want the people to know that he saved my soul
But I still like to listen to the radio
They say rock 'n roll is wrong
I'll give you one more chance
I feel so good I'm gonna get up and dance
I know what's right, I know what's wrong, I don't confuse it
All I'm really trying to say is
Why should the devil have all the good music?
There's nothing wrong with what I say
You know, Jesus is the rock and He rolled my blues away
They say to cut my hair, they're driving me insane
I grew it out long to make room for my brain
But sometimes people don't understand
What's a good boy doing in a rock n' roll band
And there ain't nothing wrong or satanic or communistic with blues licks
If you've got scriptures, show me to my face
Why should the devil have all the good music?
There's nothing wrong with what I play
Jesus is the rock and He rolled my blues away
Yes He did, all right
I'm not knockin' the hymns, just give me something that has a beat
No I ain't knockin' the hymns, just give me something that moves my feet
I don't like some of those funeral marches, I ain't dead yet
Jesus told the truth, Jesus showed the way
There's one more thing I'd like to say
They nailed Him to the cross then they laid Him in the ground
But they should've known you can't keep a good man down
You can't keep Him down
Yeah devil, you can't keep Him down
All I'm really trying to say is
Why should the devil have all the good music?
There's nothing wrong with what we play
Jesus is the rock and He rolled my blues
Jesus is the rock and He rolled your blues
Jesus is the rock, He rolled our blues away
Today as a change of pace instead of mining secular music for biblical nuggets
I will share a song lyric that mines biblical nuggets for music:
“From Paul to the Proud”
(A poetic paraphrase of Romans 1:1-2:9a)
From Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, An apostle—called by the Lord,
Chosen to preach the gospel, foretold By prophets in the Holy Word.
Jesus was born a descendant of David, But rose from the dead as God’s Son,
An act of great power to prove Him divine— From Him I received a commission . . .
To lead all the world to believe and obey, Including you living in Rome,
Whom God also loves and calls to be saved, And with Jesus to make your new home.
May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ Grant you peace and grace.
I thank them for you, because the whole world Is hearing that faith you embrace.
The God whom I serve with all of my heart Is witness that when I pray
I always remember you, hoping that He Will let me come see you some day.
I long to be with you and share by the Spirit The faith that will help us be strong.
My brothers, how often I’ve planned to come, But something has always gone wrong.
How eager I am to evangelize you In fulfillment of my obligations
To preach the good news to all kinds of people In all of the Gentile nations.
For I’m not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, Which has the power to save
All who believe, whether Gentile or Jew, Though once of Satan a slave.
It is written, the just shall live by faith, But the wages of sin is death,
Which is poured out on all who deny what is plain: That God has given them breath.
God punishes them because they are evil And blind to what clearly is true—
The fact of creation confronting them always No matter what they say and do.
They think themselves wise, while in truth they are fools And have no excuse at all.
Refusing to honor the power of God, They stumble in darkness and fall.
Exchanging the truth about God for a lie, They worship and serve only dust
That is made in the image of man and machine, Perverting true love into lust.
Burning with passion and shameful desires, Consumed by unnatural sex acts,
Men still choose to suffer and torture each other Rather than face the facts.
And yet God allows them to break all the rules: To murder, to hate, and to lie.
They invent new sins, while all the time knowing That demons deserve to die.
Do you, so proud, think you’re less to blame, While sitting in judgment on others?
Surely you see God’s mercy is meant For those who become Jesus’ brothers.
But you, hard-hearted, closed-minded and proud, Will one day God’s justice be meted.
When eternal life is awarded believers, Damned will be those He defeated!
I will share a song lyric that mines biblical nuggets for music:
“From Paul to the Proud”
(A poetic paraphrase of Romans 1:1-2:9a)
From Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, An apostle—called by the Lord,
Chosen to preach the gospel, foretold By prophets in the Holy Word.
Jesus was born a descendant of David, But rose from the dead as God’s Son,
An act of great power to prove Him divine— From Him I received a commission . . .
To lead all the world to believe and obey, Including you living in Rome,
Whom God also loves and calls to be saved, And with Jesus to make your new home.
May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ Grant you peace and grace.
I thank them for you, because the whole world Is hearing that faith you embrace.
The God whom I serve with all of my heart Is witness that when I pray
I always remember you, hoping that He Will let me come see you some day.
