A Defense of Heavy Music

My intention in this short piece is to defend heavy music for the sake of the lost and immature in Christ, that those who are mature may not alienate them in condemning their music and their subculture and in essence them. (because, if we’re honest, we all know how music can draw us in to the point where an insult to our music is an insult to us...)

I implore the reader to NOT use my arguments to fuel a disagreement between them and someone in their church or family. Those who are mature in Christ really have no option but to give up their preferences for the sake of their relationships. If God chooses to bless me with a wife, and she hates heavy music, I intend to joyfully relegate that music to my headphones or when my wife is not by my side, where I hope she would be for as much of our married life as possible.

It would be a truly sad commentary on any relationship if they were willing to chose a musical preference over a relationship.

That being said, let us begin.

Musical argument

I have repeatedly heard the argument against heavy music, that ‘it isn’t music’. If that is true, than the critic of heavy music need not show any understanding or engage in any discussion about its merits as music. I intend to show that it IS music.

The reason why many in our culture have a hard time understanding heavy music is because our ears are immediately drawn to the lead vocals, and it is there that we search for the melody or ‘hook’ of the song.

When confronted with heavy music (or rap, but that is another discussion...) they are greeted not only with disagreeable screaming or growling, but NO MELODY! To being to understand heavy music, you have to see the vocals as more of a percussive instrument. Or perhaps more like a ‘didgeridoo’. A monotone instrument, which can vary in percussive qualities, intensity, volume, etc.

I believe this is where the idea comes that it is not music. But as you hopefully can see at this point, just because the lead vocals do not contain a melody, does not mean it is not music.

In fact, growl/screaming is one of the most amazing percussive instruments. it can convey emotion in a way that beating on a skin stretched over a wooden case could never hope to convey. It holds within it all the percussive sounds of a full drum set: high hat, snare, toms, etc. It truly is amazing, and I’ll be honest, I wish I could do it.

Theological argument

The second reason why many people, especially Christians, frown upon heavy music is because of the anger or other negative emotions that seems to be there.

However, I would challenge the heavy metal hater: we are in a culture that has sinfully relegated anger to evil. It is not sinful to be angry. If I hear about a child molester who has take advantage of my niece, and I am not angry, I am a sociopath.

Does all heavy Christian music demonstrate righteous anger? Not at all. But just a it would be wrong to judge all pop music to be sinful if it does not convey joy stemming from a perfectly theologically correct source, it is wrong to judge all heavy music for being not perfectly theologically correct anger. Furthermore, the sinful distaste for anger has worked its way into the church.

I have heard pastors, 10, 20, and even 30 years into the ministry shocked by the wrath of God in the old testament. Men who have dedicated their lives to the study of God as revealed in His word! I have heard dear people in the faith unwilling to look upon the death of Christ as displayed in “The Passion of the Christ,” even though many scholars believe that the actual crucifixion would have been worse.

The modern evangelical church has relegated the righteous, holy, loving wrath of God to the equivalent of ‘potty language’ or ‘unnecessary crudeness’.

All that to say, the average church member is not equipped to hear heavy music, and appreciate character of God as expressed in the music, because for the average North American church member, the wrath of God is very insignificant, and certainly isn’t something beautiful about God.

So my point is, if someone is offended by heavy music to the point where they won’t even respect that it is a music style, just one they don’t enjoy, then IT IS POSSIBLE, that this attitude is a symptomatic of a lack of understanding of who our Glorious God is.

Let me reiterate: It is not wrong to dislike heavy music! But I would submit it is very likely wrong to condemn it as in illegitimate art form, or inherently sinful.

Conclusion

I have been blessed by God throughout the years as God has allowed me to be made fun of on numerous occasions because of my love for heavy music. He has taught me a lot about how selfish I am, and how I need to grow in ‘letting it go’ and ‘not taking it personally,’ and I still have a long way to go.

But I hope that this brief piece will encourage the body of Christ to be one in a more profound way, as we continually seek to put aside our differences and love each other for the fame and renown of Jesus Christ, our beautiful Savior.

Faith vs Doubt: Don't be extreme

I have noticed recently a sort of “back and forth” movement between the virtues of faith, and the virtues of doubt.

Those on the “faith” side, will site countless Biblical passages that encourage us to have faith in a variety of situations. However, men, being sinful, have taken those commands, and have created scenarios where people feel they must lie about their doubts in God, His Word etc., creating a inauthentic culture where any challenging questions are frowned upon because they could create doubt.

In reaction to this fake culture, the post-modern christian culture has made doubt a thing of health and maturity, as though, if you don’t doubt certain things about God, then you are just a bigoted, immature, fundamentalist who really doesn’t believe God can stand up to you doubts. As a result, we start to see the unhealthy extreme of, “Is it really wrong to have sex before marriage? I don’t know.” In other words, Christians using their “virtuous doubt,” to make moral compromises.

These two views are obviously extreme; and I would argue, both wrong.

The Bible commands us to have faith (1Cor 16:13). But we should not lie if we don’t (Rom 12:3). Neither should we embrace our doubt as though there is something virtuous about the doubt itself (Luke 12:28). The Christian that, in the face of Christians who condemn doubt, challenges the virtue of faith itself, is still bowing to fear of man or people pleasing. In other words, the truly humble person, who believes the gospel, can say, “Yes, I don’t have faith. No, it is not good. Praise God, that I walk under the blood of Jesus while I come to a stronger faith.” The reason Jesus says, If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can move mountains,(Matt 17:20) is not necessarily so that we can all become entrepreneurs, whether altruistic ones or not. It was more so that we can rest secure in the promise of our salvation, even when are faith is small.
Even when our faith does not all the implications it should have.

So what do we do?

1. Pursue faith.

• Don’t wallow in your doubt unnecessarily.
  
• Ask God to strengthen your faith. Earnestly desire to be a man or woman of more faith. Ask as the man in scriptures, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”
• Read your Bible, even when it doesn’t seem to change anything, or even if it seems to make it worse.

2. Pursue community.

• Read good books, don’t immerse yourself in other doubters.
• Serve.

If you are the one with faith, and the other is the doubter:

• Listen patiently to the doubts of others.
• Don’t condemn others for having doubts.
• Don’t correct them immediately if possible, hear them out.
• Do guide them to good material, share your own journey, remind them that God loves them no matter what, demonstrate it.
• Don’t be afraid to lovingly challenge sin in their lives

3. Pursue a fear of God that would outweigh your fear of man.

• Recognize when you are acting out of a fear of man. I believe most don’t believe that they guilt and condemnation they feel from other Christians when they express doubt is largely due to their own insecurities and desire to be loved and affirmed by other Christians. How ironic is it then to create a culture where those who don’t doubt as much are ostracized and belittled!

With Love,

Tawmis.