Where do you draw the line?

[nadroj1985]

Well minus, if you're an exception, I'll be one with you

I feel very much the same way about music that you do. Lyrics are fine and all, and there are some musicians I like who I listen to more for lyrics than music (Bob Dylan and Bob Marley come to mind....not that the music isn't great but the lyrics are brilliant ). However, most of the time I am more concerned with the music itself. I don't think that means I'm missing out on the message of the song; alot of bands don't have messages per se in their songs, Bjork is a good example as are others like Radiohead and the Flaming Lips. The "message" in their music is the music. BTW minus, you have really good taste in music.....your list up there has some of my faves

 

[wgjones3]

I draw the line when I don't fel like I should be listening to something. Sometimes it's because a particular song gets me all amped up (too much so to be healthy). Sometimes it's because the lyrics are occultic/mystical/blasphemous. Sometimes it's just because I find too much relevance in a song (perfect example: 3 Doors Down The Road I'm On; at the time I got the CD, that song was the perfect description of my life) and loose sight of the truth, that Jesus is the answer. I'm not sure whether you'd call that the conviction of the Holy Spirit or simply exercisng the reasoning ability that God gave me, but when I get that feeling that I shouldn't be listening, that's where I draw the line.

 

[holo]

Where do you draw the line when it comes to secular entertainment?

I don't.
If I'm not walking close enough to the Lord that His Spirit makes me like/dislike what I should like/dislike, I think it's pretty futile making up my own rules for what goes and what doesn't.

Example: if you're in deep prayer for a while, you'll often find that, lo and behold, suddenly you don't want to look at this or that kind of movie anymore. That's the Spirit changing your needs and wants.

I also think we are very different in this area. Some will be offended by something that may be a blessing to others, while they both are still Christians. Which is another reason we shouldn't try to make rules out of this.

We're trying so hard to be holy that we forget that laying down rules is God's job. It's also His job to change and form us into perfect creatures and to guide us. I'm not saying it's easy, but it's simple (too simple for most of us). Why do we keep making all these rules and limits and laws? Jesus died so that we wouldn't be bound by them.

 

[Mr.Cheese]

Oh yes, the old parental warning sticker. You have the Gore family to thank for that. Tipper in particular.

I'm pretty much the same. I got rid of all my slayer and stuff.

 

[minus]

So, based on what I have previously stated when it comes to having a problem finding good Christian music can anyone suggest any good, talented, ground breaking, out of the box thinking Christian artists?

 

[brettnolan]

So, based on what I have previously stated when it comes to having a problem finding good Christian music can anyone suggest any good, talented, ground breaking, out of the box thinking Christian artists?

Minus, for you, and a couple of other folks that I've been discussing this topic with, I think it will require some work to find that sort of music in the Christian market.

I think the biggest problem, which I hadn't really taken into account before, is that Christian radio, for the most part, is terrible if you like anything other than adult contemporary music. I live in KC and there are only 2 or 3 Christian stations and I'm guessing that most metro areas are the same. One is mainly a "talk" station (bible study and such), another plays stuff like Mercy Me, Nicole Nordeman, Joy Williams, Michael W Smith and the like. The last one is an AM station that tries to cater to a younger crowd, but it has to fit EVERYTHING in, hardcore, pop, hip-hop, etc.

For me, the last one is better than nothing. At work, I listen to radiou on the internet. It still has too much hip-hop and so-called R&B for my tastes, but if I want to listen to Christian music, I have to be flexible.

A little more than a year ago, I started making a conscious effort to find Christian music that I like. It's somewhat easier for me because I like almost all genres, but if I hadn't tried, I wouldn't have found ANYTHING and I would have been stuck with POD, Sixpence None the Richer, 12 Stones, Jars of Clay and whatever else makes it's way (however little) onto secular playlists. I still listen to secular music, but sometimes all the **** they include to sell records (cursing, sexual overtones, etc) just isn't what I'm looking for.

There are a couple of threads in the music forums that talk about Christian radio on the internet. I'm guessing that's your best avenue to find it. Of course, if you turn it off because you don't like the first song you hear, you'll never find anything. Good luck. I hope you find what you're looking for and as a musician yourself, hopefully you can bless the Christian music world with your "ground breaking" style.

 

[jamesrwright3]

I would never listen to a blatantly anti-Christian group/artist. However, some of you indicated that language is ok? So listening to cuss words is ok?

I am a hip-hop fan and it's going to be difficult for me to give it up. I mostly listen because of the beats, but there are some questionable messages contained in the music. The thing is even if I buy the censored versions, the message of the music is mostly to still drink beer, tosmoke blunts,to get money, and to fornicate...

Just my thoughts..

 

[sad astronaut]

man, you want to get people on the defensive, merely insinuate that many rock artists may not live "Christian" lives.

i understand that we do not want to be judgmental, but people on this thread said that they don't want to listen to artists who do not live a godly life and people fly off the handle. i should be able to say, "yes, maybe many rock stars don't live the best life," as long as i don't go on about it, but the thread starter asked a question and people are responding and giving their reasons.

being judgmental is saying to someone "you are a bad person for listening to this group," but simply deciding not to listen to a band because they don't live a good life is not being judgmental, i'm sorry.

btw, i find it ironic that someone can say "many christians are judgmental" and be fine, but cannot say "many rock stars don't live good lives." maybe someone can explain this discrepancy to me.

 

[Sleepy Jean]

I don't draw the line at any point, if I don't like the sound I just won't listen.