What Music is Your Child or Grandchild Listening to?

Christians are often indistinguishable from culture. Many have absorbed the views of culture, even while attempting to follow Christ. Based on a Lifeway study, about 4 out of every 10 women who get an abortion where going to church at the time of their first abortion. Christians divorce rates are similar. Views of homosexuality are on the rise in the Christian community. Abortion, divorce, homosexuality – Christians are adopting the practices and patterns of culture in these areas as well as many more. There are many reasons why this is the case but one of the reasons is that Christians are spending less time in the Bible and more time with media such as music. Music is one of many influences that shape the beliefs of children.

I want to introduce you to a popular song called Some Nights, by FUN. The lyrics to the chorus and first verse are as follows:

Oh Lord, I’m still not sure what I stand for
What do I stand for?
What do I stand for?
Most nights, I don’t know anymore

This is it, boys, this is war
What are we waiting for?
Why don’t we break the rules already?
I was never one to believe they hype
Save that for the black and white
Try twice as hard and I’m half as liked
But here they come again to jack my style
And that’s alright, I found a martyr in my bed tonight
She stops my bones from wondering just who I am, who I am, who I am
Oh, who am I?

What do I stand for? Why don’t we break the rules? Who am I? These three questions are the same questions every young person is asking. Notice how this song answers the big questions of life:

• Relativism: “What do I stand for? Most nights, I don’t know anymore.”
• Morality: “Save that for the black and white… here they come to jack my style.”
• Sexuality: “I found a martyr in my bed tonight. She stops me from wondering just who I am.”

If your child or grandchild is listening to top 40 music, they are hearing songs like this and it is impacts what they believe. I recently looked up the top 10 songs and nine of them were rated explicit with “God is a Woman” on the list.

A Lifeway study recently found that listening to Christian music was one of the top three influences that led toward lifelong faith in children. If you haven’t given much thought to the impact of music on the spiritual life of your child consider that Martin Luther said, “Next to theology I give music the highest place of honor.” Gordon Fee once stated, “Show me a churches songs and I’ll show you their theology.” Could we also say, “Show me the songs a child listens to and I’ll show you what they believe?”

We are often far too lax regarding what our children listen to. Many of us would not allow a person to come into our home use vulgar words, sexually explicit language, or unbiblical ideas. Yet that is exactly what is happening through other digital devices.

The application is twofold. Pay attention to the lyrics and music your child is hearing. Place doctrinally sound, godly music in front of your children. My kids love listening to Andrew Peterson and Roots Kids Worship (scroll down) and I highly commend them to you. There is no shortage of Christ-centered, Bible-based music available today and this will be one more tool in your tool belt to help a child develop deep and lasting faith.