Good vs Good For You
June 18, 2021
Growing up in a King James Version only, no drums in sight, “the only rated R movie allowed is Passion of the Christ” type of church, I was exposed little to the vast world of entertainment, aside from CSI: Miami, The Andy Griffith Show, and the occasional Disney movie. Before easing up on many restrictions, I recall my parents becoming exceedingly wroth after discovering that my brother had a CD of a bunch of secular songs. The reason given for the stern prohibition of secular entertainment was usually that it promoted something that went against Scripture, and that I can understand, but what irked me was the common offhanded insult that those songs “sucked”.
Just because those songs or shows promoted (or even just mentioned) something not aligning with the Bible, that meant that the quality of the product was subpar. Yet, in the eyes of the people who looked down on all that was secular, everything that did align with the Bible was somehow superb, even though it was corny or mediocre. Some honestly believe that GAWVI is superior in skill to Eminem or that Shai Linne would rank over Tupac. None of this is to say that the Christian artists previously mentioned are bad. They are very good and some Christian artists like Kings Kaleidoscope, Lauren Daigle, and Kirk Franklin rank among or even above most music artists in the world.
But as Liberty University founder Dr. Jerry Falwell Sr. once said “if it’s Christian, it ought to be better,” and yet often that is not the case when compared to the what the world is producing. As I grew up, things that did not live up to the hype were continuously hyped up just because of the word “Christian” associated with it. For example, although I enjoy Chick-fil-A and think highly of them, there are those who elevate them to a status I don’t believe any fast food lives up to. Some would claim that the sole reason why Chick-fil-A is supposedly better than Popeye’s or Zaxby’s is just because they are associated with Christianity, and that somehow the others “suck” just because they are not.
Tove Lo’s “Habits (Stay High)” may talk about distracting oneself with the party life in order to forget about someone but at least the sound quality is high. It doesn’t sound like it was written in five minutes, and it isn’t corny like many songs on your local gospel music radio station. Game of Thrones may be obscene but at least there’s character development and quality acting.
Until Christians can provide examples for how they can make something that adheres to Scripture and yet is higher in quality than what the world often produces and promotes then we need to stop saying that things “suck” just because they are not Christian. Rockstar Larry Norman, paraphrasing an old Martin Luther quote, poses the question “Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?” in a song, and I keep wondering the same thing. How about instead of complaining that J. Cole talked about losing his virginity, we make music that is good enough so that people would choose that over his songs? Instead of dreading that people enjoy Game of Thrones, we can make Narnia.
What I think many Christians meant to say when they said something secular “sucks” was that something was not good for someone, but it does not mean that from an artistic perspective the work was not good. There are some things that promote something unbiblical and just flat out are bad in quality, but just because something mentions an act or practice that is sinful does not mean that it is inferior in creative execution.
Christians have vegetables and fruit. The world has ice cream. People are going to gravitate towards ice cream even though it is ultimately not good for them, since it’s more appealing, better marketed, and tastier. Christians can either complain that the world loves dairy products, or they can take what they have and make a smoothie or acai bowl. Psalm 34:8 compels us to “Taste and see that the LORD is good;” and yet, when many people consume that which has “Christian” attached to it, they sense a lack in quality. In our art, in our crafts, in our everything, may we produce quality in thanks, reverence, and praise to the Father who gave us talents to point back to His majesty.
References:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2034%3A8&version=NIV
https://genius.com/Larry-norman-why-should-the-devil-have-all-the-good-music-lyrics
Written by: Landen Swain
Landen believes the human experience longs to be expressed; through our art, our labor, our songs, our storytelling. As a published playwright, author, and poet, he enjoys expressing his little chapter of the human experience through his writings and is thankful that the SA blog allows him to do that. He is published in numerous magazines, literary journals, and has several plays published by Off the Wall Plays, an online play publishing house.