“And Lord, help us to focus on our eyes on that which honors you, to turn away from all that offends your name.  Amen.”

As the youth pastor finished his prayer, he put out the challenge to hundred or so young men and women gathered around the campfire.  “The time has come to get rid of all that is distracting you from going after God with all of your heart.  No more fooling around with secular math books and math teachers.  It’s time to take a stand for Jesus.  I want everyone to gather your secular math books and meet me down by the lake.”

The crowd dispersed to their cabins, reappearing ten minutes later to form a mob by the camp lake.  After the youth pastor had regained their attention, he spoke up.  “This may not be easy for many of you, but for most of you there are secular mathematicians and math books that have been pulling you away from God.  So I want you to be bold, and get rid of all your secular math books tonight.  On your way back to your cabins, your cabin leaders will give you a piece of paper that will give you Christian alternatives to any secular mathematicians that you may be interested in.  There are really some amazing Christian mathematicians out there today.  We just really encourage you to take a stand, and to live holy lives tonight.”

And with that, the guitarist began strumming, and through the darkness a female voice began to sing, “Change my heart, O God… make it ever true… change my heart O God… may I be like you…”  And one by one, the campers threw their secular math books into the lake, walking back to the shore in the light of their newfound devotion to God.

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If you were ever a part of a youth ministry, the above fictional scene sounds vaguely familiar.  It is not uncommon at Christian youth camps or youth rallies to have a time where the teens are encouraged to rid themselves of the secular music that is pulling them away from true devotion to God.  And so, you get a scene like the one above, where Christian teens pitch their Christina Aguilera and Black Eyed Peas CD’s into the lake or garbage can while a timid twelve year-old stands nearby clutching his They Might Be Giants CD that he got from his mom for Christmas, not really wanting to part with it but beginning to believe that this must be what true devotion to Jesus looks like.

Certainly it is silly to think that there is such a thing as secular math and Christian math.  We do not differentiate like that in the realm of mathematics because truth is truth - 2+2=4 and the three angles of a triangle add up to 180 º - whether or not the teacher is a Christian or a Buddhist.  If a mathematician is a Christian, there is no guarantee that his book will teach us more about the truths of this world than a book by someone who does not follow Jesus.  That’s why the idea of secular mathematicians and Christian alternatives is so ridiculous.

And surely I can apply this same thinking to many professions and arenas of life.  Does anyone believe there is Christian engineering and secular engineering?  Christian vs. secular auto repair?  What about being a linebacker in football?  Is there a Christian way of smashing someone to the ground vs. a secular way of doing it?  It is clear to people in many arenas of life that truth is truth, that being a Christian doesn’t necessarily make you a more skilled engineer or mechanic or linebacker. 

But what about music and art?  Can we say the same thing about those realms?  I have argued for the past two weeks that Christian music must die; not that Christians should stop making music, but that the belief that there is such a concept as “Christian music” vs. “Secular music” needs to be destroyed. And today I am wondering whether a supposed sacred/secular divide in music is really as absurd as a sacred/secular divide in mathematics is.

I think the main similarity between the two arenas is that truth is truth, and as I argued a couple weeks ago, much of God’s truth is available to all through what theologians call natural revelation.  A mathematician may be able to testify to the truths of the mathematical laws of nature without acknowledging that God is the one responsible for them.  Likewise, a singer may testify to how beautiful it is to be known completely and loved despite your faults without realizing that this is the truth of the gospel.  In this way, a singer who is not a Christian may be able to produce “Christian” music without even knowing it by testifying to God’s truth.

However, it is also worth noting that it is easier to pass off a lie as the truth in music than it is in math.  Certainly a math teacher who attempted to convince his students that 2+2 is really equal to 5 would be laughed at and not believed.  However, a musician who tries to convince his listeners that leaving one’s wife for another woman is actually a good thing to do may be successful if he can do it with a catchy beat and intriguing lyrics.  And this potential for ambiguity and deception is why it is easier and safer for many parents and youth pastors to simply declare that all “secular music” needs to be thrown in a lake and only Christian music should be consumed.  This way, they hope, there is assurance that the impressionable children will only be told the truth.  And perhaps there is some validity in such an approach for kids at an impressionable age who are not able to discern truth from lies when it is delivered by beautiful people over a Neptunes beat.  But for those of us out of our teen years, we misrepresent God and the way He works in the world if we stubbornly believe in an artificial sacred/secular divide.  God is bigger than that, and is communicating through nature and conscience to everyone in this world, revealing some of the truth of who He is and how this world is meant to be.

So, I conclude this series on Christian vs. secular music by celebrating the majesty of God, that He has revealed His truth and beauty to this world, and that we can celebrate His truth wherever we find it.  I encourage you to tear down the sacred/secular divide, and instead heed the words of Paul as you engage this world:  “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable– if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things” (Philippians 4:8).

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