An Unusual Standpoint On Music

Stephanie Rudisaile

Have you ever noticed that we’re constantly surrounded by music? Whether it’s an annoying little jingle about kitty litter that gets stuck in your head or a three-and-a-half hour opera at a prestigious performance hall, music is everywhere.

With popular music, it seems as if the trends are always changing. I never thought I would turn into one of those odd middle-aged people who still wear tie-dye shirts and say “groovy,” but sometimes when I turn on my radio only to hear one Justin Beiber song after another, I miss my early-2000’s hits.

As a young adult Christian, it’s sometimes hard to know what I should or shouldn’t be listening to. We are always told to be careful with what we put into our minds since our bodies are the temple of God, and music has been accurately called “the gateway to the soul.” You may not think you pay attention to the songs on commercials, but I bet if I started humming that kitty litter jingle, you would be able to finish it in a heartbeat.

Music has the magical quality of being able to sneak into our minds without us even consciously thinking about it. That’s why it’s so important for our Christian music to appeal to the outside world. It may be an unusual standpoint to take, but I really think it’s important to have a huge variety of Jesus-themed music.

Last year I went to a concert that featured many of my favorite Christian artists, and some that I had never heard of before. This one guy came on stage and my boyfriend and I rolled our eyes. “Great, a rapper. Let me just plug my ears for the next few minutes until MercyMe comes out.”

But I did listen, and I’m glad I did.

The powerful lyrics and the artist’s humble attitude transcended past my ginormous skepticism and I actually was actually blessed from a branch of Christian music that I thought was an oxymoron. I still don’t listen to Christian rap all the time, but now I can honestly see why some people love it so much.

That goes to say with any genre of music. There is nothing wrong with finding new ways to witness to people. After all, many of those classic hymns that are so revered in the church started out as simple bar tunes with different words. At one point in time, hymns were just as new and innovative as the genres being created now.

We shouldn’t discount something because it’s not our style since, for all we know, it may be the starting factor in someone’s decision to walk with Christ.

It’s important for us to remember that while Jesus is the only way to God, there are all sorts of different ways to find Jesus.

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