Dear Latinoheat, of course God can be glorified in music that it not intended for liturgical use.
But the church fathers who wrote the liturgical music said it was inspired in them by the angels. I've heard plenty of Christian pop and it would be hard to make that claim about it. The first influence that angels have in our life is to calm us, to make us quiet so that we can begin to hear God's voice within us.
I am a professional music teacher and I have given a lot of thought to this. Popular music was designed for secular purposes. And when I say this you must understand that saying \"secular\" is NOT the same thing as saying \"non-liturgical.\" Our lives as Christians are meant to be sacred through and through. Secularism - the idea of a world where certain parts of life can be put to one side, separated off from religion - is a modern invention.
So music that is invented and designed for secular purposes is music that was designed to express the feelings of the godless. Make no mistake, godless people enjoy different feelings than godly ones do. One of the easiest signs by which you can recognize such music is its restless or enraged or agitated nature. Music is the language of feeling, and secular music seeks to trigger passions, not spiritual feelings. Truly spiritual music is music that came from the heart, soul and brain of a spiritually mature person who had acquired grace and was filled with God and. Such music can be recognized because it is able to bestow the same state on those who participate in it.
Christian pop (by which I include the types of music discussed here) is an odd phenomenon. The music is saying one thing, and the text - well, the text is usually a mixed bag but it pretty much says another thing. As a result, it trains people to mistake their passions for spiritual feelings. Such people go about thinking fairly decent religious thoughts while enjoying purely passionate or sentimental feelings. They get the impression they are worshiping God in spirit and in truth, when actually they are unable to know the difference.
I would propose an experiment if someone wants to know the truth of what I am saying. Granted that church music IS spiritual and it exists to fill our ears and hearts with God's presence. Go without any music but church music for a year. See what happens. See if the state of your mind or heart - or preferences - changes. If you like the same music after coming into the church that you did before coming in, it's likely your musical preferences have not been sanctified or converted. This is something serious for everyone to consider.
It is a deep misunderstanding of human nature to say that musical conventions invented to express godlessness and passions can be \"baptized.\" The idea is overused. Language can be baptized, but bad words never can. A culture's music can be baptized, but its deadening, passionate, anarchistic, nihilist music never can.
For an article I wrote on church music, go here.
http://alanaroberts.wordpress.com/2010/05/12/why-is-orthodox-music-so-strange-2/
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O.K. it's not Christian Rap, Hip hop and Rock, but is anyone out there listening to Sufjan Stevens? My kids listen to him, and I've recently started listening.
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To be honest, forgive me if this is offensive I'm a sinner, but I think Christian rap or really just about any kind of music that bears the name of \"Christian\" is gone astray and is far from Christian. If I have offended the previous posters, forgive me. I am the worst sinner. However, I think that true worship comes from stillness and a quiet heart. The fast pace society, pride, egotism, and many other deadly sins bleeds all over these supposed \"Christian music\" artist who are usually protestant. They are probably saints compared to me, but I am not the one to look at as an example. If we look at and compare the things that they say to the saints (even saints of our day like St. John Maximovich, St. Silouan, Elder Joseph the Hesychast, etc...) we will see that the things they sing and rap about can actually be deadly to our souls. Forgive me, its been a long time since I listened to KJ-52 or really any of them. I had put all of it away pretty much since I became Orthodox. If I am wrong, pay no attention to me, I don't know anything.
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Petr Gavrilin
#18
Rock can't be Orthodox. But rock musician can.

I like such Russian rock bands like "Alisa" and "Orgia Pravednikov". Their songs have deep text, and music is really good.
Last update on May 7, 12:18 pm by Petr Gavrilin.
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Thomas B
#19

"For changing people's manners and altering their customs, there is nothing better than music" (Shu Ching, 6th Century BC).


The following artilce explains rock music from a Christian viewpoint and it is written by Bishop Alexander (Mileant)


http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/rock_music_e.htm


I will add the conclusion from this article which I agree with 100%.


From very ancient times, music expressed the composers's most lofty and noble feelings. It calmed, gave joy and assisted in conceiving a prayerful emotion within the listener. Like poetry, music mirrored nothing but high, "not of this world," creative endowments.


We read in Genesis that the angels and saints in Heaven sing praises to God. But does music exist in Hell? If so, it would no doubt remind one of rock and "heavy metal" music! This type of music awakens appalling and violent carnal emotions. It agitates the dark bottom of the listener's soul, surfacing its cabbalistic and sinful qualities. As the words from Revelations remind us: "Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down into you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time" (Rev. 12:12).


A spiritually perceptive individual cannot but see the devil's influence on contemporary music, on the make-up of films and TV programs, on the upsurge of enthusiasm for Eastern mysticism, transcendental meditation and yoga, the escalating popularity of spiritism, astrology and extrasensory forms of healing. The tentacles of the Prince of Darkness are penetrating deeper and deeper into the lives of modern-day people. "By their fruit you shall know them."


Children and teenagers appear to be the main "users" of contemporary violent music. Unfortunately, the majority of them do not comprehend the meaning and nuance of the words that they are listening to. Their insufficiently developed powers of reasoning makes it impossible for them to understand the sexual allegories, the various depraved terminologies and occult concepts embodied in such songs. Moreover, they are not conscious of the satanic attributes of this music. All they hunger for are powerful stimuli; something new and interesting, and exciting rhythms of rock music that are attune with the baser instincts of their nature.


