The other day I took a call from a concerned parent in my church. She knew that I worked with youth and would be familiar with modern music. This mother was concerned about some of the CDs that her son wanted for Christmas. She wanted to know my opinion. Of course, I threw the situation back in her lap and asked her what the Spirit had placed on her conscience. Then I gave her my two cents.
Standards - when it comes to music, movies, clothes, etc. - tend to be somewhat controversial in Christian circles. I am usually more interest in the “why” than the “what” when it comes to youth culture. In this case, the band was a "Christian" group known for playing really heavy metal music. I don't particularly care for this style of music. However, the lyrics seemed to be moral, honest and in good taste. I could see why the music drove the parent crazy that is kind of the point. But I certainly didn't see any harm in the music as long as she walked her son through it.
Many parents either want to ban anything that could cause problems or take the other tactic of letting their children do and listen to whatever they want. Neither of these approaches seems right. The goal is not just to protect our children from bad influences. The goal is to help them learn how to be discerning consumers on their own as they listen to the Spirit. You want them to be guided to do the right thing even when the watchful parent is not there.
This requires leading your child in knowing God for himself. This calls for parents to get to know what their children do and ask questions. Before you launch into the lecture, stop to understand why they do what they do and like what they like. You may be surprised what they say. Then you can more effectively guide your child through the landmines of peer pressure, rebellion and missing out on God's best by simply taking the world's counterfeits.
My recent discussion about appropriate music for young minds reminds me of the Harry Potter (HP) debate. Evangelicals have been debating whether to encourage children to read the books or ban them.
Whether or not someone reads a HP book is up to their own conscience as guided by the Holy Spirit. What may be sin for one person may not be a sin for another person. The big problem is that if we don’t have a deep one-on-one relationship with Christ, we may not hear the warnings voiced by the Holy Spirit. Do too many Christians try to make judgments about right and wrong for their lives without really hearing from God?
While Christians are no longer bound by the law, we are called to be led by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit will never grant permission to do something in conflict with the Bible. Problems typically arise with ‘grey areas’ where the Bible does not give specific prohibitions. Being led by the Spirit is not necessarily any less strict than following the law. Just consider what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount where He compared looking at a woman lustfully to committing the physical act of adultery. Jesus did not raise the bar He identified the level of holiness God desires for His remnant.
Before we consume any type of media or as parents allow our children to read or watch something, we should consider the following:
- What is my motive behind the action?
- Does the action glorify God?
- Can I honestly do ‘whatever’ in faith?
- Would Jesus disapprove?
- Will this sow a negative seed in my life?
Christians tend to focus on whether or not a particular action is a sin. In this case, you can line up Christians on either side of the issue. Some praise HP for encouraging growth in reading among students. They dismiss it as just fantasy. Others believe HP glorifies white magic and opens a doorway to the demonic realm. They view HP as a counterfeit to the real power and truth revealed in the Bible.
Where does Christian liberty end and holiness begin? Each person is at different stage of maturity in his walk with God. Can we really expect the same level of maturity from a babe in Christ as a seasoned adult? We should understand where others are and love them to the next level of their walk. As people mature, they go from thinking about what following God will cost them to what they can sacrifice to honor and draw closer to God.
The real heart of the issue appears to be the attraction of the HP series to our children. Many ‘church’ kids would rather read HP or dinosaur books than the Bible. We should be asking ourselves why.
