The Bible and Media
Mar. 13 2007
We asked worship leader and pastor, Bob Kauflin, some question about media, music, and the Bible. Bob will lead worship with his son Devon at Na 2007 and he blogs regularly at WorshipMatters.com.
Na: What Scriptures have informed your understanding of media (movies, music, books, magazines, web content) that you pursue?
Bob Kauflin: Here are a few that come to mind.
Proverbs 14:15 The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps.
Proverbs 13:20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
1Corinthians 6:12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything.
Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other gods before me.
1Corinthians 8:9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.
1Corinthians 10:31-33 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.
1John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Na: How do you try to apply those to your own life when you’re making decisions about media?
Bob: Prov. 14:15 tells me that I need to think about every area of my life, even those that seem most natural, comfortable, or familiar. I can’t assume that whatever the culture feeds me is good for me.
Prov. 13:20 tells me that whatever I spend a lot of time with will influence me.
Phil. 4:8 tells me that I am to focus my mind on things that reflect the excellence of Christ. That doesn’t mean I can’t think about pain, tragedy, or sin, but it’s not to remain my focus. “Because it’s art” isn’t enough of a reason for me to give consistent attention or devotion to something.
1 Cor. 6:12 tells me that what I’m permitted to look at or listen to isn’t always the best choice for me. I don’t have to “prove” that I’m free in Christ. If anything, I want to prove that I’m free to follow and honor Christ in all my viewing and listening habits.
Prov. 4:23 tells me that I need to be vigilant to protect the desires of my heart, to direct them towards godliness, and to flee from evil desires.
1 Cor. 8:9 says that I have to consider others when thinking about what movies I see, what videos I rent, and what music I listen to.
1 Cor. 10:31-33 reminds me that my media choices are made with a specific purpose, and that purpose isn’t simply to satisfy my desire to feel good. Media falls under the “whatever I do” category, and I’m to do it for the glory of God.
1 John 2:15-17 reminds me that culture is not neutral. There are good and bad parts to every culture, and the bad parts are absolutely opposed to God and his ways. I have to constantly look out for the way the world’s values, vision, and thoughts work themselves into my mind through the media I expose myself to.
Na: What about music specifically…
Bob: These Scriptures guide me in how much I listen to music in general, how much I listen to a particular artist or style in particular, how much time I spend looking for new music, etc. Music is a gift from God meant to create fresh affections for God and direct my attention to him. I understand that I’m free to put music in its proper place and enjoy it as a gift from my Creator rather than an idol.
I’m also careful about why I listen to music. Music can exert a powerful influence on our emotions, but I shouldn’t be looking to it as the ultimate object of my emotions. If I expect music to lift my spirits, calm me, make me happy, etc., I might be expecting it to do what the Gospel is supposed to do.
Na: Is music inherently good or bad? How does God’s word see music?
Bob: Music is a language of emotion expressed in a cultural context. Because we always connect music to something it’s difficult to talk about the total neutrality of music. I think of it as morally relative. Relative to the person listening, the person making it, the culture that surrounds them, and what we associate it with. Music can be good or bad depending on why we listen to it, what we do when we listen to it, what is leads us to do, etc.
The Bible tells us that music is a gift from God given to us for our pleasure and his glory. The two shouldn’t be separated.
Na: How do you pursue creativity and innovation with music while avoiding sin?
Bob: This strikes me as an odd question. Innovation and creativity aren’t sin. Pursuing music at the expense of my love for God is. I might listen to a non-Christian band for creative musical ideas, but if their songs are filled with foul language, or thinking that is sensual, anti-God or worldly, I want to seriously control my intake. More often than not, I just don’t listen to music like that.
Na: Are the terms secular/Christian helpful when thinking of music? How do you apply a love for holiness when choosing music?
Bob: Labels for music can be helpful when we understand what we’re trying to describe, but not as general categories. By “Christian band” I’m usually talking about an artist whose lyrics clearly point to a biblical world view, whose lives are openly Christian, and who see what they do as an opportunity to glorify God. But hopefully, any Christian doing music would fit into those categories. By “secular band” I’m talking about a group that doesn’t profess to trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior and follow him as their Lord. However, they can still make music that unwittingly glorifies God, who is the ultimate source of all good creativity. But I think we need to resist the mentality that since the most creative music comes from unbelievers, we need to fill our minds with it. There are other things to put into our minds besides a constant stream of music that potentially saps me of my passion for God and serving his purposes.
An unfortunate dichotomy has developed between bands in the general market and bands in the Christian market. It’s really about the market, not the music they make. Whatever kind of music we produce, Christians are called to do what they do in light of the Gospel, to think differently from the world, and to serve the church (Rom. 12:1-8).