Saturday, April 7, 2012

Heavy Metal Musicians go to Hell


Colossians 2:8 – “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.”


This is a prime example of people who claim they speak for God. And, may I say they are the worst Pharisees I have ever seen in my days.

Don't let these people "cheat" you out of a personal relationship with Christ. Don't listen to this lie and allow these people deceive you "according to the tradition of men." God never said anything like this or even close to it. The reason WBC tells people this is because they are spreading the "basic principles of the world," which is, you can't do this or do that because of these religious rules. Christ said in Mark 16:16, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”

How does Westboro Baptist Church know that "all" heavy metal musicians will go to hell? Do they hold the keys to life and death? Does WBC have inside info we don't?

No, here is what I have to say. WBC are fools and don't know the fate of anyone. How can they know the fate of people they do not know personally, especially "heavy metal musicians?" Isn't it God who makes that decision? What does it matter what you do for a living?

Romans 10:9-13 “…if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

I think that's pretty cut and dry. If you believe, you will be saved. Didn't see anything in there about what kind of music you listen to, what kind of instrument you play or what kind of living you make out of yourself.

I suggest that people ignore Westboro Baptist Church; they don't know what God knows.

Monday, March 26, 2012

The Repentagram


The Repentagram is a new Christian symbol that was designed and created by members of the Christian Metal Band called Impending Doom.

The Repentagram's nine points symbolize the nine fruits of the Spirit.

The fruit of the Spirit is stated in Galatians 5:22-23 are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

The circle symbolizes eternity and never ending power and majesty of God.


The star is a symbol of God's guidance and blessing whether right-side or up-side down, it is irrelevant because it is the amount of sides that make the difference.

4 points = the form of the cross
5 points = The Bethlehem star/ divine grace
6 points = The Star of David/ man and rebellion
7 points = the gifts of the Spirit/ Spiritual perfection and fullness or completion
8 points = the star of regeneration/ salvation, resurrection, and new birth/regeneration
9 points = Fruits of the Spirit/finality or judgment
10 points = Perfection of divine order
11 points = disorder: 10 + 1 or 12 – 1; also disorganization, unfulfillment, imperfection
12 stars = Perfection/12 tribes of Israel.
1 star = Jesus.

Some may say that they can still see an inverted pentagram within the repentagram. I say, they are reaching. I would argue that the Christian fish symbol used to be a pagan symbol as well and used in pagan god worship. However, overtime Christians adopted it as a major Christian symbol.

Inverted Pentagram

“The pentagram may be inverted with one point down. The implication is of spirit subservient to matter, of man subservient to his carnal desires. The inverted pentagram has come to be seen by many pagans as representing the dark side and it is abhorred as an evil symbol. Fundamental Christians, indeed, see any form of pentagram as such.

However, these are recent developments and the inverted pentagram is the symbol of Gardnerian second degree initiation, representing the need of the witch to learn to face the darkness within so that it may not later rise up to take control. The centre of a pentagram implies a sixth formative element - love/will which controls from within, ruling matter and spirit by Will and the controlled magickal direction of sexual energies. This is another lesson of initiation.”

The Pentagram as a Christian Symbol

“Up until medieval times, the five points of the pentagram represented the five wounds of Christ on the Cross. It was a symbol of Christ the Saviour. This is in stark contrast to today where the pentagram is criticized by modern Fundamentalist Christians, as being a symbol of evil.

The church eventually chose the cross as a more significant symbol for Christianity, and the use of the pentagram as a Christian symbol gradually ceased.”

There’s nothing evil about a pentagram. It’s just a symbol and what meaning you apply to it, is your meaning. If the band Impending Doom applies a special meaning to a special symbol that they created, it means what they want it to mean and not what meaning others place upon it. 

Therefore, the REPENTagram represents the eternal Jesus Christ calling us to repent of our sins and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us.

References:



Inverted Pentagram Information: http://www.angelfire.com/id/robpurvis/pentagram.html

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Biblical Guide to the Drums

With all the many references to musical instruments found in the bible, there is one instrument that is the most important; that is, the “drum.” Anyone who claims that drums were not mentioned or used in the bible, are absolutely clueless and their opinions should be taken with a grain of salt.

Unfortunately, you will not find the word “drum” in the bible but you will find a drum-like, percussion instrument called a “timbrel.” The best description of a timbrel (sometimes referred as tambour) is a hand-drum with miniature cymbals around the edges; it is covered on one side with parchment, cloth or animal skin. It’s held in one hand and “beat” (to smite) with the other hand to keep the tempo during praise and worship in the Old Testament. The word "drum" wasn't even a common word until after or about 1540 A.D. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=drum), the word "drum" was probably origin from the Germanic word "tromme."

