BE CAREFUL LITTLE EARS WHAT YOU HEAR

Teach me Your way, O Yahweh; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.

Psalm 86:11

I bought a lot of “secular” music in college. My record player had a speaker in the record player cabinet and a separate speaker cabinet that plugged into it and into a wall outlet to get stereo. Stereo was just developing in those days. However, my favorite group was the Ventures, an instrumental band. What I liked about them was you had the current sound and the melodies of the popular songs of the month, but no lyrics. Too often when I could figure out the lyrics I did not appreciate them. I knew they were not spiritually uplifting or innocent. (I also bought “Christian” albums, by the way. My favorite artist was Dallas Holm.)

It is easy to criticize and condemn secular music for its lyrics, but have you taken a close look at the lyrics of the hymns in your hymnbook or on the songs on your screens? Or the lyrics of your Christian artist? There are many wonderful hymns and songs, but if you look with a critical eye, asking yourself “Is this biblical?” you may be surprised, especially at Christmastime. Many urban legends, assumptions and wrong teachings are a part of even beloved songs. When we sing or listen to false lyrics we are reinforcing in our minds what those lyrics teach. Whether the false teaching was the intention of the writer or not does not excuse us. And even if the lyrics are 99% good and accurate, how much poison does it take to do harm?

Let’s be discerning in all our music, even the hymns and spiritual songs we choose to sing and listen to. 

Jeffrey Eno