A Recant on Neutrality

As promised, I have more thoughts on the topic of musical neutrality. If you have yet to read the initial post, I recommend doing so before continuing with this post.

To review quickly, I proposed that although the actual content of a song (lyrical content) could be morally neutral (neither good nor bad), ultimately a song could not be neutral because any individual listening must make the decision whether he will enjoy the song to the glory of God or whether he will enjoy it for its own merit. I said that it could only be appropriate for a Christian to listen to such neutral music if he were taking the necessary steps to attribute the source of his enjoyment to God. In short, I claimed that a song itself could be neutral in theory, but that realistically it could be only good or bad since it exists only within the realm of a human’s interaction with it.

After a series of further discussions, I must recant a portion of this claim. In response to my post, Peter graciously submitted the challenge: “Did God create pleasures neutral, and we can bend them to be good or evil? Or did God create them good, and we bend them to be evil?” Of course, the obvious answer to this question is found in the very same verse I had quoted in my essay. 1 Timothy 4:4 says that “everything created by God is good.” Indeed, we may then say that such a song as I had previously described is first good, and may be twisted only by a lack of proper attribution to God as its source. I ask forgiveness for my false claim, and extend my appreciation to those who offered correction.

As an extension of this correction, I must also say that I was wrong to say that a song could exist as neutral outside of human interaction. In a later discussion, Scott proposed the example of the stars in creation. Psalm 19:1 says that “the heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.” The ability of the heavens to tell the glory of God is not dependent on human interaction. Were there no humans on earth, the heavens would still proclaim the glory of God. So we say therefore that a song outside of human interaction (in concept) may still give glory to God.

Thank you to everyone who offered input. Please continue to do so and to keep me accountable for whatever I may write!