Within the Christian community, there is much disagreement concerning music.  As a complex and intimate art form, music powerfully communicates beauty and harmony.  Yet, equally relevant, music can also delve into deeper, darker portions of the soul, mixing chaos with structure.  What music should Christians listen to?  Is a Christian, by definition, required to listen solely to music created by Christians, or stricter yet, music solely centered around Jesus?

There are clearly many factors that influence our musical taste and this is by no means an exhaustive exposition. These are simply some opinions, observations, what have you. As such, let me begin by underlining the immense wealth of art we, particularly in Western culture, have at our disposal. Yet music fills a unique gap. Unlike literature, from which we have developed classic tastes, music is evocative of generational interests/pop culture. For instance, you wouldn’t compare The Brothers Karamazov to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Though both may endure until the very end of time, they produce different effects in their readership/listener…ship… One has been deemed ‘good’, you’ll find it on numerous lists of “books you should read before you die” etc. Granted, you would find Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and the like with music. Modern music, on the other hand, is much more a matter of personal preference and should be treated as such. Yet, like literature, a true lover of music must recognize that this art form is evocative of the current zeitgeist. Some music should be listened to in order to keep up with other people. I’ve had Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A” in my head a few times this week… not my proudest moment.

A Christian view of music, however, places a greater emphasis on music’s power to communicate powerful messages. Instead of singing about that Jay-Z song, Christian artists discuss issues of the Savior, issues of the Scriptures, etc. Should this be all Christians listen to? When you became a Christian, did you sign up for musical hell, confined in a room listening to Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman for all of eternity? This is by no means to discredit that form of music. There are many Christian artists I enjoy, granted not very many if any in the marketed Contemporary Christian Music scene. My struggle in approaching music is to find artists who have true musical talent yet also have something real and meaningful to say, a combination I’ve found hard to come by. I grew up on the rich harmonies of CSN, the poetry of Simon and Garfunkel, the raw emotional of Jackson Browne and was immediately convinced that all good music began and ended in the ‘70s. I was equally convinced that secular music was where it was at and Christian music paled in comparison. I had found true musical integrity and lyrical depth. In high school, I was super into Phish, though I never went to see them play. As a band, those four guys probably know music better than any other band – their skill in improvisation is second to none. Yet lyrically, the best they mustered is exemplified in “The Mango Song” : “your hands and feet are mangos, you’re going to be a genius anyway” (off their A Picture of Nectar). Not really the combination I was looking for. Recent forays into bands that provide a Christian worldview (i.e. Thrice, mewithoutYou, As Cities Burn) have satisfied my search for combination yet I’ve found the same in non-Christian bands as well (i.e. Brand New, Manchester Orchestra, Radiohead, etc.) For more great music, check out these albums.

For a Christian, choice of music depends largely on one’s conscience. Though a band may not specifically extol Christian values or virtues, music that holds to a form of objective beauty (see Limitless Beauty) can be appreciated and enjoyed. Even music that delves into the depths of humanity depravity can be appropriate much as one can enjoy Ivan Karamazov’s “The Grand Inquistor” in Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov. Musical taste is a vast and elusive beast – one that requires a conscientious listener's willingness to iron out under the principles of conscience. Apart from blatant sinfulness, no man should inform another’s conscience in regards to musical taste. As a Christian, the art of music can be enjoyed on a limitless spectrum yet must always tie back to an understanding of God’s beauty and grandeur.

Admittedly, these thoughts are rather disorganized and eclectic. What do you think? Is there a form of music Christians should listen to over others? How about forms they should avoid?