If you are a regular reader of my blog (which I highly doubt),
you've probably noticed that I haven't posted in while. So, I start
with a confession. I prefer to say that the reason is simply writer's
block, but I think it goes deeper than that. By about halfway through
the summer, I had let my spiritual disciplines (reading my Bible and
praying) slip to irregularity and infrequency. I fell behind and
started becoming spiritually lethargic. Thus, I really just don't
think God was going to speak to me during that time. It got worse
when school started with my odd-ball schedule, which made it
difficult to even formulate routine. Fortunately, by the Lord's
abundant grace, He has helped me get back on my feet. Beginning at a
recent YouthQuake Live (shout-out to those awesome guys!), God began
fixing my focus and easing me back into the strong disciplines I had
in the past. I have grown closer to Him already, so I praise Him for
His mercy!
So, anyway, I would like to relate some of the thoughts I have had
recently, along with anything that may come to mind when I'm writing.
If you've ever heard of a fastwrite, then you have a good idea of
what this post will end up like.
First, I would like to make a brief political statement. To me, my
faith necessarily influences my politics, so I am willing to do this,
but I refuse to stay too much on the topic in this context. It is my
firm belief that capitalism and limited, democratic-republican
federalism compose the most responsible way to run a nation when
taking man's sin nature into account. Anyway, I want to say that I
support Herman Cain for the 2012 Republican primaries (which I will
not be old enough to vote in), and, should he make that, the 2012
November election (which I will be old enough to vote in). His
“9-9-9” plan is brilliant and will certainly boost the economy
if passed. If you don't believe
it, check out the result's of Ronald Reagan's tax cuts (aka God's
gift to the 80's American economy) from any reliable source, such as
A Patriot's History of the United States
by Schweikart and Allen.
So, enough of my political rant.
I'd now like to say a little bit about music (though it may also end
up slightly rant-ish). Music is one of God's many cultural gifts to
mankind that helps distinguish him from the animals. While birds can
sing genetically programmed songs and repeat the sounds of others, no
creature but man can invent melodies and lyrics from scratch and
somehow please the soul. That being said, music can be abused just
like any other God-given gift. See, here's the thing about music;
unlike most other forms of culture or entertainment, people aren't
usually just exposed to any given music once or twice before moving
on. People listen to the same songs, the same albums, and the same
artists over and over again. When people listen to music, lyrics and
melodies can easily get stuck in their heads. This makes music
exceptionally powerful. Repeated exposure to anything strengthens or
builds certain neural pathways in the brain, certain trains of
thought. Music exemplifies this to a great extent and therefore has a
powerful impact on people's thought lives, which in turn impact their
actions.
This is why picking your music
correctly is extremely important. The computer world gave us the term
GIGO, “garbage in, garbage out,” and it applies just as much to
music as it does to processing. Listening to inappropriate music will
inevitably have a negative impact on character, whether the flaws lie
in values, perspectives, language, or any other aspect of the songs.
Listening to songs that promote some sin tends to make you more
tolerant of that sin, listening to songs with a certain perspective
tends to make you lean towards that perspective, and listing to songs
that use certain language tend to desensitize you to that language,
even sometimes to the point
of making you speak it. This is simply not proper in any way. As
Christians, we need to listen to music that supports positive values,
godly perspectives, and appropriate language. After all, we are
commanded
in Philippians
4:8, “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
commendable — if there is any moral excellence and if there is any
praise — dwell on these things.” Does the music you listen to
fall into any of those categories? How many? If it doesn't even make
half, I would cut it. Shameless plug for personal favorite artist:
Owl City has no flaws. Try listening to “Dental Care,” “Alligator
Sky,” “Dreams Don't Turn to Dust,” “Plant Life,” or
“Rainbow Veins.” I bet you'd find something you like (unless you
try listening to something from Of June).
Speaking
of music, that brings me to something I've been thinking about
lately. What do you do if you find an artist with great, clean music,
but questionable character? My pastor's (well, former pastor) wife
made the valid point that it makes a difference whether or not they
claim Christ. Opinions, anyone? Personally, I am struggling with
whether or not to try listening to LIGHTS. I've heard some of her
music, along with her part in “The Yacht Club” with Owl City, and
I really like it, but I'm not sure how I feel about her personally.
Some sources say she claims to be a Christian while others say she is
silent on the issue, but I do know that she sometimes dresses a bit
too immodestly for what I would consider acceptable, and she recently
collaborated with an artist called “Holy F––!” (She has
several tattoos as well, but I am hesitant to make any judgments
based on that). I am not willing to compromise my integrity for the
sake of extra music (I already have Owl City, Casting Crowns, Chris
Tomlin, and Avalon, after all), so I am being very slow to make a
decision. At present, I am leaning towards not listening. Thoughts?
Comments? Send them in.
Well,
that's about all I can think of at the moment. I'm still in the
process of getting in gear, so I may still be slow to get posting
again. If you have questions about anything, or maybe some
controversy you'd like to see a piece on, contact me and I'll do my
best to whip up something amazing for you in the name of Christ.
Until next time, my readers!