Listening only to christian music?

[Starnchrist]

I was just wondering who listens only to christian music and who listens to everything? And do you think that listening to all types of music can be influential in your christian life?

 

[SplendidTree]

I listen to mostly Christian music. I have 3 Coldplay songs on my phone that I don't listen to often. I don't like to listen much to secular music because it distances me from the Lord.

I have noticed a huge difference since listening to only Christian music.

 

[mina]

I go through times when I only listen to Christian music, but mostly I listen to a wide variety. I try to only listen to things that affect me positively and make me feel more creative.

 

[Starnchrist]

I feel the same Cmj. I only listen to christian music because it fills me and gives me more hope then any other song I can listen to. I would mix and mingle when I was younger and I remember that in the time I was listening to secular music my spiritual life went down drastically while listening to other music. This is just my own experience. I'm not saying that any one else that listens to secular is not spiritual or anything just that this is my own experience in my own life. I feel more focused and it's like a comfort in my life when I just focus on listening to music that is focused only on God. That's my experience there. What is yours?

 

[Obzocky]

I listen to everything, because I thoroughly enjoy it and my attempts at listening solely to Christian music made me feel like a husk. Not a spiritual husk, just an empty husk.

Oh, and I think music can influence you. How it does so and how that leads you to style your listening selections is down to the individual. I felt further from the Lord when trying "Christian" only music as I felt the words were rarely passionate enough, the same old same old spewed out and doing nothing for me. Others feel closer. We work in funny ways.

 

[Nanopants]

I listen to almost everything that isn't labeled "christian". I find that secular music just feels so much more real and genuine. Once in a while, I'll bump into a song that's been inspired by christianity, and I just love that. It's like treasure hunting. It also reminds me that God loves humanity and wants to help us so very very much, which in turn helps me to remain close to Him, where he is at in the world helping others.

 

[GodsChild77]

I would say... about 65% is Christian, 35% secular. But I'm very selective of what secular I will put on my ipod to listen to over and over again... I feel that it's important what you're taking into your system and that music has the capacity to affect us on very deep levels. I used to listen to mostly secular, so I have a lot of secular cd's that I don't listen to anymore, or if I do, it's only certain songs. When I'm getting ready in the morning, I usually turn on praise music.

 

[SplendidTree]

Well, for me I am just more focused on the Lord. I feel when I listen too much to secular music, I drift away from the Lord.

It is quite comforting and uplifting as well.

 

[GodsChild77]

It is quite comforting and uplifting as well.

I agree.

 

[Thunder Peel]

It's up to you and what your convictions are. Pretty much everything I listen to would be labeled as "secular" but that doesn't make it bad. U2 is my favorite band and they have several Christian members and Bono sings about his walk with Christ frequently.

It's between you and God. I like a little of everything but if someone only listens to Christian music then that's cool and I'll support them in that.

 

[crishmael]

I was just wondering who listens only to christian music and who listens to everything? And do you think that listening to all types of music can be influential in your christian life?

The only Christian music I listen to outside of what I hear in church is Gregorian chants and Orthodox hymns. I think listening to a variety of music is good for you as a human being because it's good to hear music from a variety of perspectives that aren't allowed in the CCM ghetto.

 

[Amber.ly]

I was raised on only Christian music. I'm very thankful for my parents that they chose to do it that way.

Now that I'm an adult, I do listen to secular music. Mostly just on the radio and usually its pop or country. That said, I've also noticed that the more secular music I allow into my life the more my focus of worship and Christ goes down.

I think music does influence us. It gets in our brain and it draws our attention to whatever the theme is of the songs you listen too. So while I do listen to secular, I'm still picky about what exactly is going on in the song. If I see it as a negative thing, I won't listen to it. Which is why, although I enjoy the beat and rhythm of rap, I don't listen to it very often.

 

[Stravinsk]

I was just wondering who listens only to christian music and who listens to everything? And do you think that listening to all types of music can be influential in your christian life?

The only Christian music I listen to are works from Bach, Mozart and the like. Such as the Masses. I listen to a lot of instrumental works, and some secular. Sometimes, I do listen to music that I find musically appealing but the lyrics leave something to be desired. It's a weakness. I love good music.

