Is All Christian Music Christian?

As a young boy, one of my prized possessions was a small rock and fossil collection where I kept the finds of many wanderings in the wild. A simple cardboard grid kept each specimen neatly sorted while labels adorned the lid to catalog each item. Among my favorite pieces were an arrowhead, a small geode, and an unidentified sea fossil.

Ruling over every item by far was a chunk of Fool’s Gold. Often, I would pull out that crystalline treasure just to hold it – to feel its weight and marvel at the way the light reflected off the tiny facets on its surface. Frequently I would imagine what it would be like if it were real gold. I would daydream of the fame of discovery and all the things I could buy with it. Usually, this ritual would end with the wishful hope that maybe, just maybe, this was real gold and that mistaken identity would turn into my fortune.

Thankfully, my parents did not allow me to become the fool. They gently reigned in my imagination by consistently reminding me that, despite its appearance, this was not gold. They pointed me to books that recorded the facts about gold’s chemistry and physical attributes. Dad even showed me his wedding ring as a comparative lesson. And if I required any more evidence, there was always the memory of the day I purchased this “treasure” for just a few bucks at a souvenir shop. 

The Bible tells us to “test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). In the spirit of that command, I pose the following question:

Is all that’s called “Christian Music” truly Christian?

This is a fair and important question for several reasons, but most of all for pastors who feed “Christian music” to their sheep weekly. Singing songs together in worship is a significant part of the church’s regular spiritual diet. It behooves us as shepherds to give discerning attention to that diet and test every song by some consistent and sound rubric.

The Shakespearian aphorism “all that glistens is not gold” is certainly a more attractive reminder than my childhood story, but the lesson is still the same. To avoid being allured by the seeming beauty of the false, we must understand the true more clearly. What should be called “Christian music” can be known through its content (message), intent (purpose), and how we implement it (style). Let’s examine those three categories to understand better how we might discern what Christian music is and is not.

The Content of Christian Music

The content of anything labeled “Christian” should testify to its namesake, specifically the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, over time, what used to describe a people group (Christians) has become shorthand for anything and everything even remotely associated with Christian teaching, practice, or culture. In that sense, “Christian” has become, in many ways, like a brand. Christian music, therefore, has become a nebulous genre. For example, what makes music “Christian”? Is it because a Christian wrote it? Is it because it was written about Christians? Is it because it was written for Christians? Or is it because it was written with the Christian message (the Gospel) as its primary content?

If the content of a song only needs the slightest touchpoint of the Christian people or message to qualify as “Christian,” then what makes the Doobie Brothers’ “Jesus is Just Alright with Me” any different than many of the songs our churches sing on Sunday mornings? By this reasoning, all cultural expressions and products can be (and have been) labeled “Christian,” like candles, breath mints, and throw pillows.

If we have become comfortable with the loose labeling of things having absolutely nothing to do with the gospel message, what of our music? Is it possible that songs only loosely related to Biblical truths have made their way into our churches?  They almost certainly have, primarily due to our trust in the labeling instead of the content itself.

The Bible, God’s revealed and infallible word, is the only authority on this matter. The music of the Christian puts the gospel of Jesus Christ to a melody. And if that is primarily what Christian music is, then the next question is about what it does.

The Intent of Christian Music

When we speak of “Christian music,” we probably mean “Christian song,” the latter of which assumes we’re communicating something inherently “about Christ” in the song’s lyrics. In other words, “Christian music” isn’t rightly Christian if it has little or nothing to do with the gospel message, which can only be communicated through language, not simply rhythms and tones. The gospel, according to the Bible, is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). Ultimately, every song claiming the “Christian” label ought to be seeking this desired end – the salvation of sinners by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.

Does that mean that all Christian song must only and exclusively be about the particulars of the gospel message? Not necessarily, if by the gospel message we mean strictly the life and message of Jesus. The Bible, after all, is the gospel story revealed from creation to consummation, with its climax fixed at the cross and the empty tomb. This means that the trajectory of the Bible’s message should also be the Christian’s. Why else would the authors of the New Testament spill so much ink drawing arrows from the Old Covenant to the New, from the promises of a perfect prophet, priest, king, temple, sacrifice, bread, rescuer, redeemer, reconciler – and so much more! – to those fulfillments in Jesus? It was because the Holy Spirit was behind every pen stroke, directing all eyes through the pages of history to this good news.

