The purpose of this article is to examine “Christian” rock music compared with godliness, worship of Christ and the Bible.  The main reason that churches introduce rock bands into their services is in the hope that if they can be as close to the world as possible, the unsaved won’t see too much difference, they will better “relate” to young people and hence have a better chance of winning them to Christ. However, God says:

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 2:15)

“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” James 4:4. Strong words indeed that God speaks to churches that seek to imitate the world and worldly methods to reach people for Christ. God calls them the “enemy of God” and the “love of the Father is not in him.”

“God and Samuel strongly protested Israel’s desire to “have a king over us: that we may also be like the nations.” (1 Samuel 8:19,20)

Bringing rock music into a church is the same sin of desiring to be like the nations. Christians should “be not conformed to this world” (Romans 12:2), but be people separated from worldly practices and separated to be holy like God.

As Bible believing Christians, we must rebuke error when we see it.

“I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ .. Preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season (when it is unpopular); reprove (Gk:1651 = tell a fault, convince, convict), rebuke (Gk:2008 = forbid, straightly charge), exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” (II Timothy 4:2)

“Nor faint when thou art rebuked of him.” (Hebrews 12:5)

“All Scripture……is profitable for doctrine, for reproof 1650, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect.” (Timothy 3:16)

I. Question: What Is Wrong With Worldly, Non Christian Rock Music?

Answer:

1. It has ungodly themes of rebellion, drugs, sex, and demons.

2. It’s musicians set an ungodly lifestyle example of deep sin.

3. David Bowie rock star says: “Rock music has always been the devil’s music.” Little Richard says: “I believe this kind of music is demonic.”

4. Rock music contains many clear back masked and subliminal messages.

II. Question: What’s Wrong With Christian Rock Music?

Reason 1:  Very little CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) encourages heart searching or reproof.

Amy Grant’s “Raining on the inside” ends with “WOW, You know I’m just getting really excited.”

Compare this shallow message with the famous song: “Am I a soldier of the cross?”

Reason 2:  Does the song Exalt Christ?  Or emphasise man?  E.g. Does it emphasise the singer’s loneliness, the believer’s needs, his feelings or does it glorify Christ? Compare it with the famous hymns: “Holy, Holy, Holy,” or “O Worship the King.”

Reason 3:  Does the song lose the sense of God’s majesty, solemnity, and reverence?

Reason 4. Christian rock teaches teens to sneer at traditional church music as boring, and to rebel against their parents and their church as being out of touch with their worldly music tastes.

This shows contempt for the richest wealth of Bible music ever created. Four tests for good church music are:

(1) Music should uplift the church, not mock or criticise it.

(2) Music should carry Bible messages, not anti Bible message.

(3) Music should bring more glory to God, than to the performer.

(4) Music should feed the spirit more than the old flesh.

Classic Christian hymns don’t feed the flesh, they show it rotten to the core. Compare these songs:

Rock on – Stryper: “Come on everybody/put your hands above your head/Today we’re screamin’/’Cause tomorrow you might be dead/The earth is shakin’, and the clouds are rolled away/Come on everybody/Get ready for the Judgment Day/Rock on, Got my feet on the ground/Got my eyes on Heaven/Rock on …..”

My Saviour’s Love: “I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene/ And wonder how He could love me/A sinner condemned, unclean……” Compare that piercing Bible truth to this Christian rock wisdom, by CCM star Charlie Peacock:

Big Man’s Hat: “I used to have a big man’s thoughts/In a young man’s world/You got to have big man’s thoughts/To make a big man’s girl/And when I finally made that girl, she did not have a clue/That I would break her like a matchstick/That I could turn young love into the third world war….”

Reason 5:  Christian rock departs from normal music.

Answer: Seidel, a concert pianist and 25 year Christian music expert states that: “True godly music, will be composed of three elements – all in perfect balance with each other. They are: MELODY, HARMONY, and RHYTHM. Rock “music” has no melody – only fragments of melody endlessly repeated. Since there is no true melody , there is no real harmony. There is only rhythm. and rhythm in and of itself is not music.” Christian rock ends with a crash or long fade-out, with no resolution.

