The Study by Michael Card

Socrates once said, "when the soul hears music, it
drops its' best guard." That, for me, is one of the best
descriptions of the power that music has. With music it is
possible to open a door in the heart of the listener. Once
inside, the musician can either beautify the interior of that
soul, or desecrate that most holy of places. Often if you can
get someone to sing something, you can get them to believe
it. This has been used both for good as well evil throughout
history. All this is to say that music is a powerful key.
Today I asked my son, Will, what he was feeling as
he listened to a piece of music. "It feels like I'm flying on
wings," he said with his eyes clamped shut. His description
points to another power music has; the power to transport
us. Once again this power can be used for good or evil.
How many times, in the midst of worry or
grief, has a song lifted you out of that dark
place and left you in another better place, a
place with more light and air. Conversely,
how many times have you witnessed the
grimaced faces of young and sometimes not
so young people as they listened to the often
torturous music variously described as heavy
metal or death rock? These poor people seem
not to be in their own skins as they
experience the cacophonies. And indeed
many have chosen suicide on the advice of
the lyrics of this dark music, or simply
perhaps as a way of ending the despair and
pain in their souls which the music so
gruesomely magnifies.
Often, while I'm on the road, parents ask me about
the effects of rock music on their children. Usually they
themselves are a product of the generation, the era of rock,
so I sometimes get the feeling that they are asking as much
for themselves as their children. After giving the matter a
lot of thought over the years, I have concluded that the
greatest long-term danger of rock/metal music is not the
worldly value system it represents, or even the often dark
associations it has that affects its' listener. The worst lasting
effect it has is that it teaches kids not to listen at all. It
conditions them to tune out the words in favor of the
overpowering music. That can have a devastating effect on
the soul.
Music can cause us to drop our best guard; it can
unlock a door into our soul and it can transport us to
another place; it can rob of us the ability to listen to the
words. Music also has the power of shaping our lives and
value systems. By this I mean music can be so powerful andconsuming a force that we can give our lives to it. This I've
seen too many times in my experience as a musician. A
person’s language, dress, style of living and values, all
dictated by a style of music. Once, while I way paying for
some gasoline, the teller asked, "You're a musician aren't
you?"
To which I replied in horror, "How did you know?"
"You just looked like one," he said with a smile not
knowing he had just ruined my whole day!
So what are we to do with this power, this dynamite
that can be used both to destroy lives as well as blast away
stubborn mountains that may stand in our way? Once again,
as with any important question, we turn to the life of Jesus
for the answer. The Word tells us that everything must be
brought under submission to Christ, and this especially
applies to the power of music.
But what does it mean to say that we are to bring the
power of music into submission to Christ? Essentially it
means that we are determining to make
music, like every other area of our lives,
subservient to Him. That we will not allow
this area of our lives to detract or in any
other way take away from the purpose of
the gospel. At the same time we are also
committing to the notion that music can
be, indeed must be, made to serve Christ,
His kingdom and His people.
This translates into the world of
homeschooling as we seek to use music to
enrich the lives of our children, to teach
them that the beauty of music can speak as
well of the beauty of God, that they must
be aware of the power music holds but at the same time,
they need not fear it as long as it keeps its' proper place.
Finally, the greatest power inherent in music is its'
ability to facilitate worship. Again, this power is often
mishandled, even sadly by Christians, and used to focus
worshipful attention towards the musician and away from
Christ. This we must maintain is betrayal of the darkest and
most severe kind. A betrayal of the beauty of God, an act
of idolatry.
Therefore, we must pass on to our children a biblical
value system which is shaped by an awareness of the power
and true purpose of music. We must listen along with them
to the music of their generation and help them make
responsible choices in terms of what they will listen to and
why. Above all, we must, by the witness of our own lives,
demonstrate to them how music can be used to serve Christ
and worship Him in Spirit and truth. 􀀇

From the Study is a monthly syndicated column by Michael Card. For more information about Michael Card, please
visit www.michaelcard.com.