PARENTS,

I hope the concert Sunday night has prompted renewed discussion about music in your home: it’s place, it’s relative importance, what it looks like to exercise discernment in lyrics and style, and so forth.

This couldn’t be more timely: Bob Kauflin was just interviewed on the New Attitude website. It is outstanding. You’ll notice right away that Bob’s interview is saturated with Scripture. Many young people assume that Scripture doesn’t have much to say about the music they listen to; Bob helps us see that isn’t the case. Consider taking several family dinners in a row to review the verses together and talk about how they influence your musical priorities.

Bob explains why it is so important to keep Scripture central as we think about music:

These Scriptures guide me in how much I listen to music in general, how much I listen to a particular artist or style in particular, how much time I spend looking for new music, etc. Music is a gift from God meant to create fresh affections for God and direct my attention to him. I understand that I’m free to put music in its proper place and enjoy it as a gift from my Creator rather than an idol.

I’m also careful about why I listen to music. Music can exert a powerful influence on our emotions, but I shouldn’t be looking to it as the ultimate object of my emotions. If I expect music to lift my spirits, calm me, make me happy, etc., I might be expecting it to do what the Gospel is supposed to do.

Read the entire interview here, or gain more insight from Bob Kauflin.

Categories: Thursday Thoughts For Parents, five15 blog