Reason 6:  Christian rock copies the world. “If the world hates you, ye know it hated me…” (John 15:18).  Christian rock devotees feel secure in saying that there is no Scripture saying “Thou shalt not listen to Christian rock”.

Answer:  There is no verse that says “Don’t beat your wife” either. They desire to “Let me keep sinning.”

Consider these verses against Christian rock:

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Christian rock looks like the world, and is worldly. When Christian rock stars wear skin tight spandex, teased long hair, use smoke bombs, and strobe lights, this is the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. If you can’t see this as being worldly, you are in deep bondage to the flesh.” (I John 2:15-16)

“..whosoever will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”  (James 4:4)

CCM stars look and act like the world. CCM music and lyrics are like the world.

Kim Boyce: “Sounds a lot like Madonna.” Gospel Music Today (1980). Barren Cross: “They have the sound and intensity of Iron Maiden.” Amy Grant: “Lyrically, the only difference between Amy Grant’s love songs and Olivia Newton John’s, is that often Amy Grant’s pronouns come with capital letters.” Stryper: “Outward trappings of … Iron Maiden and JudasPriest.” Therefore Christian rock stars learned from worldly, secular rock stars years ago.

“It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than ….the song of fools.” (Ecclesiastes 7:5)

Objection: Fans say “That’s just the music, the lyrics are the real difference.”

Answer: Let’s do an experiment. Which song is Christian and which is secular?

BURN IN HELL SILENCE SCREAMS “Take a good look in your heart/Tell me, “The folly in our passions/ what you see?/ It’s black and it’s dark/ The prisons of desire/ The Now is that how you want it to be?/ foolishness of bigots/Tinder for It’s up to you, what you do will decide the fire/In bitterness and exile/ your own fate/Make your choice now, As foolish as it seems/ In the for tomorrow may be far too late/And then coldest, darkest spirit/Silence you’ll burn in Hell/Oh burn in Hell/ screams/Silence screams/ The You’re gonna burn in Hell…” echoes roar/Silence screams forevermore..” Fiery judgment against sin: Twisted Sister. Resurrection band: “Christian” The heathen produce more Biblical lyrics than so called Christian rock music.

“I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.” (I Corinthians 10:20)

Christian rock contains demon messages backmasked praising Satan.

“What fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion has light with darkness?” (II Corinthians 6:14)

“Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them.” (Ephesians 5:11)

For it is a shame (sin → guilt → shame) even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.” Christian rock fellowships with worldly darkness.

Reason 7:  Christian rock doesn’t preach conviction of sin.

Wayne Watson: “I won’t write a song that says “You better get right with God .. it makes people feel defensive.”

That “defensiveness” is called Holy Spirit Conviction and no one gets saved without it. (John 6:44 and 16:7-11)

Jesus Christ preached against sin: “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:5)

Why are they scared of preaching against sin? Because they’re afraid of “turning people off”, offending cash customers and losing record sales. We should separate from worldly, compromising rock music. Why? Because: “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance.” I Peter 1:14.

Christ, Paul, the Apostles and martyrs turned some people off and were killed for it. We all must choose to stand for Christ or for Satan.

Reason 8:  Christian rockers are Ignorant of Satan’s game to COUNTERFEIT moves of God.

Answer: “To be blind to this, is not to know the enemy.” (II Corinthians 11:12-15) “The god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not.” (II Corinthians 4:3-4)

What are Christian rock fans ignorant of:

(i)  Motive of money. If there’s a dollar to be made, you can bet someone will slap the label “Christian” on it and open up a whole new market.

(ii) Backmasking and subliminal messages:

Why does Satan backmask? To gain MIND CONTROL. The alcohol, tobacco and retail industries spend millions of dollars yearly on subliminal programming. Shops use it to fight shoplifting. “Enchantment is a form of spell casting primarily involving mind control. Enchanters dispatch or assign wicked spirits to objects and places for whatever purpose the spell calls for….Enchantment controls the mind and is one of the most powerful spells that can be cast on a person….” David Meyer ex-occultist. Jimi Hendrix revealed the conspiracy of subliminals 20 years ago.

ROCKING FOR JESUS

Under this chapter heading, Jeff Godwin reports on CHRISTIAN ROCK. He says that “Christian rock” is a contradiction in terms. “How can Christ be unequally yoked with the perverse paganism of Rock?”

