Secular Music

Hey, I wanna keep this short and sweet. What are your personal thoughts 💭 on secular music🤔🤔??

I'm not really much into the secular scene. I'm a drummer, so I like this dude below. Haha . . . put on some headphones and treat yourself. This guy is from another world. The man is a genius.

2016 Gergo Borlai - TamTam DrumFest Sevilla - Gretsch Drums - Paiste Cymbals - Remo DrumsHead - YouTube

I have been wrestling with this topic for a long time. I want to learn piano so should I play only Christian music in piano. I like classical pieces by Beethoven, chopin, Liszt should I not practice them ? Questions like this pop up frequently on my head.

According to my understanding there are only two sides good and bad, lamb and sheep so that kinda clear the stuff huh actually no. David played music for saul that is no Godly music according to my understanding atleast. So what shall I do now ? I don't know. I DONT KNOW 😭😭

You should play what you want to play : ) I don’t think playing classical pieces is bad.

Have you folks considered writing your own music? I tried to upload the last piece that I wrote/worked on (about twenty years ago), but the file type wasn't expected.

I'd challenge yourselves to pick up an instrument and begin expressing yourself in that way. I don't have any children, but the music I wrote is the closest thing to having a "child." When "you" write your own music, you know every note; every aspect of it. You see and hear how it all falls together; each note in conversation with the other. To write music is an incredible gift and ability given by God and I am 100% convinced that He LOVES it!

Its interesting that christians who wont touch rock and roll etc will often be perfectly comfortable with classical music. The rebellious music, the rock and roll of its day, was frequently written and performed by many a drug user and under its influence.
Personally I think music is in and of itself unable to be evil. We can attach evil lyrics to it certainly, but the bible makes it clear nothing can be good or evil in and of itself. It is the good or evil use of it that we need to be concerned with.

However, if secular music is sin for you personally, dont listen to it. If it isn't then make sure you honour God, or at least dont dishonour Him, with the choice of lyrics you choose to feed on is all I can recommend.

I like David Gilmore's guitaring. I like Frank Marino's playing. He's actually a believer. For the few years that I led a Vineyard worship band, I used rock and blues a lot, and the Lord must've liked it, because He always blessed us with His presence!
If it honors God, go for it!

I got to see the Black David Gilmore playing with Trilok Gurtu at the old Ballard Firehouse in Seattle. It took the CD in the link below and got the mans signature. This David REALLY knows how to play guitar!

A FLG Maurepas upload - Trilok Gurtu's Crazy Saints - Believe - Jazz Fusion - YouTube

He's good. Dave has a certain quality that as a musician, I relate to. I can't wait to hear music in the City. I've seen it, I've felt it, I've smelled it, but I've never heard it. I never realized that until right now.

Thanx cyberm but it's not that easy because some pieces are sinister as well so we can't say all of them are good to play. I'm asking God he'll clear this doubt soon.

I was a professional musician when God saved me. Meaning I played in bars, and secular occasions like weddings, etc. I made my living that way! I felt very strongly I wanted to dedicate my music to God, after making people go astray. Bar owners loved us, because we always broke records for sales of booze. I walked away from that life. I played in church, and I took flute lessons, harmony and history, learned and played classical music.

My first jobs as a teacher were teaching junior band long term for a sick teacher, and grade 5/6 beginner band, as well as k-5 elementary music and choir. I tossed and turned agonizing about using the Basic Band Method to teach band. I did in the end, because that is what they were using, and I didn't have the time or inclination to write a curriculum and books for all the instruments with Christian songs in a public school. I did put on a Christmas concert yearly, taught each class a Christian Christmas carol and a secular carol. That gave me a reason to explain what the words in the carols meant. I was in a very multi-ethnic community, most kids had no idea the meaning of Christmas. It was childhood evangelism. I know teaching those kids about Jesus will not return empty!

When we moved, I couldn't get hired the first year. So I taught at a Christian school, affiliated with our church. The band class used Basic Band Method, and no one was worried about secular songs. I took flute lesson up to Grade 10 RCM in Canada. I got hired as a music specialist for elementary music, which I did for 7 years. I went back to a regular class, because it was hard teaching nine 1/2 hr. Classes daily. But I got lots of compliments on how I got the kids to sing well, and on pitch. Little did I know was getting asthma, making it hard to sing, and allergy shots triggered Rheumatoid Arthritis. Eventually I had to quit teaching I was so disabled, and go on Disability. I couldn't play flute for a few years, I was so bad.

But, I got on better meds. I started playing flute, and even my saxophone on occasion! I became the music director in my church, and I played flute one week, led singing on the alternate week. I just love playing music to glorify God.

I finally realized that listening to secular music wasn't going to break my relationship with God. I mostly like classic rock, but only clean music. I developed a huge collection of music from the 60's and 70's. I still kept playing in the church worship teams, worshipping God.

This last period my RA meds have not been working well. My index finger on my left hand is not functioning. I can't lift it up. This means I cannot play flute at all. I can't even hold it in my hand. Plus I am recovering from COVID, and we have to go mask free to sing and play on the platform. So, I can't play or sing with a mask on. I don't want to get COVID or give it to anyone, because I am still not better after 6 weeks. So, not praising God on the worship team right now.

Anyway, should Christians play secular music? I think that is between the person and God. I'm glad I went 15 years breaking away from my past. I'm also glad God released me to listen & play secular music. When we had a different configuration of members with our worship team. After the practice, one time the bass player started singing Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffet. Everyone joined in, all of us playing our parts that we had played back in the 70's in bands. We sounded good! Then we all got embarrassed, singing drinking songs in church! But then I realized how far Christ has taken me since those days of playing to make people drunk! I praise God that he gave me musical talent, but even more that I now play to worship & glorify God! Praise the Lord!