The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), concluded that the majority of modern music and rock-video is a bigger threat to the health of children and teenagers than that posed by poliomyelitis several years ago. In the opinion of the representatives of the AAP, prolonged listening to "heavy metal" music can result in the spiritual mutilation of the individual, leaving permanent scars on the psyche. Worst of all, rock music and "heavy metal" have developed into a vanguard of anti-Christian sentiments.


But contemporary frenetic music also masks graver maladies of our modern society. The words in rock music possibly appeal to the young because, in rejecting the ideals of the older generation, they have not discovered any worthy aspirations in life. They display their disappointment in their parents by utilizing this music as a form of protest.


In this context, parents should appraise the sincerity of their faith in God and determine whether their priorities, within the family group, conform to Christian teachings. Do all the family members regularly pray to God; do they attend church services; do they partake of Holy Communion; do they observe Lent and Church Holy Days; do they read the Bible together; do they converse about God? If not, the children will be left with a definite spiritual void, waiting to be filled with anything that comes their way.


Naturally, the surrounding influences are quite strong, and often parents are quite helpless in withstanding them. Consequently, there is a need to converse with children about these contemporary problems and make them aware of these perils. The most important thing is to pray to God, so that He may guide them along His path toward salvation, because  "what is impossible to man, is possible to God." 

Last update on May 15, 10:00 pm by Thomas B.
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Laura Sedor
#20
I'm not a big rock music fan - but I do appreciate non-theological heavy 'Christian' music - namely music that isn't talking so much about God (not overtly Christian) but isn't filled with swearing etc. it's nice to not have to filter through the words. Typically, these artists are Christians that have their music on both mainstream secular stations and Christian stations.
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Nick Calibey
#21

"We read in Genesis that the angels and saints in Heaven sing praises to God. But does music exist in Hell? If so, it would no doubt remind one of rock and "heavy metal" music! This type of music awakens appalling and violent carnal emotions. It agitates the dark bottom of the listener's soul, surfacing its cabbalistic and sinful qualities."


See, I don't understand this completely. One, of course, could get carried away by emotion in almost anything and react in a un-Christian way, but how is Metallica's music inherently satanic? A lot of their early songs are lamenting the injustice of the world, pointing out things that are twisted and wrong, and usually labelling them as such. Listen to Master of Puppets or Disposable Heroes: they aren't glorifying violence or drug use, but showing how they twist and destroy lives. Am I suppose to believe that just because its loud, heavy, and fast that I can't listen to it? Is headbanging (the most I've ever done listening to metal both pre-and-post conversion) really that much an evil thing?

I'm more along the lines with others that most contemporary Christian music mixes messages, and that it's entirely unsuitable for worship. I'll also agree that as we get less attached to this world, our emotional attachment to this music will lessen and we'll naturally be more drawn to liturgical hymns. But am I really inciting the devil whenever I listen to contemporary music at all, even if I'm trying to find that which is Christ like in it (i.e., St. Basil's address about reading pagan literature)?

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Thomas B
#22
There is a definite spirit invoked in rock music, secular or Christian — and it's NOT the Holy Spirit!
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Nick Calibey
#23

I know that's what you're asserting, but I fail to see how that's the case. Obviously music that glorifies violence, drugs, sex, or the occult is sinful, I would never try to argue otherwise. But I don't see how a song that just sounds heavy is inherently satanic and evil. Is all classical music automatically good, even if inspired by pagan themes? What about classical songs that are loud fast paced, and bombastic such as Dies Irae by Mozart? I just find it hard to believe that I'm conjuring up Satan whenever I hear Metallica or Nightwish merely because they use distorted guitars.

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Thomas B
#24
The devil will use any means to deceive us, whether directly or indirectly. For in 1 Peter 5 verse 8 we will find: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
Was not Lucifer, before he sinned against God with his pride, the one in charge of music in heaven?
Are we to believe that heavy Mettallica music, loud guitars, etc, will be heard in heaven? Does this kind of music bring peace to the soul? Is not our God the God of peace and love?
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Nick Calibey
#25

Are we not also supposed to seek out that which makes contact with what we believe and take what is good and leave the rest, just as St. Basil said about pagan literature? Shouldn't we, in this line of thought, eschew anything that can cause emotional disturbance? I see more foul-talk, violence, and malice at a common sporting event than the music I listen to. Furthermore, If we are only allowed to listen to the sounds of the age to come, then classical music has to be eschewed since it is not in and of itself liturgical.  No Mozart, no Bach, no Beethoven, for in heaven the only sounds of worship are that of the voice (hence why we generally eschew organs).


I agree that there won't be heavy metal in heaven, but there won't be a slew of other things (sex comes to mind) that we don't consider inherently sinful either. Does listening to Metallica bring a sense of peace to my soul the way that liturgical music does? Of course not, but nether does most classical music that I've heard (most of the songs I've tended to like are fast and bombastic). At this point though, I think we're just not going to agree on this issue; I ask for your prayers and I will continue to pray over this as well. After all, if you're right, then I would gladly shun these things in total. 

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Thomas B
#26

The link below is a you tube clip called "Sirens." Its about a Greek Australian rock musician who changed his life around to follow Jesus Christ. He also explains how music is well used by Satan. The only problem is that it is in Greek with no english subs. My apoligies for those who do not understand Greek. Unhappy


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thbV6AcJG-o

Last update on May 27, 9:27 pm by Thomas B.
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