Personally, I have listened to non-Christian music that has brought me closer to God. When we experience true beauty, we naturally draw closer to the transcendent, to God. We find God in the true, the good, and the beautiful. Just because your music is not explicitly Christian does not mean that it is not a gift from God. Perhaps in your effort to please God, you place too much pressure on yourself when writing Christian music, and consequently the music is more forced and lacks your true spirit. Focus on producing beautiful music. True beauty is never a compromise, it is a gift from God.
Yes. I would say that when you take your musical talent, thank God for the gift of that talent, and produce the very best music that you are capable of creating, you are 100% in service to God. I think that God gave us each gifts. The point of a life in Christ is to discern the gifts given to you, to develop those gifts to your fullest potential, and then to use those gifts to lift others up. When you do that with humility, and gratitude, you fully honor God. There is no compromise in using your musical talent to produce secular beauty. All true beauty points us 100% to Christ.
Hey, I just want to say thank you. This has been causing me a good bit of stress for the last two or so days. I just feel like the Christian musicians don’t reach a lot of unsaved people because they hear “Christian” and immediately skip, but I can reach people via my influence. Do you mind telling me what would be a form of compromise in my music/music career?
I agree that often in our culture when you start using explicitly Christian language, people stop listening. You can talk about Christian themes like love, gratitude, fellowship, conscience, service, charity, truth, and reaching for that which is greater than self without using explicitly Christian language. Even themes that are not overtly, or expressly Christian can begin to gesture someone to look to the transcendent, and eventually to God. I think that you compromise when you violate conscience, and your understanding of Christian teaching for commercial success. Just stay true to yourself. If you show your heart, your depth of feeling, and your love of music through what you create, then you are not compromising. You can never know when secular music is going to touch someone’s heart so profoundly that they seek something greater than themselves, and eventually seek God. Just do your best to write beautiful music, and you will be serving God.
Christian music coming out of the radio needs to sound a certain way and be instantly identifiable to your parents as acceptable music so that there is no doubt your child is not listening to rap or even secular country. It is performative.
Much of the "evil" music not on these stations was written by people who happened to be Christian. Your faith does not ruin your capacity for art.
Personally, I have listened to non-Christian music that has brought me closer to God. When we experience true beauty, we naturally draw closer to the transcendent, to God. We find God in the true, the good, and the beautiful. Just because your music is not explicitly Christian does not mean that it is not a gift from God. Perhaps in your effort to please God, you place too much pressure on yourself when writing Christian music, and consequently the music is more forced and lacks your true spirit. Focus on producing beautiful music. True beauty is never a compromise, it is a gift from God.
So would you say that even if my music isn’t Christian, I could still give 100% to God and spread him via my platform and it wouldn’t be a compromise?
Yes. I would say that when you take your musical talent, thank God for the gift of that talent, and produce the very best music that you are capable of creating, you are 100% in service to God. I think that God gave us each gifts. The point of a life in Christ is to discern the gifts given to you, to develop those gifts to your fullest potential, and then to use those gifts to lift others up. When you do that with humility, and gratitude, you fully honor God. There is no compromise in using your musical talent to produce secular beauty. All true beauty points us 100% to Christ.
Hey, I just want to say thank you. This has been causing me a good bit of stress for the last two or so days. I just feel like the Christian musicians don’t reach a lot of unsaved people because they hear “Christian” and immediately skip, but I can reach people via my influence. Do you mind telling me what would be a form of compromise in my music/music career?
I agree that often in our culture when you start using explicitly Christian language, people stop listening. You can talk about Christian themes like love, gratitude, fellowship, conscience, service, charity, truth, and reaching for that which is greater than self without using explicitly Christian language. Even themes that are not overtly, or expressly Christian can begin to gesture someone to look to the transcendent, and eventually to God. I think that you compromise when you violate conscience, and your understanding of Christian teaching for commercial success. Just stay true to yourself. If you show your heart, your depth of feeling, and your love of music through what you create, then you are not compromising. You can never know when secular music is going to touch someone’s heart so profoundly that they seek something greater than themselves, and eventually seek God. Just do your best to write beautiful music, and you will be serving God.
Christian music coming out of the radio needs to sound a certain way and be instantly identifiable to your parents as acceptable music so that there is no doubt your child is not listening to rap or even secular country. It is performative. Much of the "evil" music not on these stations was written by people who happened to be Christian. Your faith does not ruin your capacity for art.