Vince Lichlyter of Jonah33
I think that it's important to remember that Jesus didn't just preach 24-7. He had relationships, and I'm sure that he spent many unrecorded hours with people simply talking to them. There is no way that Christians can decide how or when God can use something. It's not our job to save people. It's our job to use the talents that God has given us to the best of our ability. It's our calling to love God, and to love others as much as we spend time loving ourselves.The Great Commission says to "GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES" and you can't do that in a single song. That is done through your life and your relationships. My opinion is that the Christian music industry, in their gallant effort to make a dollar off of the name and power of Jesus Christ, has somehow brainwashed the masses as to what exactly "makes" a Christian song. There is no such thing as a Christian song. There is only music and words that God has gifted his children with that are used to draw others closer to Him. How that happens is up to the Holy Spirit. Let's drop the assumptions and allow the Holy Spirit to do the work of the Father for crying out loud.
Jontez
The first thing is never to categorize a band by its name, record label, musical style, or appearance in terms of their spirituality. We sometimes think that just because we're on major Christian label that automatically makes us a Christ-like artist. Or if we're on a major mainstream label that makes us a complete pagan. That makes about as much sense as me saying I'm a Walton because I work at Wal-Mart. The truth of the matter is that spirituality can only be measured by His spirit. God alone verifies whether or not I'm a "Christian" artist. For some "artists" music is only a job while other artist take ministry as their only call in life. Both are fine and necessary.I dare say that most of the readers here do not work for a christian organization or a church. Most of us work for secular America where we interact with non-Christians everyday. So just because I am in this world, doesn't mean that I am of this world. However, that applies to us on both levels. Just because I work at the church next door doesn't mean my heart is right with God.
My point is simple. Don't judge a book by it's cover. If you want to judge a song as to whether it's ok for you to listen to then read the lyrics, but go deeper than the what you read. If you hear a song saying "I love my wife, I'll do anything for my family, we can make it...," then if you read your Bible you would know that these are all biblical principles. Nothing about those lyrics are against the Word of God. If you hear a song that invites or promotes worship within yourself unto God, then this also is biblical. Ask yourself, does this song or band promote God's undeniable Heart. Matthew 5:8 states "blessed are the pure in HEART, for they shall SEE GOD." There's something to be said about the HEART and it's ability to SEE GOD. I hope you get that one. The correlation between the two are very significant. So to answer your question in simple English, judge the heart of the song or the band.
V3
We would say that yes, Christian music is the only type of music out there defined solely by lyrical content, because when you talk about Jesus in your music people automatically look at it as being Inspirational, Gospel, or Christian music. However, Christian artists/bands shouldn't have to have obviously Christian lyrics in order to be called a "Christian."Being a Christian is all about your relationship with God! You could have great "Christian" lyrics and not be a great example of what a true Christian is like. Every song doesn't have to be preachy. Some songs are just about life, but if someone professes to be a Christian then they have a responsibility to make sure that they reflect Christ in everything that they do including the lyrics that they write.
The bottom line is that people are going to say what they want to say and label things how they want. God gives different people different ways of ministering and if what they are saying lines up with God's word then it's all good.
As for us, we don't know what makes our music "Christian" - all we know is that we are Christians that make good music; in which we honor God and hopefully reach people in ways they can relate to and lyrics that inspire them! - V3
