christian heavy metal?? thoughts & opinions

[Prentis]

Well, sometimes we need to be pumped up! There is a season for all things! Christian metal folks... Do your thing.... As long as it is done in truth and for the Lord.

The questions is, what are we pumping up?

It is never profitable to go by the pumping up of the flesh. Rather let us do everything while walking in the peace and love of the Lord.... Our weapons are not carnal but spiritual.

 

[FHII]

The questions is, what are we pumping up?

It is never profitable to go by the pumping up of the flesh. Rather let us do everything while walking in the peace and love of the Lord.... Our weapons are not carnal but spiritual.

I agree, but we have weapons and we still war! The kingdom of heaven suffereth from violence and the violence take it by force! Sometimes in prayer, We should beat Satan down with such loud voices and such violence that our veins pop out from our heads and we get hoarse! "Amazing Grace" which is a beautiful song, just don't bring out that violence in me. After I'm done whupping on Satan, I'll play it as a eulogy and a slap in his face....

As for it is never profitable to be pumped up in the flesh.... I know what you are saying, but sometimes it is.... If you are an athlete and making a living, you'd better be pumped up! Plus, when we are exercising..... I can lift weights without music and prefer it, but let's face it, heavy metal and even rap get the mood right.

But, other than that, My opinion is that Heavy Metal and rap are pretty pointless.

 

[Prentis]

Then we are being led by our senses, rather than the Spirit.

Our training on this earth is to be able to stand on nothing but the command of God and the power of his Spirit. We are here to be weaned from our senses... Feeding them is never a good tactic!

An athlete runs on adrenaline when he is immature, but as he matures, he can learn to run on character only. This is what makes the difference between the athlete who is still at his best when he is losing 3-0, and gives his team a chance, or who still plays a disciplined game when he is winning 3-0.

In this case, it is about character.

 

[FHII]

"Then we are being led by our senses, rather than the Spirit."

If so, then that would hold true with any other music, wouldn't it? So what music doesn't tickle our senses, but is of the spirit?

You'd do wise not to try to tell me about athletics... I spent 10 years as a coach and more studying such... Adreneline is a bio chemical. It can be aroused by many things, one of which is music. It can also be aroused by good preaching. Would that make a parishioner "immature" when he gets goosebumps over a good sermon? Furthermore, this biochemical has an extreme effect on the nervous system, for the immediate better of athletic performance.

 

[us2are1]

i agree and don't find those lyrics to be edifying. however my disclaimer is that i have never listened to stryper and have never heard that song before, atleast to my knowledge.
continueing on.. the sons of asaph were wrong to make asaph their master and not God. but if they had considered God their master and sang unto him would it still be wrong? i am not trying to contradict as much as i am to learn.
what i'm asking is; what if the lyrics were christian or worshipfull but the music was metal?

God sent us His supreme example, Christ.

If you want to please God, Do what Christ did. Imitate Christ.

If you don't want to please God then do as you please.

This seems like a simple thing.

 

[Prentis]

"Then we are being led by our senses, rather than the Spirit."

If so, then that would hold true with any other music, wouldn't it? So what music doesn't tickle our senses, but is of the spirit?

You'd do wise not to try to tell me about athletics... I spent 10 years as a coach and more studying such... Adreneline is a bio chemical. It can be aroused by many things, one of which is music. It can also be aroused by good preaching. Would that make a parishioner "immature" when he gets goosebumps over a good sermon? Furthermore, this biochemical has an extreme effect on the nervous system, for the immediate better of athletic performance.

Do you use the fact that you worked ten years in athletics to lord it over others, and automatically discount a point they are making?

Indeed, any music can be used to pump up the flesh. It depends where it goes.... You could say by this then that metal is the same. In a sense, yes, it is up to the one who listens. Music is also used in churches to move people emotionally. Just like metal, this is not evil in itself. But men use it to replace the work of the Spirit... Metal replaces the drive, soft music can be used to replace the convicting of the Spirit.

The point, though I might not have worded it best, is that we shouldn't let ourselves be driven by those things. If an athlete does it, that's fine, he's doing a human thing... But we are not called to carnal things. The athletics was an example.

 

[Comm.Arnold]

Christian Metal. I love metal. Although it seems that Christian metal is kind of an oxymoron. That said.....


