Can Christians Listen to Secular Music?
Let's look into the different sides of the gospel secular music scene.

Several issues have caused division in the Christian world. Not division big enough to cause enmity, but division nonetheless. The issue of speaking in tongues, the role of women in the church, and the subject of signs and wonders are all examples of controversial topics among Christians. In this article, I aim to submit my opinion on one such issue. Is it okay for Christians to listen to secular music or is it a sin?

Some Christians believe that Gospel music is the only kind of music a believer should consume. Others claim this limit, or restriction is not necessary. Let's start by defining some terms...

What is gospel music?

Gospel music refers to music that is heavy on Christian faith. The word "gospel" originally means "good news", and in the Bible, the good news is Jesus. So any music that pertains to Jesus, his sacrifice, and how best to serve him can be called gospel music. Some popular Gospel artists are Kirk Franklin, Cece Winans, and Tasha Cobbs.

What is secular music?

Secular music refers to any music that isn't Gospel, the music of the world if you like. Secular music encompasses every topic except the Gospel. So heartbreak songs, love songs, songs about sex, and songs about violence are all examples of secular music. Some examples of secular artists are Eminem, Rihanna, and Sia.

The divisions

So our question comes down to this. Can a Christian listen to Rihanna or is that a sin? As far as I understand, there are three separate groups in this debate. Walk with me.

Purists

This first group of people, I call them the purists, believe that a Christian must not listen to any secular music. They believe that Gospel music is the only kind of music a Christian should listen to. They argue that music is spiritual, and insist that secular music corrupts the purity of one's spirit. To a purist, Gospel music awakens the Godly side of you while secular music numbs it and gives room for evil to take over. This numbing, the purists believe, reduces a Christian's depth and spiritual growth.

Liberals

This second group of Christians is the complete opposite of the purist group. They believe that music is to be enjoyed and will not restrict themselves at all. I'm sure you'll agree with what I've chosen to call them, liberals. A liberal would listen to anything, the only filter being that the music sounds good to them. Most of the conflict about music in the church is between the purists and the liberals.

Moderates

This final group of people borrows points from each of the other two groups, I call them the moderates. They agree with the purists on the matter of music being a spiritual thing but agree with the liberals that music is to be enjoyed. As a result, they don't restrict themselves strictly to Gospel music but are not completely liberal with their song choices either. Music must be uplifting but Gospel music, they argue, is not the only music that offers mental and spiritual uplifting.

The argument

Now that you understand the different divisions on this matter, we can dive fully into the argument. The first, and most important, place to find our answer is the one authority under which every Christian agrees to be bound: the Bible.

What does the Bible say?

The bad news is the Bible doesn't come out with a clear verdict on what kind of music Christians can listen to. The good news is the Bible does say explicitly the kind of life a believer should pursue and the kind of content they must consume. Several commands in the Bible condemn some outright sins. For example, sex before marriage is a clear sin according to the Bible, so a song promoting sex with multiple women is obviously wrong for a Christian. Another example is violence. The Bible says a believer should turn the other cheek when slapped on one cheek. So if a song promotes revenge, that can't be good for a Christian.

A song about romantic love between man and woman, however, should be okay for a Christian because the Bible promotes marriage. Each of these examples is a secular song, but they all have different content. This would suggest that a believer should worry less about the tag of a song and more about the content of the song.

What is music all about?

Music, along with all creative art, is a way to express emotion. In the lyrics of each song, you'll find the emotion of the writer. If a songwriter were to write a song talking about their struggle with depression, is that bad for a Christian? If the song speaks about life as a student struggling to find direction in the world, is that bad for a Christian? What if the song tells the story of a young person in the streets of a big city, would that be bad for Christians?

None of these examples are Gospel music material, but they all refer to things that are part of human life. They refer to things Christians go through as well. So while praising God and worshiping Him with music is important, is it bad to talk about human life through music?

Music is all about the expression of emotion through art. And it doesn't have to be Gospel to be relatable.

The place of discernment

One of my favorite Bible verses is 1 Corinthians 10:23. You can look it up, but in summary, it says not everything that's allowed is good for you. Just because something is legal doesn't mean it's beneficial. So I like to tell my Christian friends that instead of searching to find what's legal and what isn't, think about what's beneficial to you. What will help you grow to become a better Christian and a better person? This is where discernment comes in. Instead of trying to figure out what's allowed and what's not, discern the beneficial from the non-beneficial.

Final Thoughts

So it may not be wrong to have a sex playlist on your phone, but what good would that do if you're not married? Does that not expose you to lust? As Christians, we believe we have the Spirit of God in us to help guide us through life.

So stop going through the Bible like it's a copy of the constitution and you're a lawyer trying to break a case.

It's not worth it.