Comments on: What’s On Your Ipod?

By: Susan

Susan — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:13:41 +0000

J…
Couldn’t agree more. Thanks

By: J

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 06:34:22 +0000

Well I must say that my question still wasn’t quite answered as concretely as I would have hoped. Susan, I nourish myself with MUSIC, and quite honestly don’t pay much mind to lyrics. They are not godly bands but they have amazing music in my opinion. Unfortunately not many Christian artists offer what my selective tastes desire.

Garbage in, garbage out, and this applies to everything that is not of God. “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are beneficial” tells me that my listening habits as they stand are not sinful, yet it is in a way more beneficial to me as drinking soda, as some of the bands I listen to have a ‘truthful tone’ to it, as Susan so eloquently put it.

I’ve been raised in a family that would never let me listen to what I listen to now (due to their Christian faith), and it is quite liberating to know that it is not necessarily wrong of me, there are just more productive things I could be doing. Like Dan, I put Jesus above these bands, but I’ve always questioned the morality of listening to these bands, so I thought I’d pick apart a few more knowledgeable brains than my own for a second or in this case third opinion. Thank you.

Greg, no problem for the props you deserve them :)

By: Susan

Susan — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:31:13 +0000

Oh.. the jazz cats…. please excuse my ignorance. You can kick me now.

By: Greg Fadness

Greg Fadness — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:23:02 +0000

Hey J,
You’re no Jesus-hating, Lucifer follower. It sounds like you’re a Christian wrestling with gray area issues. Gray area issues are issues of conscience and (I would argue) issues of wisdom. Paul wrote, ‘All things are lawful for me, but (and this is a big but) not all things are beneficial.’ I certainly am not one who advocates for the Christian subculture (read my ‘Drink Milk from a Christian Cow’ post). God is the ultimate source of all good things-including the talents of Anthrax, Megadeth, Miles Davis and the rest. Though they don’t give glory to Him for their abilities, talents and music, you can. And you can pray for those boys (not Miles obviously-he died).
Here’s the wisdom part: You already edit songs that are blatantly anti-God, but perhaps you could pay attention to how a song/artist affects your emotional state and spiritual outlook. That’s what I pay attention to. I think that’s what Susan was getting at in her comment. What we think about and meditate on does have an impact upon our lives.
I’ve rambled a bit….thanks for the props-I love the jazz cats….and as to the Saddleback political involvement-they’re not endorsing any candidate-merely informing people. I think that keeps them safely in bounds as a tax-exempt organization….
peace, g

By: Susan

Susan — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:33:43 +0000

J…. Garbage in garbage out. Your choice, your consequence. You are what you feed yourself. Fill your ears with uplifting God-glorifying music and you will reap the benefits of that. And so on…. I know Dan Marks well. He likes the Beatles music. But he loves Jesus first. That is evident to anyone who knows him. He is a songwriter and a Lover of Jesus and his WORD. To have appreciation of secular artists is not the same as embracing their life or entering into it. What you nourish yourself with will become very much a part of who you are.. The cool thing is, we all have a choice in who we choose to identify with. Although I know that many of the pieces bands like Megadeth put out there have a certain truthful tone to the times we live in, I can say without reservation that most of what you have listed here offers little in the way of hope and certainly not the ultimate hope found in Jesus, King of Kings. I guess it all comes down to what you value, and what you desire to offer to those around you.

You might be interested to know that Pastor Greg, in addition to being an amazing shredder, has a jazz side himself. He, Dan and a few others have hosted Jazz nights in our cafe. Some of the best I have heard. I am still waiting for that CD.

By: J

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:01:26 +0000

Oh a couple more things I wanted to mention… Jazz is amazing, including the artists I mentioned. I also wanted to acknowledge and give Greg props for being a truly insanely amazing guitar player, I want a C.D. of him doing nothing but shredding :)

By: J

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 08:54:06 +0000

I have alot of Anthrax, Megadeth, Vio-Lence, Coroner, and even a little slayer and pantera on my mp3 player, as well as all of that other good old fashioned thrash metal. I also have alot of Zeppelin, AC/DC, Ted Nugent, and Alice Cooper. Hopefully nobody’s labeled me as a Jesus hating, Lucifer following music listener yet, as I have a a question on the morality of the vast majority of music in general.

Keeping in mind that ‘He who is not for Him is against Him: would make my music is in effect no more of a biblical ‘crime’ to listen to than jazz giants such as Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie, or Miles Davis, all of whom’s music generally does not contain lyrics. This would include classical pianists such as Haydn, or Mozart as well as countless others, who were devout Catholics throughout their lives.

The same is true for the Beatles (as I understand it, Pastor Dan Marks is a huge fan). This fabulous four has spawned such albums claiming to be bigger than Jesus, as well as songs essentially praising Hare Krishna, and some controversial lyrics possibly promoting drug use.

I’m curious as to Greg’s and others’ thoughts about musical groups that expose extremely secular VS. neutral messages. Are my listening habits to bands that clearly have no messages that are pro-Jesus and some which are blatantly against God (although when I come across them I DO delete them) more of an aurally committed sin than that of those who listen to other music that is not necessarily an opponent nor a proponent of the Word of God, such as some of these above mentioned artists : Eric Clapton, Andrew Loyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Stone Temple Pilots, etc… (all of whom I enjoy listening to by the way).

Another somewhat off topic thought, although I don’t know ALL the details on this: Saddleback Church hosting a political questionnaire? Sounds like a definite violation of church and state to me, which is A-Okay with me if they pay their due taxes and follow the appropriate laws.

Let me know your thoughts and God Bless!!

By: Mandie

Mandie — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:55:41 +0000

I feel sad. I don’t have my MP3 player anymore! My husband confiscated it because he broke his!
:( But if I had it back, I would be changing it again! I am back on my broadway kick. So I would have my fave soundtracks on there! Miss Saigon, Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, etc

By: Christa

Christa — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 22:34:14 +0000

LOL you are so right, that would get people’s attention wouldn’t it. ;)

By: Jerry Holt

Jerry Holt — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:30:13 +0000

Christa, If you look at the home page it quotes you saying “I love to sin…” I saw that and wondered what you were talking about. Thankfully that quote is missing the “g” on the end of “sin”. (laugh, ha,ha,ha)