He cites the group STRYPER as being the forerunner of a new trend in Christian music – Heavy Metal Christian Rock. The music on STRYPER’s albums was no different to W.A.S.P. or AC-DC. Only the words were positive praise to the King, WHEN you could hear them, that is.

Godwin maintains that Satan is the King of Rock, and that he does not stop at the door of the Gospel Record store. Rather, Satan is now mounting a strategic offensive against Christians, utilising willing, zealous believers to propagate the beat, the style and the hidden messages amongst young Christians.

Question: Some Christian Rockers argue that Rock music doesn’t have to be satanic. If the lyrics are about Christ and salvation, it can be a legitimate form by which young people in a world of rock music can be won for Christ.

Answer: We are not talking here about lively gospel music. We’re talking about ROCK! We are not talking about beat or even drums. We’re talking about ROCK beat and style. While some Christian Rockers may be seeking to win souls in the rock world, some Christian rockers are actually introducing young people to Rock music.

Can these young people be expected to maintain a preference for the “Christian” variety? Why not enjoy “worldly” rock also?

Or if some young people are won to Christ through Rock, are they then to be nurtured through Rock?

Jeff Godwin comments: “There’s one very simple test for Christians to use to determine what is and what is not godly music: Could you play that music as part of the Sunday morning worship service without offending God? I don’t care if it’s rock, Christian Rock, Country or contemporary: if the music can’t fit comfortably into Sunday morning worship, then it is not worth playing at all.

If such music cannot be used to praise the King, then why are you listening to it?”

Reason 9:  Biblical precepts against Christian Rock music:

(1)  God is concerned with the seed that produces the fruit. All seed produces of its own kind. Out of which womb was Rock music born? Was it born in the womb of Spirit-filled or unsaved musicians?

(2)  God will not accept a blemished sacrifice! (Malachi 1:8-13). Every Christian concert or record should be an offering to the Lord. Is Rock music an acceptable offering to God?

“I’ve noticed”, he says, “that musicians at Christian concerts seldom perform rock just before the message and invitation. It is not conducive to conviction of any kind because it is of another spirit. If it is of God, why not use it before the invitation? Why not a ripping rock segment just before the sermonette? It is reserved for the entertainment part of concerts, to the accompanying of fleshly whistles, shouting and grooving. It doesn’t inspire them to kneel and pray, or even to bow their heads and worship. There is not one ounce of conviction in it – God refuses to touch it. What it does is turn audiences on to a fleshly display of jumping on seats, jiving and dancing in anything but a spiritual manner.”

(3)  God has His prescribed boundaries for worship. (Malachi 1:12).

(4)  God is looking for overcomers who will search out the old paths and find the right way. (Jeremiah 6:16).

(5)  God will not tolerate the uncircumcised of heart in His house. (Ezekiel 44:7-13).

(6)  There can be no worship if the name of Baalim be on our lips. “God is saying, “My true worshippers will never again speak of, let alone do those things that represent the old life and former idols.” (Hosea 2:17)

Finally, it all comes down to our love for Christ, “If any man love the world, or the things that are in the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). If we are going to line up with God, we need to stand up against rock, help pray it down, and refuse to support any Christian performer, group or station who continues pushing it. Heavy-metal rock music can trap people, especially teenagers” into dabbling in disgraceful Satanic practices.  For example, we denounce Rock star Ozzy Osborne’s tune SUICIDE SOLUTION: “Wine is fine but whiskey’s quicker Suicide is slow with liquor Suicide is the only way out, Don’t you know what it’s really about?”

Former Beatle John Lennon was shot to death in December 1980. “His “Double Fantasy” album had been in record stores for weeks. The song “Kiss, Kiss, Kiss”, from that album, contains a backmask that Yoko Ono sang, which says, “WE SHOT JOHN LENNON.” If a demon didn’t leave that little calling card, who did? How did Yoko Ono’s human spirit KNOW, much less SAY, “We Shot John Lennon,” long before the murder happened? Mark David Chapman (Lennon’s killer) admitted that demonic spirits gave him the strength to carry out the execution.

There’s only one answer. That backmasked message on Lennon’s record didn’t come from a human spirit, it came from a demon’s throat!