I long to be with you and share by the Spirit The faith that will help us be strong.
My brothers, how often I’ve planned to come, But something has always gone wrong.
How eager I am to evangelize you In fulfillment of my obligations
To preach the good news to all kinds of people In all of the Gentile nations.
For I’m not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, Which has the power to save
All who believe, whether Gentile or Jew, Though once of Satan a slave.
It is written, the just shall live by faith, But the wages of sin is death,
Which is poured out on all who deny what is plain: That God has given them breath.
God punishes them because they are evil And blind to what clearly is true—
The fact of creation confronting them always No matter what they say and do.
They think themselves wise, while in truth they are fools And have no excuse at all.
Refusing to honor the power of God, They stumble in darkness and fall.
Exchanging the truth about God for a lie, They worship and serve only dust
That is made in the image of man and machine, Perverting true love into lust.
Burning with passion and shameful desires, Consumed by unnatural sex acts,
Men still choose to suffer and torture each other Rather than face the facts.
And yet God allows them to break all the rules: To murder, to hate, and to lie.
They invent new sins, while all the time knowing That demons deserve to die.
Do you, so proud, think you’re less to blame, While sitting in judgment on others?
Surely you see God’s mercy is meant For those who become Jesus’ brothers.
But you, hard-hearted, closed-minded and proud, Will one day God’s justice be meted.
When eternal life is awarded believers, Damned will be those He defeated!
Another song by Larry Norman in the vein of apologetics (R-rated):
"Why Don't You Look into Jesus?"
Sipping whiskey from a paper cup
You drown your sorrows 'til you can't stand up
Take a look at what you've done to yourself
Why don't you put the bottle back on the shelf?
Yellow fingers from your cigarettes
Your hands are shaking while your body sweats
Why don't you look into Jesus, He got the answer
Gonorrhea on Valentine's Day
And you're still looking for the perfect lay
You think rock and roll will set you free, honey?
You'll be deaf before you're 33
Shooting junk 'til your half insane
A broken needle in your purple vein
Why don't you look into Jesus, He got the answer
Work all night, sleep all day
You take your money, throw it all away
You say you gonna to be a superstar
But you've never hung around enough to find out who you really are
Think back to when you were a child
Your soul was free, your heart ran wild
Each day was different, and life was a thrill
You knew tomorrow would be better still
Things have changed, you're much older now
If you're unhappy and you don't know how
Oh, why don't you look into Jesus, He got the answer
(Check it for yourself)
Why don't you look into Jesus, He got the answer
He got the answer.
"Why Don't You Look into Jesus?"
Sipping whiskey from a paper cup
You drown your sorrows 'til you can't stand up
Take a look at what you've done to yourself
Why don't you put the bottle back on the shelf?
Yellow fingers from your cigarettes
Your hands are shaking while your body sweats
Why don't you look into Jesus, He got the answer
Gonorrhea on Valentine's Day
And you're still looking for the perfect lay
You think rock and roll will set you free, honey?
You'll be deaf before you're 33
Shooting junk 'til your half insane
A broken needle in your purple vein
Why don't you look into Jesus, He got the answer
Work all night, sleep all day
You take your money, throw it all away
You say you gonna to be a superstar
But you've never hung around enough to find out who you really are
Think back to when you were a child
Your soul was free, your heart ran wild
Each day was different, and life was a thrill
You knew tomorrow would be better still
Things have changed, you're much older now
If you're unhappy and you don't know how
Oh, why don't you look into Jesus, He got the answer
(Check it for yourself)
Why don't you look into Jesus, He got the answer
He got the answer.
Here is the poem From Paul to the Proud put to music:
https://groovykerygma.bandcamp.com/track/from-paul-to-the-proud
https://groovykerygma.bandcamp.com/track/from-paul-to-the-proud
In my previous post I meant to explain that "Late Last Night (Revelation)" has many biblical references,
some of which are in "From Paul to the Proud". Here are the lyrics for your convenience:
Late last night a young girl dreamed
Her love would grow forever,
Then a wise man, who from ages long ago seemed
Took her to a state of never-never,
And he told her everything he’d learned,
Taught her how the silver cord to sever,
But they stumbled and fell into hell.
Every song has now been sung,
The last wedding bell has long since rung,
And the prisoners have all been hung.