That should be the intent of Christian music if it is truly about Christ’s message. His message is one of trust in His work on our behalf – His righteousness, His merit, His works, His obedience – but freely given to us, all because His sacrifice has washed away our sin and disobedience. And there’s the point – if Christian music is unclear or a distraction to that message, then that music is inherently non-Christian. If our songs spend every verse and chorus signaling our accomplishments and obedience apart from Him, they are non-Christian. If they add to the gospel or remove from it, they are non-Christian. If our songs compel some extra action, special knowledge, or spiritual gift apart from faith to have fellowship with God, then they are non-Christian.

Words do not simply exist – they are active. Every song has some built-in intent. A song can communicate truth (or lies), express an emotion, pose a question, issue a call to action, or seek to elicit an emotional or even physical response – maybe all of the above. But a person with something to communicate wrote every melody tied to a lyric. It is of the utmost importance that we know what is being said and why it is being said when we ask our people to sing along.

The Implementing of Christian Music

Now we come to it. In looking at a Christian song’s content, we can assess whether it matches the heart of the Christian message. In looking at the song’s intent, we discern whether the lyrics seek the same ends as the gospel (its Christian content). Lastly, with implementation, we take stock of the power of the medium to either highlight the Christian message or distract from it. The wrong stylistic choice can make great Christian content and intent completely void. Likewise, non-Christian content and intent can hide in plain sight thanks to a sanctified style, bringing us full circle to the problem of so-called Christian music being non-Christian, after all.

Fool’s Gold and genuine gold have very little in common. One is hard and brittle, and the other is relatively soft. One forms as rough, straight crystals, while the other forms into veins and nuggets. One is much heavier than the other. But Fool’s Gold has that look – yellow and shiny – that makes a fool out of anyone who’s never seen real gold in comparison to it. I contend that we too easily call music “Christian” based on a simplistic definition of what it means to be Christian. In other words, if it glitters, it must be gold, and that’s a classic distraction from the real thing.

The history of music in the church is fraught with many such distractions from God’s intent for music in the church. God gave this gold to the church for its worship, instruction, and gospel proclamation. Yet, church music has often leaned away from this gilded purpose and toward a man-centered means to other ends. Church song was meant to be for the people of God, but many times has been given instead to performers and professionals. In doing this, Christians got the aesthetic cart before the theological horse and became distracted from God’s purpose for giving music to the church in the first place. Music is not just for God, nor is it just for man. We are to sing to one another out of thankfulness to God (Colossians 3:16). God knew exactly what He was doing when He told us how to implement music in church.

The real thing – the real gold of Christian music – is when the church gathered is the prime participant. This is why the question of style is genuinely relevant if it seeks to encourage a congregation to sing the gospel as God intended. If the church takes its stylistic cues from the culture, it will receive the same fool’s reward. It will receive entertainment. It will receive a consumeristic mindset. It will receive a sensual bent. It will receive and breed a celebrity culture. And worse yet, over time, it will be so distracted by everything but the gospel that the gospel will have little to no place in its songs.

Instead, the style of Christian music must meet the needs of its content and intent. This music must be singable for most people. This music must communicate Biblical truth clearly. This music must give voice to every generation. This music must speak to both the glories and sufferings of the Christian pilgrimage. This music must elevate what Christ accomplished, not what we have done. This music must worship God, not just talk about worshipping God. And this music must be written for the church, the gospel-redeemed, to spread that glorious gospel to the world. Therefore, we must choose musical styles wisely, not merely because someone calls that style Christian. 

Pastor, all that is called Christian music is not so. But praise be to God that we live in a time where the gospel has gone forth to the ends of the earth. A vast number of people from every tribe, tongue, nation, and generation have written songs to His glory and for our benefit. We have more than enough songs saturated with the gospel, intended for the church, and proven through time and testing. New and old songs can meet this need – but one must assess both by the same standard. We ought to be able to fill our services with truly Christian music, but it will require that we hold the gold up against all the look-alikes. If we’re willing to understand the former better, we’ll never again settle for the latter.

©2024 Jon Gilmore. Used with permission.