My experience with contemporary Christian music is that it so often leaves something to be desired from the *musical* side of things. There are a few exceptions, of course, but they do seem to be few.

I really don't understand why this is...

Maybe because of the mindset in scenarios like these?

Context: Church Worship Band. "Problem" - the drummer is making the music interesting by adding a few drum fills here and there - nothing anywhere near over the top, imo. This is a rock song. Worship leader feels he is "showing off" and "it's about Jesus, not impressing anyone".

Context: Another church Worship Band. The leader of the band tells us he waits for "God to give him the notes". Music theory/understanding is looked on as too worldly - he feels the holy spirit is a much better leader in whether we should play an "A" here instead of a "C". I guess if you give something the stamp of spirituality - it will be looked on with more favor among the spiritual - or so the thinking goes.

To be fair, I haven't listened to Christian music (outside of how I define it above) - for a long time. But not long ago a co-worker had some on at work. It was painful to listen to - painful because I was just so so bored with it.

 

[septemberskies]

I don't limit myself... I listen to a variety of music.

 

[Apollo Celestio]

I don't only listen to Christian music. I only listen to 1 Xian band and it's wholly for their lyrics.

 

[Sunset2009]

I used to listen to Christian music *almost exclusively. Until I got a bit older and became somewhat of a music snob. That being said, I still do not listen to music that includes cussing, anything real sexual, anything violent, anything about "getting slizzard," doing drugs, etc. Of course, some songs have found their way onto my iPod. I have a terrible guilty pleasure with some of Jeremih's stuff. Ugh. But anyway, I don't listen to that kind of music because I grew out of that kind of music when I was about 14. I lived a very carnal life until that point (still do sometimes, of course), but that kind of music really hindered my spiritual growth and I knew it was something that I had to part ways with.

I do not listen to just Christian music though, and mainly because the kind of Christian music that I enjoy listening to are praise/worship songs, but most of the those songs fall under the contemporary worship/Christian genre of music, which is not a genre of music I like. I mostly listen to indie music with very vague and obscure lyrics, but clean lyrics, just because explicit content in music is not anything I find enjoyable listening to.

 

[Ration]

I'll listen to it provided it's good, I don't care who it's written by or what it's written about. The most christian music I've listened to would probably be when I sung in the church choir, and after that Disturbed.

However my musical tastes range from Bach, Tchaikovsky, to Miles Davis, to Dubstep and other EDM, all the way through to Parkway Drive, Mastadon and Dethklok.

Do Lamb of God count as christian?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqdZpxkzNvc

 

[Wren]

I rarely listen to Christian music. I will if I hear some good stuff (and I have a Jeremy Camp CD), but so often it bores me. Some have said that Christian music helps them spiritually, but it can't help me when I get so bored listening to the music that I automatically tune it out.

 

[SnowyMacie]

I rarely listen to Christian music in terms of people like Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Casting Crowns, etc. The only Christian bands I listen are Casting Crowns and Acappella. I listen to a few bands that are Christian in terms of everyone in the band is a Christian but they play secular music. Some people are spiritually helped by music, but for me, CCM music just gets boring after a while. It all sounds so similar to me.
I would say that
90% is purely secular
9% both
1% Christian.

 

[Mela Monkey]

Not only christian for me, but I try to be very aware of the lyrics I listen to, especially because listening to and worshiping through music is one of the big things which helps me become closer to God. Which means 99% of what I listen to is christian. I don't like listening to a band just because they're 'christian,' but because I see the lyrics glorify God... I listen to anything from worship to death metal.. yes, christian death metal exists lol

Here's something my study bible says about music; I like what it says. (i wrote this in a different post, that's why it's quoted)

"As you may already know, the book of Psalms is the Bible's hymmbook. The fact that it records only the words, not the actual music, teaches us three facts: (1) The words of the song are very important; (2) we have freedom to use our talents to create music in different styles; and (3) whatever the style, everything we sing should have one purpose: to please God. You'll see how important that purpose is as you discover to whom we sing our hymns in Ephesians 5:19-20."