Discussing
Should Christians Listen to Explicit Music?

Are songs with explicit lyrics off-limits for believers? Or might there be a way to lend a discerning ear?

This is so spot on! Thank you for your continual Illumination on this and so many other topics!

If explicit lyrics make songs off-limits, how about unbelief? It is traditionally seen, based on the Bible, as a very serious sin -- perhaps at least as serious a problem as explicit lyrics . . . : ) Have you ever read anyone suggesting we ought to skip all music that does not acknowledge Jesus as Lord, or that suggests otherwise, etc.?

I think we can divorce this issue from the "is it sin?" question. I think there's genuine value to elevating the atmosphere. I'm sure someone will quote you the "whatsoever is pure, of good report" etc. And there's some value to that. I always ask, do I want to share this with my kids? There are things that need to be expressed, yes. I think the challenge is to express even the hard, ugly side of life without adding to the ugliness. We certainly have become a very crude, profane society and I think we're worse off because of it.

I usually skip bad words in songs and replace them with good lyrics, but I don't think nothing wrong expressing yourself even if your feeling angry, with music. But I try to speak nicely about myself and others because they were created by God.