Can a style of music be considered wordly?

They don't. All these verses speak to the believers' states of mind, not the measure of those events in our lives. For example, "conformed" in Romans 12:2 is the Greek suschematizo, which is to model one's character or mind after the pattern of another. It speaks to an attitude toward things and practices, not the things and practices themselves. This attitude could mean that things typically thought of as "holy" or "godly" such as prayer or evangelism could be "worldly" because of the practitioner's attitude towards the why and how of doing them. It also means that music, recreation, or other practices that are typically thought of as "worldly" can be done to the glory of God. It depends on our attitude when doing or participating in such activities or practices.

Anything's possible. Do I think any have? Yes. Do I think it is a wide-spread problem? No.

Again, if the attitude of the person performing in a musical style is worldly rather than godly, yes. If not, any music can be used to His glory.

 

Yes, music styles can definitely communicate cultural baggage (hence worldliness) that we don't want to communicate. Just think of the dum de dum dum du of the old dragnet show. Or the vava vava voom riff for strippers.
Or any piece of music used repeatedly in a specific way. Bet you can't, if you are old enough, hear just the music from "two all beef patties special sauce lettuce cheese pickles onions on a sesame seed bun" and not think of McD's.

Rather than ask if a specific musical style is evil or not, I believe a better question is "what does it communicate and to whom does it communicate that?"

Like it or not, some forms of country and western are associated with the honky tonky bar scene. There is plenty of country gospel without that sound to choose from. Why make your church a place where the music makes people think of bars?

Like it or not, rock has deep cultural baggage of rebellion, drugs, and sex. Around here, especially the rebellion. There is a local church so far into that scene that they actually set up a room outside the sanctuary where those that don't like that music are invited to attend video church. It has cost them most of the older people, most of the young families with children, much of the area teens, and indeed is struggling to keep the doors open and lost at least three pastors. But woe to anyone that suggest maybe they choose a different track. See, they attract the rebellious unchurched folks but don't see them change their lives and begin to serve the Lord or give. Instead they just add Jesus on top of their rockin on lifestyle. Why make your church sound like a rock concert?

Now, while there is a difference between bar music (how it is written) and bar music (drinking songs) and so we get a bit of a myth going re the Wesleys, we need to remember that even if their music had been just different lyrics to drinking songs, their preaching was not at all today's wishy washy "just let Jesus love on you" stuff you often hear today.

I freely admit I do not get what is going on in the larger evangelical world today. We have a God Who regenerates, not just "saves." We have a God Who sanctifies, not just provides really cool fire insurance and retirement benefits. We should be calling people out of all the mire and muck that led them away from Jesus.

Instead we practically run over each other trying to see who can look the most like the world and still attract people to the church house.

Issues of geography have us deciding whether or not to stay at our church or try the new closer startup church. Whatever we finally decide, you can bet we will choose whichever comes closest to being church for grownups, saved folks clothed and in their right minds. (Assuming both equally strong doctrinally.)

We won't be looking to see which church is hipper to the skateboarders, or comes closest to being in the local bar or honkytonk, or has the most baby boomers trying to look 16.

I know a lot of people disagree with that, as is their privilege. Again, just look at what the specific music communicates in your specific culture and make sure it what you want to communicate.

 

Good question. But first, you have to define "worldly".

 

Ditto here.

 

The Scriptures recognize music as a means for praise (Acts 16:25; Romans 15:9), a means of expressing joy (James 5:13), thanksgiving (Psalm 92:1-3), sorrow for sin (Isaiah 16:10), a means of prayer (1 Corinthians 14:15; Psalm 72:20), and a means of teaching and spiritual communication (Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 5:19). Biblical music makers are professional (1 Chronicles 15:22; 25:7; Isaiah 5:11-12; Ezekiel 33:32), as well as nonprofessional (Psalm 100; 1 Kings 1:39-40; 1 Corinthians 14:26; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16). There are those who direct music (Psalm 4:1, 5:1, 6:1, etc.; Nehemiah 12:8) and teach music (1 Chronicles 15:22)..

The people of the Bible overflow with music in every circumstance. Nowhere does the Bible describe the style or the "beat" of the music. It simply states that music that gives praise to God is music of which God approves and by which man is uplifted. I know you want a biblical basis for the condemnation of certain kids of music, Jordan, and I understand why you want that. But there isn't one. Sorry. Music that meets the criteria of giving glory and praise to God is music that is acceptable to God, regardless of how it "sounds."

 

If the music uplifts you, praises and glorifies God, stop worrying. Enjoy the message and add your praise to it.

 

The one element of the music debate I have always had questions is the effect that certain genres of music can have on your mood. Whilst "Before the Throne of God Above" stirs up feelings of worship and adoration, perhaps the inverse could be said of a song such as "Psalm 51" by Kings Kaleidoscope? Perhaps even one could argue that it is disrespectful to put the divinely-inspired Word of the creator God to a beat that stirs up feelings of angst and confusion? Just saying

 

That's good stuff.

To Jordan, I tend to summarize with this:
God cares less about the "thing", and cares more about what you think about the thing. As a previous poster asked, what about worldly food? Doesn't scripture address meat sacrificed to idols? I don't think there could be anything more worldly, but scripture says if it is received with thanksgiving, then eat with a clear conscience.

I took my little son to a Lifeway bookstore the other day, and let him pick out two CDs. He really likes hard rock and some rap/alternative. Considering that we were at a Christian store, I told him he could pick whatever he wants, so he did.

He put one of the CDs in as soon as we got in my truck, and after a couple of songs I was like "Wait a minute." I pulled over and looked at the words to some of the songs and was appalled.

Virtually every song had the same themes - look at me, getting my groove on, goin' out clubbin', gettin' my freak on in the club, girls with clothes half off.... WOW

I had to have a good talk with my son, and explained that he didn't do anything wrong by picking out that music, and it wasn't about the musical style at all. It had everything to do with where those lyrics would take his mind.

I also told him it was a shame that I couldn't take him into a Christian store and simply let him pick whatever.

But the bottom line is that our battle is in the mind. We are to have a mind set in the spirit, and not on the flesh. If certain styles of music set your mind on the flesh, then you should not listen to it. But your battle against the flesh is not the same as everyone else.

It's the weak brother who tries to impose his own restrictions onto others