Musical Madness

Let them…tell of his works with songs of joy. Psalm 107:22

It’s been over a year since Carl, now twenty-one, walked away from a life dominated by hard rock music and drugs and rededicated his life to Christ. He is still plagued by memories of the concerts where young men groped mercilessly at girls in “mosh pits,” where every type of drug was inhaled or ingested, where kids screamed, “Satan rules!” At times he has to turn on classical music, open his Bible, or simply pray to drive the lewd lyrics out of his head.

The music industry takes the prize for producing outrageous and dangerous material for kids and promoting a culture of sin. Most parents are unaware of the extent of filth and violence being marketed to their children. A CD released by rapper Eminem, for example, featured lyrics glorifying sex, drug use, and the murder of a pregnant woman. The F-word and other obscene terms were uttered repeatedly. This CD premiered at number one on the charts and sold nearly three million copies in its first month.

What a contrast to the praise-filled words sung by King David over two thousand years ago and still voiced in churches today: “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:1). Music has incredible influence to harm or heal the minds and spirits of our children. We pray that you will use your influence as parents to keep garbage out of your home—and encourage your kids to listen to music that brings honor and glory to our Maker.

Before you say good night…

How familiar are you with the music your kids listen to?

Does it have a godly impact on their lives and attitudes?

Lord, You have given us the beautiful gift of music. Let us never take that gift for granted or allow it to bring harmful images into our homes. May we and our children always sing songs of praise that honor Your holy name! Amen.

• From Night Light For Parents, by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson
  Copyright © 2000 by James Dobson, Inc. All rights reserved.