Recently, I wrote a post titled How Christian Fundamentalism Robbed Us of the Opportunity to Listen to the Devil’s Music. A Fundamentalist preacher disagreed with what I wrote:
Really? Christian fundamentalism stopped them from listening to sinful rock and roll? Granted, the attitude when rock first came out was very rigid against that type of music, and in some cases, it was very warranted because the music was not the best.
But was it Christian fundamentalism that robbed anyone of listening to the music? It was played everywhere, so just about every child and teenager at the time could hear it whenever they wanted.
So it is highly doubtful that Christian fundamentalism was the reason. It may have been the personal beliefs of the people at the time that stopped them from playing this music. It could be that those beliefs were a bit misguided, not that classic rock was great music and people were missing out, but that they did not have a solid foundation in the truth to truly evaluate the music.
In other words, I am a liar — a false allegation this disgraced preacher has hurled my way many times. This preacher wrongly thinks that there is a difference between “Christian Fundamentalism” and the “personal beliefs” of the people at the time that stopped them from playing this music.” It is theological and social beliefs that drive Christian Fundamentalism. Objection to secular music was common, and rock music in particular was the subject of frequent criticism and attack from the pulpit.
While I listened to secular music on the AM radio in my car, and heard it when attending junior high dances, outside of that, my life was inundated with Christian music, at church and home. I only owned a handful of records, but all of them were Christian. Why would I not have obeyed what my pastors were teaching? The same goes for my partner, Polly. Both of us primarily listened to Southern gospel music and mixed-group Christian music. Sure, we knew the lyrics of a few secular songs, but our minds’ catalog of music was overwhelmingly Christian. We were, in every way, true blue, Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) Christians. Maybe the preacher quoted above wasn’t a committed follower of Jesus as a Christian. If so, that’s his problem, not mine.
You see, I actually believed and trusted my pastors. I never doubted that they were telling me the truth. So, if they said rock music was evil and listening to it was sinful, I believed them. When evangelists such as Bob Larson and David Benoit decried the evils of rock and roll, I believed them. When youth camp speakers brought the wrath of God down on rock music, I believed them. Dare I not trust and obey — for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus — these men of God? Over the years, I heard scores of sermons condemning “worldly” music, and I believed every word. This approach bled into other areas of our lives. Polly and I were virgins on our wedding day. Why? We heard numerous sermons about the evil of premarital sex. Rarely did a week go by without a teacher or a pastor mentioning the importance of chastity. Many of our churchmates listened to secular music and gave in to their sexual desires. Was rock music to blame? Our pastors said it was; that rock music stirred the passions, leading to fornication.
For good or ill, Polly and I believed and practiced what we heard from the pulpit. How could it have been otherwise? Were you a devoted Christian as a teen and young adult? Did you practice what your pastors preached? Please share your experiences in the comment section.
Bruce Gerencser, 68, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 47 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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Scatological porn deleted
Is this guy kidding? I heard so many sermons about rock music being satanic, “the beat of sex”, having “worldly” messages, pagan “jungle music”, that it led down a path to moral destruction. Many of the students i knew at Southern Baptist church and at fundamentalist Christian school fell into these groups: (1) their parents didn’t let them listen to rock/secular music; (2) parents didn’t specifically ban that music, but the more conscientious kids were scared to listen to modern rock but would listen to things like the Beach Boys and contemporary Christian; (3) kids who were going yo listen to whatever music they wanted regardless.
I fell more into the 2nd category. My family looked down on the newer rock but it wasn’t expressly prohibited (thus was the 80s) and my mom liked some rock from late 70s/early 80s. I heard 80s rock outside home, but didn’t feel comfortable turning it on the radio myself. I wasn’t sure what was true about rock music, and this was during the “Satanic panic” where even mainstream news was talking about “backmasking”, subliminal messages, and satanic content. It was all very confusing, especially for a young teen.
Is this guy kidding?
We heard sermons from youth pastors at church, warnings from Sunday school teachers, warnings from Christian school teachers, and sermons at Christian school against the dangers of rock music. Terms like “Satanic”, “the beat of sex”, “pagan jungle music”, and “slippery slope” leading into immorality were frequently employed. Being the 80s, it was also the height of the “Satanic Panic” so warnings about “backmasking” and subliminal messages and “Satanism” were mainstream. Everyone thought Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a live bat.
Most of the kids I knew from Southern Baptist church and fundamentalist Christian school in the 80s fell into one of these groups. (1) Their parents forbade the kids from listening to secular music. (2) The parents didn’t expressly forbid rock music, but the conscientiously pious kids stayed away from modern rock and stuck with contemporary Christian and the likes of the Beach Boys. (3) Some Christian kids listened to whatever they wanted regardless – some were more open about that than others.
It was confusing for teens to know what was real and what was fearmongering.
Yes but Ozzy really did that. Right? I mean please don’t disillusion me about my heros.
As I remember the history of rock music, it was called ” race music” back in the1950’s when Whites began to appropriate Black styles, and even steal lyrics, to create this new sound. Elvis and the Beach Boys come to mind. I had no idea this happened, until a few years ago. Hidden information on the Internet again,lol. The only kind of rock I don’t listen to, is a certain kind that goes by the ” death metal” labels. Certain things I know about the people involved, what they do. Hollywood has an underbelly that’s unbelievable. Plus the music itself is lousy. Aside from that, rock often has lyrics that are moving, and make you think. Linkin Park has some great songs that apply to our current regime. Like ” Heavy Is The Crown.” The group ,Muse, they sing about dictatorship. Lots of good music out there.
Hmm, so Revival Liars tried posting something nasty again.
In the spirit of the topic, the 1980’s satanic panic over rock music, I wonder what all of Revival Liars’ inappropriate posts would be like if they were played backwards? Who knows, there might be some hidden messages in there like, “I love Joe Biden”, or “I voted for Harris Walz”..Just like the dude on TBN who played “Stairway to Heaven” backwards- the hidden messages were clear as day..right after he told you what to listen for.
Backward masking…. This reminds me of something I heard a radio preacher say in the late 80’s. For the record, I’m not making this and the logic is a bit skewed.
The preacher explained the brain subliminally understands the backwards I formation, and this sneaks through your normal conscious filters, quietly altering your thoughts while you are unaware until you fall for the satanic message.
He explained that it’s much like human vision. When you look a something, your eyes flip it upside down and you brain interprets that view making it rightside up. And the ears do the same thing. When sound enters it is flipped, and when that happens things that were backwards are now forwards, so subconsciously you are hearing the backward masking clearly.
🤔🤪🙄