Christians Aren't Allowed to be Music Snobs

Respecting and enjoying diversity in music is important, in part, because it gives honor to the diversity of God's creation. Cultivating wide listening habits is noble because God has his loving sights on the people within the culture that the music is tied to. There is a missional aspect as well. Faithful missionary evangelism and the resulting gospel transformation of a culture happen from the inside. The missionary is an outsider that joins a culture and discerningly embraces the good things within it. And this is why, in part, I believe Christians aren't allowed to be music snobs. Harold Best puts it this way in Music Through the Eyes of Faith: "How fitting it is for Christians to want to join the creative ways of other cultures, if for no other reason than to fill out their praise!" Amen.

Be a Professional Appreciator

So get on with the noble purposes of being a professional appreciator of God's good creation. Give it some time, and let it sink in. Listen to music on its own terms. You can't listen to death metal through a country lens any more than you can listen to classical through a techno lens. But if you learn to love the language of once-unfamiliar kinds of music, you might learn to love the people who are tied to it, whom God loves. To be continued.