A local church has done it again! They have, yet again, allowed "evil" music to darken their doors.  (Du Dun....)

This past weekend, Central Christian Church here in Vegas sang Katy Perry's "Roar".

(To be clear, this isn't a post about Central. I'm not here to defend Central. They don't need my defense. You will know them by their fruit and their fruit speaks well for them. Plus, they're not the only church who is playing music like this. They just so happen to be the one I'm using as an example because we used to attend this church. As such, I'm extremely familiar with this church and their practices.)

Here's the deal. Music, in and of itself isn't inherently evil. Some lyrics can be pretty bad, but the music itself isn't bad. The artists singing said music or even clean lyrics can be sinners. (Then again, isn't EVERY person singing EVERY song a sinner? Hmm....)

Yeah, but Amy...have you not SEEN the way some of these people dress? They're CLEARLY worse sinners than ME. Yeah, well, I'm not even about to get into a fight about how a sin someone might have on the outside makes them a worse sinner than you simply because you can do a better job of hiding your sin.

OH NO. She did NOT go there.

Oh yes. I did.

...and we'll now move on as I think my point as been made.

Who cares if they sing a song in church that happened to be first released on a secular station? Well, okay, clearly some people DO care. I'm saying they shouldn't. Yes, I'm presuming to tell others what they should think. Because, well...just because I am.

Look, if THAT'S what it takes to get someone in the doors of a church and then subsequently they hear the gospel of Jesus Christ then I'm okay with that. I'm pretty sure Jesus is too.

What?!?! Now you're presuming to speak for JESUS too?! Wow! You're pretty ballsy young lady!! You should go read your Bible again! Or for the first time. Or...something. 

(Like how I called myself a "young lady" in there? Yeah...just snicker quietly to yourself and move on, please.)

Yes. I am presuming to speak for Jesus too.

Why?

Let's chat for a minute about those beautiful hymns that every good Southern Baptist grew up singing, shall we? They were written to the tune of bar songs of their day. Yes...BAR songs. As in the SECULAR songs of the day. You know, like the songs that the Katy Perry's of yesteryear were singing. So basically, that hymn...was Katy Perry's "Roar"...and then someone changed the words a bit and it became a hymn and now we hail it as the end all and be all of Godly music. This was back during the time of the Reformation so...400 years ago, give or take.

Do you think that 400 years ago our ancestors could imagine us singing modified versions of their BAR songs as our beloved hymns? What do you think their reaction would be if they knew that we were DEFENDING those bar tunes as the end all and be all of Godly music?  Probably the same reaction WE'D have in another 400 years if our descendents were defending Justin Beiber songs as the end all and be all of worship music. We'd think they were a little silly/crazy...or perhaps that they'd all out lost it.

But...what if they'd moved on from Justin Beiber and were simply then singing what appealed to people of THEIR time? What if they were singing what would draw people in to church so that they would hear the gospel THEN? We'd probably think that was a LOT better than keeping people OUT of church for the sake of keeping Justin Beiber songs IN.

Note...not for the sake of keeping GOD in church, but for the sake of keeping a particular type of SONG in church.

There is a difference. A HUGE difference.

The bottom line for me is this. Those who might "darken" the doors of churches like Central because of songs like "Roar" will end up also hearing songs like this:  Drew Bodine "Torn".

And THAT is why churches like Central play those "evil" songs. It's also why Godly lyrics were put to those bar tunes so long ago.