Guiding Young Christians in Their Choice of Secular Music

Abstract

Music is a part of everyday life. It can also be very influential, especially in the lives of young people. This wouldn’t be a problem at all if all music were harmless. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Even the most popular music can contain explicit language, sexual references, or references to drug use. The purpose of this paper is to suggest ways to guide young Christians in their choice of secular music. A brief history of the music, focusing on hard rock, will be given. Then the focus shifts to the history between the church and rock music. During the 1980s many religious publishers released books about the dangers of rock music. Since then, however, the church has been largely silent. This paper will examine the dangers that are present today. With the dangers of current rock music in mind, seven suggestions will be given that will help young people be better equipped to make God-pleasing decisions concerning music. A discerning Christian will compare what the music says with what God says.