CONCERNING MUSIC:

When I became a Christian at the age of 15, "rock music seminars" were a fashionable youth group activity. Such seminars (popularized by men such as Jacob Aranza and Bob Larsen) instructed youth in the evils of "secular" music, often by actually reading lyrics from or playing snippets of popular songs, etc. Sometimes such seminars would be followed by a bonfire where kids and their parents would burn tapes and records.

Now, some of you may think that I'm about to totally trash this entire idea and "save" your favorite musicians from such "fanaticism." If so, I'm afraid you will be somewhat disappointed.

I actually have no problem at all with such outward manifestations of repentance, if genuine (see, for example, Acts 19:18-19). Furthermore, I have no problem with parents exercising wisdom in what they allow their children to partake of. I recently forbade my seven year old daughter to have a Spice Girls poster mainly because the Spice Girls, in both lyrics and appearance, sell sex -- plain and simple.

However, there are some serious problems with such "seminars." The main problem is that nowhere does Scripture suggest a "crash course" on any specific manifestation of evil. Why? Because if we would follow the pattern laid out in Scripture, no such "seminars" are needed.

Surely if Jesus is our example, then the Child Jesus is the example for our children. The idea presented in the raising of Jesus is that He would "know to refuse the evil and choose the good" (Isa. 7:15). This is the same general rule given through the prophet Amos (Amos 5:14-15), and by Paul to the Romans (Rom. 12:9). Children, and for that matter all of us, need to learn discernment based on transformed thought patterns -- a new outlook (cf. Rom. 12:2).

With this in mind, it seems to me that holding seminars where we point out specific examples of blatant immorality and satanism to teenagers, etc. misses the broad picture. Here's my own perspective: some music is obviously not good to listen to; likewise, some music is obviously ok to listen to if you enjoy it -- but there is much music that falls into an area where the individual believer must decide for himself.

The extremists who hold that no music should be listened to or enjoyed if it is not specifically mentioning God or Jesus, etc. have really missed the boat entirely! Am I to believe that it is sin to sing about a sunrise, or a waterfall, or a lost love, etc.? Surely not! For all of life is God's -- every good thing comes from his hand! Every experience is an opportunity to increase in wisdom, even the bad ones!

The problem comes when a musician seeks to glorify that which God forbids. Is it ok to write and sing a song about an affair? Well, that depends. Is the musician regretfully telling about an affair they had as a tragic mistake that in the end caused much pain and heartache? If so, I must confess that such an artist has just testified, from a secular perspective maybe, to the truth of God's Word. But on the other hand, what if the musician is singing about a night of wild perversion at the local motel which he obviously thoroughly enjoyed? That is different -- such is a glorification of sin and should be rejected. Again, the individual needs to exercise spiritual common sense.

This brings me to some comments on Christian music and on the music itself. A popular Christian seminar teacher, and one that I greatly respect, devotes a portion of his seminar to music. In this teaching, we hear all kinds of technical music facts and missionary stories about new African Christians hearing Christian rock music and identifying the beat as "demonic", etc. My problem with this is that such ideas are very short on support from Scripture.

Going by general principles from Scripture, I think we should expect Christian music to be orderly (not a source of confusion), to have theologically sound lyrics that reflect Biblical teaching, and also that the artists reflect Jesus Christ in their lives and manners. Such standards, however, in no way dictate particular styles of music. Music in general is God's gift. Some "contemporary Christian" musicians follow general Biblical principles, while some do not (I won't name names here, lest I become a seminar leader myself!). Again, as with secular music, we must use discernment. Many who denounce all forms of "secular" music leave their discernment at home as long as the word "christian" is tacked on somewhere! Please!

Let us all commit ourselves to spending more time hiding His Word in our heart, learning to simply discern good from evil by testing all things, and being transformed by the renewing of our minds. At the same time, God has freed us -- let no one steal genuine Christian liberty from you!

* Kenneth Samples, Erwin de Castro, Richard Abanes, & Robert Lyle, Prophets of the Apocalypse (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1994) -

The first third of this book is a very informative run-down on the whole Branch Davidian affair in Waco. The text is an easy read and not overburdened with mundane details. The best overview I've seen from a Christian perspective. The last two-thirds is an excellent treatment of where they went wrong, in fact, where all such groups go wrong. Specific principles at work are identified, giving a good list of traits to watch out for. This book is the result of intense research by a CRI team (the authors) into the Waco matter and the Branch Davidians in general. Having seen similar groups grow out of sincere evangelical groups in two separate incidents over the years, I can say that this book is right on the mark.

" ... all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." -- ROMANS 8:28 (KJV)

This is one of my favorite verses in all of Scripture. There have been times in my life when these inspired words have quite literally kept me from going over the edge. If we are believers, counted among the elect, we can rest assured that all things will work together for our good.

Now we must always carefully read Scripture to be sure we understand its message. This verse does not tells us that "all things are good." Of course we know that all things are certainly not "good"! In fact, some things are downright terrible; some things are traumatic. Jesus warned us that things would not always go perfectly in this life (John 16:33).

What we are promised here is that all things, whether good or bad, will "work together" for our ultimate "good" if we are believers. The key to peace of mind is recognizing that God is Sovereign in life. He has "the big picture" always before Him and orchestrates things accordingly. Thus, there is much truth in the old saying, "Every cloud has a silver lining." Of course that "silver lining" is not always easy to see -- that is where faith comes in. The "heroes of faith" in Hebrews 11 didn't always see that "silver lining," but they did see it by faith!

Consider the story of Joseph. Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery, an evil act to be sure. But God had Joseph's ultimate good in mind. God gave Joseph favor as a prisoner (Gen. 39:21-23), and eventually exalted him to the highest position under Pharoah in Egypt (Gen. 41:38-41). When Joseph's brothers show up again, Joseph wisely recognizes the sovereignty of God in what has transpired (Gen. 45:5). Later, when his brothers are racked with guilt and fear over their crime, Joseph says to them: " ... you thought evil against me; but God meant it to good ... " (Gen. 50:20). Later, the Psalmist is seen rejoicing in God's providence over Joseph's life (Ps. 105:16-17).

Whatever your theological inclination, realize that God is Sovereign. Such recognition is pregnant with not only theological knowledge, but practical implications as well. James teaches us that to boast about goals and plans is evil, as we don't know what God has in store (James 4:13-16). Let it be enough to see in such mundane events as a bird falling from a tree the hand of God (Matt. 10:29), and realize that our faith in Him is well-placed: "you are of more value than many sparrows" (Luke 12:6-7).