The Songs They Hear (1)

This is the trend among the young people (Christians) today. Observe the songs that they listen to, chances are they either come from Hillsong or Planet Shakers. Notice the instruments that are being used in the production of the music, chances are they consist of keyboards, electric guitars, acoustic guitars, bass guitars and drums.

The young people love it. This kind of music, which is fast in tempo and loud in volume, provides them with the kind of excitement and "high"ness that they thirst for. The more fundamental reason, I suspect, is because this kind of music resonates with their fast pace of life. They are living in an age of rush, always finding themselves having too many tasks to accomplish with too little time at hand. Thus, they find themselves always on the run. The fast and loud music creates the kind of adrenalin rush that they are so used to experience in their daily lives. Yet, this kind of music is not only incapable of injecting peace and calmness into their souls, it resonates with the rushing rhythm in their souls, which I believe, is the source of their anxieties and stresses.

Sadly, when someone provides a critical criticism to the choices of Christian songs that the young people listen to nowadays, many will carelessly respond by saying that we should allow the young people to express themselves in their own unique way and not be so critical and worried about it. Yet, should we not be concern with the adverse effects that this kind of music creates (as explained above)? Should we not model for them a different kind of worship, a worship that truly reflects the unhurriedness of our three-mile-an-hour God? Should we not encourage them to listen to songs that are able to provide an antithesis to their high-tempo life, songs that are able to provide a conducive environment for them to cultivate stillness and calmness in their lives?