As a muscian and complete music lover, I can hear and feel a completely different "vibe" given from Christian metal vs. Secular metal. Listening to something like Becoming the Architype has a completely different feeling than listening to Fear Factory. I don't get a doom and gloom, rage, anger, darkness feeling from Christian Metal.

One little bit of warning though. Many "white" metal bands turn secular. They don't go the way of "black" metal, but, they definately don't go towards God.

My wife had a friend that decided to start a band with her boyfriend. They wanted to make it big fast. At that time it was believed to make it big fast, play Christian music. None of these people were Christian and were punk rockers. From what I heard from a mutal friend, the girl and her boyfriend actually got saved. They were reading the Bible trying to come up with lyrics, and ended up meeting a youth minister. (The girl and her boyfriend were murdered a few weeks later.)

Anyway, the moral of the story is, be careful of what you listen to. Always check the lyrics and trust how you feel. God will let you know when something's wrong.

That is unbelievable I have heard that people who misuse the bible are in a dangerous place .... Do you have a link to an article about it ?

 

[FHII]

Do you use the fact that you worked ten years in athletics to lord it over others, and automatically discount a point they are making?

Indeed, any music can be used to pump up the flesh. It depends where it goes.... You could say by this then that metal is the same. In a sense, yes, it is up to the one who listens. Music is also used in churches to move people emotionally. Just like metal, this is not evil in itself. But men use it to replace the work of the Spirit... Metal replaces the drive, soft music can be used to replace the convicting of the Spirit.

The point, though I might not have worded it best, is that we shouldn't let ourselves be driven by those things. If an athlete does it, that's fine, he's doing a human thing... But we are not called to carnal things. The athletics was an example.

Give it a rest, Prentis.... it was a poor analogy that doesn't work at all... You should stay away from examples you know nothing about.

"we shouldn't let ourselves be driven by those things.... We should follow the spirit!' Prentis, God liked music, and often used it as an expression of the spirit, and even to change someones spirit.

 

[MrsMopar]

I will admit, I am a bit perplexed by some comments here. No offense to anyone, as I am a newborn in my walk with Christ, but doesn't the Bible tell us to make a joyous noise?
My point being this....if someone is a metal head and they are making a joyous noise to the Lord to praise Him then how is this detrimental?

I guess I am not cut out for this forum, and I do not intend to offend anyone, but some of the responses I have read seem as if there is some sort of "standard" in musical worship to the Lord. Again, maybe because I am new at this I am misinterpreting His word...

You know, I stand by some people at Church on Sunday who can't sing a note on key but you know what? They are singing their praises to Him and to Him it is beautiful!! Isn't that what is important? I can't sing well but I sing regardless, because I know I am not being judged by Him for the sound...He wants to hear me praise Him. If it's metal then so be it....

Thanks for listening.

 

[FHII]

I absolutely agree with you Mrs Mopar! Many times in the Bible we are told by God to make a joyous and LOUD noise in song! Appearently, he seems to believe its part of worship and is spiritual!

 

[us2are1]

I absolutely agree with you Mrs Mopar! Many times in the Bible we are told by God to make a joyous and LOUD noise in song! Appearently, he seems to believe its part of worship and is spiritual!

i can not find in Christ's teachings or in the new covenant of the new testament where it says to make a Joyful or Joyous noise to God. Can you show me where this ritual and doctrine is located in the new testament scriptures?

 

[FHII]

Yes, sir.... I can.

 

[FHII]

Hey, Prentis.... Don't feel bad. Have you ever been an athlete? if not, it's not a bad thing..... I didn't mean to insult you, it's just that the analogy you were using just doesn't fit. It's ignorance. That's not bad... Realize what the word "ignorance" means. It simply means to not have knowledge about something.

Seems to me that you are more interested in being a Word Warrior.... That's more important than adreneline or athletics. I'm more interested in that too. But stay away from things you know nothing about.... See... If someone wants to talk about art and expressing their love of Christ through that, I'd be at a lost for words... I am not an artist nor do I understand the profession. I have done a few things, but with water colors and crayons!

So I ain't Lording over you.... Just telling you.... "Ummmm.... You are not making sense with that...."

 

[Vengle]

I will admit, I am a bit perplexed by some comments here. No offense to anyone, as I am a newborn in my walk with Christ, but doesn't the Bible tell us to make a joyous noise?
My point being this....if someone is a metal head and they are making a joyous noise to the Lord to praise Him then how is this detrimental?

