I had inside for a while that I'd write a post on this and today is the day.
As I used to be in such a "lifestyle" before I was a Christian, maybe what I write will be useful to you if you have someone around being trapped in this subculture...
A lot Christians approach people in these subcultures with judging their appearance and demanding change, even repelling them from attending church when they're trying to find God. This is wrong approach because the root of the dark appearance needs to be understood and resolved. The reason they find things like blackness (not just plain simplicity of black color but as in darkness), skulls, vampires and such attractive is because death is in them, this is being solved with the gospel, love, prayer warfare and Jesus taking over... not by judgment. Death needs to be taken out of them, and once this is done, aesthetics and decorum of death will no longer be appealing to them and they will themselves throw it away Even when they become a Christian, let God finish this work which He started. I did not immediately change my color scheme when I became a Christian and have somebody been pressing me and judging me about it, it would probably have created resistance. God talked to me about that... dismiss this, it's not of Me, dismiss that, not of Me either, and chipping one by one away, gradually He led me where I should be (and I'm still on that lifelong journey). So it will be most profitable to look to build them up in the Word and encourage them to read the Word and have active relationship with God. They most likely will not suddenly change in a day, they will transition. Let God work and pray for them to be set free.
Another important thing which one can conclude from the music in these subcultures is that there is a lot of unprocessed anger, pain, sadness, and whole genres spin around processing negative emotions. Music is only one of the ways they cope with pain. There is a lot of wallowing in depression, self-harm, suicide promotion. A whole lot of emotional maladaptations because they dont know Christ and therefore they dont know better. Speak truth in love, but dont get preachy and judge them. Remember they dont know better. Tell them it's not the way and stand by them and tell them you love them though. You can notice that these subcultures use imagery of vampires, angels, supernatural, gods and goddesses, fairies, demons, zombies. They are often fascinated with eternal life and what is "behind" this fleshly curtain and they might wonder is there afterlife. This might make them receptive for learning about spiritual reality and truth so speak up on this as led by God.
Please love them and be there for them. Love has such a changing power. You might be the only Jesus that shined light into their life. Everybody loves love and wants to be around loving people. That will mostly make them ask you about God. Just sharing because this was what God sown back in the day to help me understand and draw me to Him... judgment never helped.
As I used to be in such a "lifestyle" before I was a Christian, maybe what I write will be useful to you if you have someone around being trapped in this subculture...
A lot Christians approach people in these subcultures with judging their appearance and demanding change, even repelling them from attending church when they're trying to find God. This is wrong approach because the root of the dark appearance needs to be understood and resolved. The reason they find things like blackness (not just plain simplicity of black color but as in darkness), skulls, vampires and such attractive is because death is in them, this is being solved with the gospel, love, prayer warfare and Jesus taking over... not by judgment. Death needs to be taken out of them, and once this is done, aesthetics and decorum of death will no longer be appealing to them and they will themselves throw it away Even when they become a Christian, let God finish this work which He started. I did not immediately change my color scheme when I became a Christian and have somebody been pressing me and judging me about it, it would probably have created resistance. God talked to me about that... dismiss this, it's not of Me, dismiss that, not of Me either, and chipping one by one away, gradually He led me where I should be (and I'm still on that lifelong journey). So it will be most profitable to look to build them up in the Word and encourage them to read the Word and have active relationship with God. They most likely will not suddenly change in a day, they will transition. Let God work and pray for them to be set free.
Another important thing which one can conclude from the music in these subcultures is that there is a lot of unprocessed anger, pain, sadness, and whole genres spin around processing negative emotions. Music is only one of the ways they cope with pain. There is a lot of wallowing in depression, self-harm, suicide promotion. A whole lot of emotional maladaptations because they dont know Christ and therefore they dont know better. Speak truth in love, but dont get preachy and judge them. Remember they dont know better. Tell them it's not the way and stand by them and tell them you love them though. You can notice that these subcultures use imagery of vampires, angels, supernatural, gods and goddesses, fairies, demons, zombies. They are often fascinated with eternal life and what is "behind" this fleshly curtain and they might wonder is there afterlife. This might make them receptive for learning about spiritual reality and truth so speak up on this as led by God.
Please love them and be there for them. Love has such a changing power. You might be the only Jesus that shined light into their life. Everybody loves love and wants to be around loving people. That will mostly make them ask you about God. Just sharing because this was what God sown back in the day to help me understand and draw me to Him... judgment never helped.