I came to a similar sort of impasse (although I don't play, just listen) but classical takes me to heights and depths that it's like I'm "unlocking" my mood.

I had a long conversation with someone that teaches music that I know quite well because it was a quandary.


He told me how in college he had professors that loved the beauty of Christian pieces (like Handel's messiah, or bach etc.) Not saying those are specifically Christian but I think an argument can be made. Vs like certain classical pieces that are definitely on the opposite end of the spectrum. In any case, he said that they weren't believers and the music was just music for music's sake to them.

Which is sad on one level and we did get deeper into how it affected him but we also agreed that music for music's sake may very well be a thing...for the most part.


God created the very construct of music. If your goal is to bring him glory in it, I don't think the notes much matter.

A lot of it is just pretty/well done and I think the "origins" (why a composer created a certain piece) can be ignored. Neutral. All about in how you apply it. It's not wrong to want to listen to nice music and it's not wrong to just play for the sake of it. "Perhaps" something akin to using scientific knowledge regardless of who discovered it to further advance? Or driving a car even though it's inventor...?


There are though a handful of pieces in the classical eras that are almost testifying of the enemy. These feel completely different to me and, for myself at least, that's a different category and doesn't fall into music for music's sake. I can't explain it easily but perhaps I'll try later if you find it useful. It's very rare though.




Your pieces will probably be different. Music affects our spirits so we just have to exercise discernment even if it doesn't make sense.


This all is of course mostly about music without lingual words. The music speaks of course, but most of the time it's magnifies him by default to some extent it seems to me.

Even when I hear drum cores (I happened upon one of these unexpectedly) it made me pretty emotional because God made that sound and even if they aren't giving him praise for that, I choose to. So yeah, it may be different for you as far as what's beneficial and what isn't.



All this is mostly about instrumentals because you mentioned piano.



Words make a big difference for me and most modern music has words. I pick up on the deeper messages on a lot of "vague" pieces and it just works as a tool and sets me back so I'm limited to my memories on a lot of songs but that doesn't mean that there aren't plenty of options available.

It may be possible to "take back" melodies to the neutral space and just listen to the instrumentals of it and create new words or leave as is, I don't know. I rearrange and reword songs that go through my mind often enough as a response to melodies I like, but producing that for others? Idk.

It's sort of a personal practice to "clean up" songs I like and use them for what I'd like. I've seen people do this in church parties and I think it's pretty cool.

There are certainly ways to use it, but music contains a person's essence to some extent so similarly to maybe not being able to be around certain people (that most can)...it is between you and God. I do think his leading is out of love in this area and that guarding our hearts/minds is important. There is a LOT of open space though. For me, it is a discipline to sort of redirect myself to all the available options when I just want that ONE thing that I know I shouldn't have.

Like, you have 10,000 pieces of music and you just want to seek after the 10 that you know aren't good for you...but I've found that if I turn and go after the stuff I have no attraction to (in that moment) God meets me there. Better to have him fill something your flesh doesn't much care for than to have what you want.

Paul Hardcastle is probably considered secular jazz music, but the last three minutes of the below song caused me to week profoundly while I was driving down the road with my adoptive father in the car with me. He looked at me and said, "You've got the Holy Spirit within you."

He was right . . . this music below, the last three minutes, is straight from Heaven.

Paul Hardcastle - The Truth (Shall Set You Free) - YouTube

I can understand that. But sometimes a music from a movie let say a beautiful piano piece from a movie is used for an ungodly situation or the movie itself is corrupted so in that case it's hard to recognise that music as neutral. Similarly some classical musicians had bizare history. Beethoven had a terible ending also paganini is called as devil's violinist. So the problem is, as you said I know bach is a Godly person like a handful of others but I dono whether I can listen to other musicians music because we all know who is the chief of musicians in heaven.

2 Corinthians 6
14. Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what [d]fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what [e]communion has light with darkness? 15And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you[f] are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

“I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.”

17Therefore
“Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you.”

18“I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the Lord Almighty.”

Titus 2
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

1 Peter 2
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;
10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

God's people are a holy and peculiar people. Sorry folks that don't include rocking out, rapping, headbanging, or country twanging with the world.

Also, I'm just going to be honest here:

Most of the new so-called "Christian music" looks and sounds like a bunch of people who couldn't make it singing secular music so they settled for singing so-called "Christian music".

Just trying to make some money any way they can. Most of them act like they are too afraid to even mention the name of the Lord in their songs. Guess, it's not good for business.

What's so funny @2ndTimothyGroup ?

Don't tell me you feel the Lord circumcised your heart and yet, you still have a desire for jamming out with AC/DC and the likes?!

Yeah, I'm fixing to make a lot of people mad. The thing is I could care less.

The truth is the truth. Anyone who wants to live like the world and sow to the flesh, then be prepared to reap in the flesh. Cause you sure won't be reaping in the Spirit.

I know and learned it the hard way. Been there done that and after a good chastening from the Lord, I learned a lesson about it.

God didn't cleanse anyone just so that they could go right back and sit back down in the filth that he brought them from.

What's secular music about? Sex, drugs, fighting, worldly lusts, falling in love with someone to the point where you're making an idol out of them...etc.

Does anyone think this stuff should have a place in a Christian's life?

If so you might want to read the word of God and ask God about it.