I guess I am not cut out for this forum, and I do not intend to offend anyone, but some of the responses I have read seem as if there is some sort of "standard" in musical worship to the Lord. Again, maybe because I am new at this I am misinterpreting His word...

You know, I stand by some people at Church on Sunday who can't sing a note on key but you know what? They are singing their praises to Him and to Him it is beautiful!! Isn't that what is important? I can't sing well but I sing regardless, because I know I am not being judged by Him for the sound...He wants to hear me praise Him. If it's metal then so be it....

Thanks for listening.

Speaking as a person who was weaned on Jimmy Hendricks, Led Zeppelin, and the now infamous hard-core acid music of the 60's, I have to ask myself if I want to continue to be grown out of the ingredients of the soil it took to produce that seed. For the music was the fruit of that soil. If I now plant that seed over into a better soil am I transferring things that were not grown in a way approved of God? Am I using His good soil in a way as simply to grow what I continue to want? Does that not deny him to grow me out of that soil as entirely a new creation; one that He made all of the decisions about and that He approves completely?

Yes, there is huge room for conscience to dictate here. But what does it all say as to the extent we have given ourselves completely into His hands to do as He wishes. What does it say as to whether we have really completely rejected that old man, letting it die and looking to Him to be the total master of a new life for us?

 

[Rach1370]

To Rach: again, I don't declare metal wrong, didn't do that! I don't judge people for listening to it, and I don't think it's evil.

But I don't suggest it. It is not just metal, one might say the same with rap... It comes down to just being a lot of noise, and just noise for the sake of noise, trying to pump it up. For some, it might not do anything. But in the general sense, I see it as detrimental.

Hi Prentis. I'm sorry if I jumped to conclusions, but it really did sound as if you were saying that metal music could not edify one's faith. You said:

Metal does not exemplify this.

You also said that metal is fine if we only want to live to societal standards. I don't mind you having an opinion, but it did very much sound like you were condemning the music genre completely.
I think that it is so much more important what a song says, not how it sounds. Everyone is different and is spoken to differently; this is just so, and is the way God made us. Just as we have different tastes in food or clothing, so we like and respond to different sounds musically. This is not wrong, it is how we were made by the creator! But we then have the responsibility to take those joys of ours, and seek Godly ways to experience them. If we like metal music, we need to make sure the lyrics within the music praise God and echo the gospel message.
I feel we must be careful in our 'opinions' of music. Personally, I can't stand country music, but I would never say that it can't exemplify a persons faith or spiritual walk.
The lyrical content is so much more important than tempo. What about the 'modern pop' songs that float around in church, that sound exactly like the pop songs on the radio...all they've done is swap "baby" to "Jesus". Worse...I think so!!
I know you probably weren't trying to dis those of us who do like Christian metal, but please, I caution you in how you voice your opinion. I know that many Christian metal songs I listen to are heartfelt and touch something in me that can only be called worshipful. Jesus did the unthinkable...God humbling himself as a man to take our sins upon himself. I think we should be able to sing about that wonder in any form we find touching. Don't you??

 

[aspen]

How can we condemn something completely when it started out as a creation of God?

 

[danicachristian]

I personally don't like it.. Songs for God's praise should not be like shouting.. It should more of peaceful and calming..

 

[Nomad]

I personally don't like it.. Songs for God's praise should not be like shouting.. It should more of peaceful and calming..

There's always a place for peaceful and calming. I like that too. But, are you sure you want to make a blanket statement like that and ignore the clear teaching of Scripture on this matter? Apparently, quiet and peaceful aren't the only way to worship God.

Psa 150:1 Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens!
Psa 150:2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!
Psa 150:3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp!
Psa 150:4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!
Psa 150:5 Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Psa 150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!

I noticed that you said, "I personally don't like it." I think that;s exactly the problem for most of Heavy Metal's detractors in this thread. The statement amounts to, "I personally don't like it, therefore no one should like it and God should condemn it." Keeping Psalm 150 in mind, it's sad to think that personal preference should be judge and jury over a particular music style. That being the case, I will continue to enjoy Metal along with many other genres of music -- guilt free!

 

[us2are1]

Yes, sir.... I can.

Apparently you can not or you would have.




.

 

[jiggyfly]

i can not find in Christ's teachings or in the new covenant of the new testament where it says to make a Joyful or Joyous noise to God. Can you show me where this ritual and doctrine is located in the new testament scriptures?

But they do sing songs and worship to God.