Good Music

In a recent post I gave standards of music based on Philippians 4:8. I want to look at a few secular artists that have good things to say. They have some lyrics that I believe worth listening to. You may agree or disagree with me. My purpose is to inspire discussion and more examination of music. I am not an advocate of only Christian music because it is lazy and not everything that calls itself Christian really is. We as Christians are to test everything according to God's word. Let's look at some artists and songs.

U2

I don't agree with all of Bono, the lead singer of U2's theology or his over emphasis on feeding the poor. His songs are awesome. One of the most challenging songs of theirs is "I Still Haven't Found What I'm looking For." It is a challenging song. The last part of the song talks about what Christ did on the cross and then says "but I still haven't found what I'm looking for." It begs the question, why am I not satisfied. What more do I need to find. Another song is beautiful day, which talks about not letting circumstances get in the way of everyday life. The song "The streets have no name" has been turned into a worship song by Chris Tomlin. While they do have some songs that are questionable, most are very good.

Daughtry

The lead singer Chris Daughtry grew up in the churhc. Their music is not expressively Christian, but usually wholesome. An example of this is the song "Home". Many of their songs talk about making things right or making bad decisions or getting over them. I don't have a real problem with Daughtry.

Lifehouse

Lifehouse is a semi Christian band. Sometimes their music deals with outwardly Christian themes and other times deal with virtues. They are known for making song about fidelity in marriage. The have counseled other secular artists going through difficulty in their marriage. They seem to have a good reputation.

POD

The group's name is short for Payable On Death. They started out as a CSM group but their music has made it to mainstream radio. It has been played on hard rock stations that usually play music that glorifies violence. At work I've been forced to listen to those stations and have been relieved to hear "I Feel So Alive For The Very First Time, I Can't Deny You." This group has been controversial by Christians who question whether they are really one of us.

Kansas

An older group that wrote "Dust In the Wind," The theme of this song was frustration about the futility of life. One of the singers was converted after writing this song. Most of Kansas' music is not offensive.

I hope this will inspire you to give these artists a chance and be critical of all music. While you may disagree with me or know something that I don't know about these artists, I believe Christians should listen to good music Biblically. For some you may believe that means sacred only.That's fine. I believe Christians should engage the culture without being tainted by it.