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Music also scared me. There were artists and songs I was drawn to that fed something less noble in my heart in mind. Long before I ever heard of backward masking, I frequently sensed that music's influential power was being misused; often by the most talented and compelling artists around. When I heard music being channeled to fuel rebellion, hatred, misogyny and greed, I took it personally. That doesn't mean I always chose to tune it out. For a time I told myself and others that I ignored the lyrics and just enjoyed the music—as if that kind of aesthetic psycho-surgery was even possible.

Somehow deep down I knew, and still know, that God created music for specific reasons. As effectively as it tore people down, it could also build people up. This force that God frequently used—to muster courage in his troops, allow his creation to sing of his praises, and even learn his Word—is powerful stuff. I believe its power comes from its inherently spiritual nature, and when you find a tool that powerful, you should be careful how you use it.

It stands to reason that if music was designed to be a strong educational and motivational tool, it might also be useful for other more nefarious purposes. Anyone who doubts this need look no further than music in advertising. The right jingle can etch a commercial slogan straight into our brains. It can sell billions of bottles of Coke, or make an upcoming film seem irresistible. It can teach a child their ABCs, or how to build a Big Mac. If it wasn't so powerful and influential, advertisers wouldn't spend fortunes using it to sell their stuff.

But the discernment needed to safely navigate the music of our culture doesn't stop at the Christian bookstore's door. After more than twenty years in the Christian music world, I have seen more than my fair share of sub-standard, untruthful, disingenuous, and manipulative propaganda peddled under the label "Christian." There are too many albums that were not musically good enough to see the light of day in the mainstream music scene, but because they scratched certain evangelical itches, they found an audience. It often seemed to satisfy the modern Christian desire to have sanctified versions of every popular cultural fad, thus removing the need for pesky discernment.

Many pandered bad theology, iffy doctrine, and basic self-help principles thinly veiled as "biblical perspective." But it seems some Christians would rather settle for dodgy "Christian" music than do the difficult discerning work of discovering music that uses its spiritual influence to provoke honest thought, move people toward justice and truth, and explore difficult issues and ideas. If an unbeliever creates a song (or other art for that matter) that decries racism or encourages peace-making and gentleness, are those ideals not worthy of our consideration because of the belief system of the artist?

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