So how do these messages GET into the music? It’s really very easy. The demons just talk while their Rock and CCM dupes sing. Demons are well able to speak out loud, as Mark 1:23-25 makes very clear.

Reason 10:  Appearance of Christian rock Stars

“A proud look ….” (Proverbs 6:16-17)  Pride is one of seven abominations to God.

“Nor effeminate ….. shall inherit the Kingdom of God.” (I Corinthians 6:9)

“The lofty looks of man shall be humbled”. (Isaiah 2:11-12)

“The show of their countenance doth witness against them”. (Isaiah 3:9)

Best description of CCM: “If you want to reach a broad Christian audience, minister and sell records,

(1) Adopting popular secular music styles brings success.

(2) Write your own music.

(3)  Follow the popular style.

(4)  Add Christian lyrics.

(5)  Send it out to the Christian market. That’s CCM.”

“Doth not even nature itself teach you, that if a man have long hair, it is a shame to him?” (1 Cor. 11:14)

Long, womanly hair on men is a shame. Long hair symbolises rebellion. Men grew long hair in the 60’s to rebel against the rules. Lipstick and earrings on men, and rock rebellion is the root of effeminate men.

Jesus offended people because he told them the truth. Christian rock stars offend people because they are disgusting. They violate Bible truth and common decency.

Galatians 5:19-21 lists 17 works of the flesh. Match these with a Christian rock concert:

Uncleanness, bondage – leather, chains, studs

Shameful, unnatural  – womanish hair on men

Fornication, adultery  – harlotry in women

Lasciviousness, revellings – party time atmosphere

Idolatry – jewellery, logos

Reason 11:  Submission vs. Rebellion

The real battle is not about a musical generation gap, it’s about SUBMISSION vs. REBELLION. Submission is the hallmark of the Christian life. Without it, all you have is counterfeit spirituality. To resist the devil, you must first be submitted to God (James 4:7). Since Christian rock fans aren’t truly submitted, they’ll never be able to resist Satan, no matter how often they sing “To Hell With the Devil” (by Stryper).

The classic hymns so despised by youth today were all about SUBMISSION. That’s why carnal Christians want no part of them.

Songs like: “Washed In The Blood,” “Haven of Rest”, “Jesus Paid It All”, “To God Be The Glory”, “Lord, I’m Coming Home”, “Victory in Jesus”, “Have Thine Own Way, Lord”, “When I Survey The Wondrous Cross”, “Take My Life and Let It Be”, “I Surrender All”, “Jesus Is All The World To Me”. These are all songs of SUBMISSION. Here’s a lyrical example from just one of them:

“Have thine own way, Lord/Have thine own way/Thou art the potter/I am the clay/Mold me and make me/After Thy will/while I am waiting/Yielded and still…”

Now read these Christian rock lyrics to see the difference between submission and rebellion:

ROCK THOSE BLUES AWAY – Bride “I don’t need nobody to ease my aching mind. Don’t need nobody complaining all the time. I need to roll those blues, rock those blues away … Let me tell you honey, what I need. I need a smooth playing guitar in my hand. Listen to the rhythm of my band.”

The 2000’s will see a very intense war for the souls of youth. It’s getting hotter by the day. The carnal Christian rock supporting church has already made deals with the Antichrist system. And they will cut many more deals in the years to come. It’s tough to stand against the worldly, compromising, liberal tide, but it must be done.

Reason 12:  Excuses Used to Justify Christian rock

Lie 1: They’re going to listen to Rock anyway. This is a better alternative.

Answer: This is a LIE. Not every new convert is a Rock addict, but you can make a new convert a Rock addict by feeding him Christian rock. When people get saved from drugs, crime, alcohol and turn fully to Christ, they reject these along with the Rock music that came with these things. A better alternative? NO WAY! Christian rock looks the same, sounds the same and produces the same fruit of rebellion. Christian rock teaches kids to hate authority.

Lie 2: “We have to use Christian rock because it is the music kids relate to today.”

Answer: 11 Corinthians 6:14-18 tells us to be separate from every ungodly work. “Touch not the unclean thing”. v.15. Christian rock says “Touch it all you want to.” It is the gospel that relates, convicts and saves people, not Rock music, or any other ungodly trick. The Holy Spirit’s blessing is on God’s Word, not on pagan noise.

