Christian morals

14. No offence meant (many things on the web site are really interesting and complete); however, I cannot accept your contempt for any kind of music, dance, theatre …. Why shouldn’t God like what we do to praise Him, to exalt Him and to spread His Word? Not going against His teachings is what matters, and a good Christian music, which is more lively than usual, certainly cannot do any harm! And the theatrical scenes can be useful to attract those who otherwise would not hear the Word of God, it is done for Him! Why shouldn’t the Lord appreciate it?

According to what you say in your letter, I despise ‘any kind of music, dance and theatre’. However, except for the theatrical scenes (in this case, my rejection is total), it doesn’t seem to me that I wrote that I am against any kind of music and dance. You see, sister, I sum up briefly what I have written on the web site. There are different kinds of music and dance. I certainly don’t despise that music that lifts up our spirit and through which we are led to have fellowship with God, nor do I despise that music which is a little lively and which accompanies certain songs of joy and exaltation. For instance, I like certain Jewish tunes which are quick because they lead us to glorify God joyfully and to clap our hands to the glory of God, and if the Spirit of God moves me, even to leap and dance before God. Therefore, a child of God can dance before God, as David did; and he who dances before God as David did must not be despised. Whoever despises a child of God who dances by the Spirit before God will be punished as Michal, the wife of David, who despised David in her heart when she saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord to the glory of God. However, when dance begins to be organized by man and is no longer spontaneous, then it is no longer good. Everything must be done under the guidance of God through the Spirit. As far as music is concerned, I reject rock music and other kinds of music, which are used by some to deliver the message of salvation to the young people who are lost or to deliver some Christian messages to young believers. Rock music is violent and leads those who listen to it to be violent, and furthermore it leads those who play it to dress themselves indecently. For instance, there are ‘Christian rock bands’ whose men wear earrings and wear long hair like women. Yet they also say that what they do is done in order to win people to Christ, to make people hear the Word of God!! What shall we do then? Do you think that those bands do spread the Word of God? Do they set an example for young people? I don’t think so. What shall we say then about the smoke which can be seen during the concerts of these ‘Christian rock bands’ coming out of the bandstand? What shall we say then about their music which bursts people’s eardrums, and it almost break the stones? Is this a kind of music more lively than usual? I don’t know whether you know the 100% proof; well, it’s a ‘Christian rock band’ that plays a very hard rock music, I remember that I heard them the first time several months after my conversion and even though at that time I had a different opinion about ‘Christian Rock Music’, I have to say that it perplexed me very much and so I did not buy any of their records. Here is the point I wanted to come to, sister: I myself was a Christian Rock Music fan and loved that kind of music for about two years after my conversion which took place in 1983. I was crazy about ‘Jerusalem’, ‘The Resurrection Band’, and other ‘Christian rock singers’. I used to listen to their songs many times every day till their music rang in my ears. I used to speak of it to young people as well as to old people. I even tried to turn my grandmother, who at that time had been a believer for several decades, to the ‘Christian Rock Music’, but my efforts were useless (thanks be to God!); I told my father that he was wrong in rejecting that music, and I attacked those believers who were puzzled about it, and I tried to persuade them to accept it. When I went to England in 1984, I had the opportunity to attend a Christian Rock concert, during which Sheila Walsh sang. At the time she was at the beginning of her musical career, but she was already very famous in England. I was a fan of Sheila Walsh, I liked very much her songs. They were my favourite songs. However, at the time some of her songs were sweet and I loved them very much, they edified me. I remember particularly her second album titled ‘Drifting’ (if my memory serves me well, it was her second record). I liked very much also her album in which was the song titled ‘Don’t turn your back to Jesus’. I remember that during that concert young people became very enthusiastic when she sang certain songs (I remember that when she appeared on the platform, she sang ‘Don’t turn your back to Jesus’, a song that I liked very much at the time). I even stood up in that theatre (which was in London) and I paid her a compliment in Italian before all the people who were there; and she was a bit surprised because she did not understand what I had said to her. I went to listen to her also at a crusade held by Luis Palau in one of the London’s stadiums in 1984, and I happened to greet her personally because I saw her while I was walking towards the stadium. You see, at that time, these things were very important to me, I was about 20 years old. However, Sheila Walsh unfortunately became corrupted and when after several years in a video on television I saw her singing before many young people, she disgusted me because she was dressed like a prostitute, and in addition I saw that some of her songs were ‘very rock’. You will say to me then, ‘Why did you change so radically your opinion about ‘Christian Rock Music’? Because by praying and meditating deeply on the Scriptures I realized that this kind of music is not fitting for us who are Christians. This does not mean, however, that God cannot use one of these ‘Christian Rock’ singers to draw someone to Christ and save him. God is able to turn evil into good; I am not surprised. But I don’t accept Christian rock music as a means to evangelize people: I definitely reject it. As I wrote, the end (to win souls to Christ) does not justify the unlawful means (among which there is rock music). If anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules (2 Timothy 2:5); not the rules set by him but those set by other people. And whoever uses such means (that is, rock music, theatrical scenes, etc.) to attract people, doesn’t keep the rules set by God; even if God may use these unlawful means to save people. I know a sister who turned to the Lord through a false healing testimony. This sister told me that one day she heard a sister saying that God had healed her of a certain disease, and that testimony struck her so much that she believed in the Lord. But after a short time, that sister died of that very disease!! What shall we do then? Shall we tell people untrue miracles and healings to draw crowds and persuade them that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever? Certainly not. I hope you have understood what I think about this subject.

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