There is nothing more to create,
The universe is man’s estate,
The name of it is hate.
There is no new game to try,
No new name to love or cry,
No reason to laugh or die.
No new dreams are born within,
And all that will ever be has been.
There’s no new way to sin.
Each of us is god and so
There is nothing more to know,
No new place to go,
Not even in your mind,
For that was left behind.
Late last night a madman died,
An obvious case of suicide
So they laughed at his graveside,
Saying, “What’s the use to be blue?
There’s nothing that we could do.
Thank God that he’s dead, too!
For the last rites have been said,
The prophets are now all dead,
And their gravestones have not changed to bread.
But there was a young child,
And a sage with long gray beard,
Who knew Satan’s priest should tell them—warn them
That his spirit had reappeared.
Each of them had seen the light
Flashing far away in the night
To return when the time is right
Some day beyond the end
To start the world spinning again.
some of which are in "From Paul to the Proud". Here are the lyrics for your convenience:
Late last night a young girl dreamed
Her love would grow forever,
Then a wise man, who from ages long ago seemed
Took her to a state of never-never,
And he told her everything he’d learned,
Taught her how the silver cord to sever,
But they stumbled and fell into hell.
Every song has now been sung,
The last wedding bell has long since rung,
And the prisoners have all been hung.
There is nothing more to create,
The universe is man’s estate,
The name of it is hate.
There is no new game to try,
No new name to love or cry,
No reason to laugh or die.
No new dreams are born within,
And all that will ever be has been.
There’s no new way to sin.
Each of us is god and so
There is nothing more to know,
No new place to go,
Not even in your mind,
For that was left behind.
Late last night a madman died,
An obvious case of suicide
So they laughed at his graveside,
Saying, “What’s the use to be blue?
There’s nothing that we could do.
Thank God that he’s dead, too!
For the last rites have been said,
The prophets are now all dead,
And their gravestones have not changed to bread.
But there was a young child,
And a sage with long gray beard,
Who knew Satan’s priest should tell them—warn them
That his spirit had reappeared.
Each of them had seen the light
Flashing far away in the night
To return when the time is right
Some day beyond the end
To start the world spinning again.
The first song paraphrased what Paul said to the world,
and the second song envisioned what the world will become in hell,
but this song envisions how fine the world might be.
Wouldn't It Be Fine | Groovy Kerygma
and the second song envisioned what the world will become in hell,
but this song envisions how fine the world might be.
Wouldn't It Be Fine | Groovy Kerygma
"Wouldn't It Be Fine?" ends by asking what is wrong with us, and the answer is "sin".
"Until Set Free" is about our sin (cf. Robert Frost's poem about two roads diverging and Deut. 30:19).
“Until Set Free”
Sound of feet along the street,
Shadows everywhere,
And through the night a ray of light
Reveals a lady fair.
So fine is she, for all can see
The jewels in her hair.
Lovely dress and all the rest
Are priceless to be sure,
For what the cost when love she lost
And cannot buy a cure.
The heart when sold for want of gold
Can never more be pure.
For the warmth she needs, her hunger feeds
Upon the lips of men.
They praise her face and pretty lace,
And they even praise her sin.
They call her good and wish she would
Allow them to come in.
On a fateful day she walked away
From what she would not be.
Now the one who would have done her good
She never more will see.
For the choice she made a price she paid
Until she is set free.
Here is the link to the music:
https://groovykerygma.bandcamp.com/track/until-set-free
"Until Set Free" is about our sin (cf. Robert Frost's poem about two roads diverging and Deut. 30:19).
“Until Set Free”
Sound of feet along the street,
Shadows everywhere,
And through the night a ray of light
Reveals a lady fair.
So fine is she, for all can see
The jewels in her hair.
Lovely dress and all the rest
Are priceless to be sure,
For what the cost when love she lost
And cannot buy a cure.
The heart when sold for want of gold
Can never more be pure.
For the warmth she needs, her hunger feeds
Upon the lips of men.
They praise her face and pretty lace,
And they even praise her sin.
They call her good and wish she would
Allow them to come in.
On a fateful day she walked away
From what she would not be.
Now the one who would have done her good
She never more will see.
For the choice she made a price she paid
Until she is set free.
Here is the link to the music:
https://groovykerygma.bandcamp.com/track/until-set-free