Lie 3:  God created music. Everything God created is good, so Rock music must be good and Godly too.

Answer: The day Lucifer fell, music fell also. Music once used to worship Almighty God has been corrupted. Lucifer uses that music to get worship for himself, because he craved it.

Lie 4:  Music is the universal language teens understand, so we use Christian rock music to speak their language

Answer: The Holy Spirit has spoken to people for 6000 years without Rock music. Christian rock noise drowns out the Holy Spirit’s voice. The Pastor, not kids are supposed to run the church. Give teens Soul-Winning, and they won’t want Rock music.

Lie 5:  Kids won’t stay in a stuffy church. They need excitement or we’ll lose them.

Answer: Give them the excitement of full surrender to Jesus Christ and Soul Winning as a goal in life, not selfish Rock music entertainment. We are not here to be entertained but to win a lost world to Christ

Lie 6:  No one can live under those kind of rules. It’s too hard and legalistic.

Answer: How harsh of God to ask us to obey Him. Jesus was willing to obey the Father to die for our sins. In Isaiah 30:10, Israel wanted to hear smooth things. (11 Timothy 4:3)

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but will heap to themselves teachers.

Christian rock is a tool of Satan because it blocks the path to self-denial, purity, holiness, separation and total devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Lie 7:  Times have changed. The old ways don’t work anymore. We should update.

Answer: The old ways you are tossing away are God’s ways. They worked well for 6000 years. When we pray and clearly preach the Gospel, the Holy Spirit convicts and draws lost sinners to repentance and faith in Christ.

“Thus saith the Lord,…ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.” (Jeremiah 6:16)

Lie 8:  Kids get saved through Christian rock.

Answer: “Abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.” (I Peter 2:11).   Teens don’t get saved from worldliness by Christian rock. Doing things man’s way brings a mixture of good and bad results. Often the bad destroy much good. Doing things God’s way brings only good results.

Lie 9:  Satan’s lie in Christian rock is “Music is neutral.”

Answer: Neutral music does not drive away demons, but David’s music did drive away King Saul’s demons. (I Samuel 16:14-23). Therefore, forsake Christian rock and stop quenching the Holy Spirit.

Lie 10:  “Only the words matter.”

Answer: If you take Jesus Christ or the Bible out of the music, it’s no more Christian than worldly rock music. Christian music by definition is about Jesus Christ, not about dope, abortion, starvation or self-esteem. Ephesians 5:19 says that we are “Singing and making melody .. to the Lord”, not to people.

Lie 11:  Keith Green said: “I have never ONCE seen a case where music was the direct cause of sin or wickedness in a person’s life.” Keith Green says: “no music is intrinsically evil.”

Answer: Rock music produces a fleshly, sensual response regardless of the words used. Rhythm causes a bodily response. Rock music is predominately rhythm which produces a bodily response that is greater than it should be for Christians.

We, the leadership and congregations of the Unregistered Union of Baptist Churches, the former Persecuted Church, have made an agreement not to allow rock music in our church. We urge you to join with us and we advise you to remove rock music from America. Do not desecrate our teenagers with it. Even the unbelievers recognise it is unholy music and they cannot understand how American Christians can be so much like the world. We can give you the conclusion that after Russian unbelievers have attended the rock concerts where Christ’s Word was preached, the people were very disappointed and disillusioned with Christianity.

We call this music from hell. We urge all Americans to stop giving money for the organisation of such concerts in Russia. We want only traditional Christian music in our churches. This is the unanimous decision of all our leaders.” God and Samuel strongly protested Israel’s desire to “have a king over us: that we may also be like all the nations.” (I Samuel 8:19,20)

Bringing rock music into a church is the same sin of desiring to be like the nations. Christians should “be not conformed to this world” (Romans 12:2), but be people separated from worldly practices and separated to be holy like God.

The main reason that churches introduce rock bands into their services is in the hope that if they can be as close to the world as possible, they will better “relate” to young people and hence have a better chance of winning them to Christ. However, God says:

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (I John 2:15)

“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” James 4:4. Strong words indeed that God speaks to churches that seek to imitate the world and worldly methods to reach people for Christ. God calls them the “enemy of God” and the “love of the Father is not in him.”