finding God...

Let me preface this post by saying that, for the most part, until I moved to St. Augustine for college, I listened to nothing but Christian music. I definitely believe this had its benefits for me, but I do not believe it is the only way to go. In the last several years not only has my musical taste broaded substantially, but also I have realized the value of listening to "non-Christian" music. The following is what Derek Webb had to say in an interview with Relevant Magazine:

Don’t let your local Christian bookstore do your thinking for you and believe that everything they have there for sale is good and spiritually beneficial to you. If anything, we have proven that the Church unfortunately is identified with really poor art. The Church certainly does not have the market cornered on beauty. A lot of what we do is not very beautiful. The art we make is not very good. A lot of the songs I have heard on Christian radio are just outright misrepresentations of the character of God.

I think you have to learn to discern and look elsewhere and say, “I need to learn how to engage with a God everywhere I can find truth and beauty, regardless of the intention of the maker of that art.” I really believe that is a more biblical worldview. It also keeps us from being people who live in fear. There is no room for living in fear. There is no reason to be afraid. There is no reason to be fearful of secular music. We should learn how to chew on the meat, spit out the bones, to discern the truth and beauty, to commend that rather than to be just completely fearful and put all our security in these categories that don’t mean anything. It’s a dangerous way to live.

Just a thought.