"The drum (toph). Of this there were many varieties, some of them resembling modern drums. The Egyptians had a long drum, of wood or copper, 2½ feet long, resembling the tom-tom of India, and beaten by the hand. Another form was shaped like a cask with bulging centre, and was made of copper. It was of the same length as the other, but larger around, and was beaten with sticks. Another drum was more like our kettle-drum; and one of these, the rabbins say, was placed in the temple court to call the priests to prayer, and could be heard from Jerusalem to Jericho." ~ (William Smith; revised and edited by F.N. and M.A. Peloubet, Smith’s Bible dictionary [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997.)

The reason that the word “drum” was not found in the bible is because the first modern-day version of the drum wasn’t common until around the 1540’s A.D.

About 4000 years ago, these instruments were not called “drums,” they had different names but had the same basic purpose and function. Just as dinosaurs in the bible were once called dragons, behemoth and Leviathan; nowadays, the timbrel, tabret and Toph (drum) are now called percussion, drum or tambourine.

To be more specific about this ancient percussion instrument, this hand-drum named timbrel (or tophet in Hebrew), we must remember that drums, just like any other musical instrument, started simple then evolved (for the lack of a better definition) into other complex instruments. It only makes common sense that as percussion instruments progress, so does the music that changes along with it. Furthermore, when electricity was finally discovered and commonly used, it opened new doors for new instruments, new sounds and techniques and new styles of music. Many pipe organs and pianos in churches use electricity as well. If anyone tells you that electricity is from the devil, they are ignorant because the bible says that God created all things; even electricity in the form of lightning.

"A percussion instrument that was carried and beaten by hand. Considered inappropriate for the Temple, it was probably played primarily by women (Ps. 68:25). The timbrel may have been excluded from the Temple instruments because of its great popularity with the Canaanite fertility cults. Among the Hebrew people, it was associated with merrymaking and processions (Gen. 31:27). Remnants of timbrels with pieces of bronze inserted in the rim have been uncovered by archaeologists. Thus, the instrument could be shaken as well as beaten." ~ (Youngblood, Ronald F., General Editor; F.F. Bruce and R.K. Harrison, Consulting Editors, Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1995.)

"The timbrel, a form of tambourine, a narrow hoop covered with a tightened skin, and struck with the hand. On the Egyptian monuments are three kinds—the circular, the square, and another formed by two squares separated by a bar." ~ (William Smith; revised and edited by F.N. and M.A. Peloubet, Smith’s Bible dictionary [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997.)

Thus, the Israelites (mostly women) used the timbrel to keep the tempo during celebrations; or as some would say to keep the “beat.” (From a personal perspective, anyone using the term “beat” in place of the proper musical term “tempo,” has little or absolutely no knowledge of musical insight and I wouldn’t trust anything they have to say about music anyway; it’s like taking marriage advice from a counselor who has been divorced three times.)

Are not the modern-day tambourine and the modern-day drum, a percussion instrument? They are both used to keep the tempo, both hit with hand or stick and both used to make music. Just because the Israelites started off with a few light-percussion instruments doesn’t mean that today’s Christians cannot use more complex and better-sounding percussion instruments. There is no Scripture to stop this from happening.

The modern “drum-set” is now the upgrade from the earliest hand-held timbrel. The modern-day drum-set is the contemporary version of the ancient timbrel and the drum-set is used in many musical praise and worship bands. Just as church members have moved forward from having small group church services in people’s homes in the 1st century to an off-site community church building in the 21st century, so has the percussion of the Old Testament moved from a small hand-held drum used by ancient Hebrews to the modern-day drum-sets of today’s church bands. There is nothing wrong with this!

Where does it specifically say in Scripture that music or drums are fleshly?
Where does it specifically say in Scripture that music or drums are evil?
Where does it specifically say in Scripture that music or drums are of the world?
Where does it specifically say in Scripture that music or drums are sinful?
Where does it specifically say in Scripture that music or drums from the devil?

It doesn’t, as we will see further on.

The timbrel was the one of the principle percussion instruments for the Israelites. It was very similar to the modern-day tambourine. Eventually, over thousands of years the timbrel has easily evolved into the modern-day tambourine. Even most modern English translations of the bible today have substituted the word timbrel as a “tambourine” even though the timbrel was entirely a different kind of percussion instrument.

The word timbrel is “used in the Old Testament in both singular and plural form, so as to suggest that the former referred to a hoop of wood or metal over which was stretched a parchment head; while the plural was perhaps used to designate the tambourine with bells or jangles fixed at intervals in hoops (wikipedia, timbrel).”

When David encouraged the Israelites to praise God, he said, “Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp (Psalm 149:3, KJV).” Why would anyone praise God with dancing, along with music, without keeping some sort of tempo? Being a drummer and percussionist myself, I can understand that the timbrel must have kept the time (tempo) in order for everyone to sing along and dance in unison. Have you ever tried to dance and sing without some sort of tempo or rhythm? It’s a musical train wreck, especially if there are hundreds of people and half of them lack musical talent or singing skills.

Evidently, the Psalmist (David) did not specify at what the tempo the psalm was to be played but I would assume that the God wanted us Christians to understand through His Word that the tempo was important but more relevant was the message in the song. I believe that’s why God allowed the lyrics of David’s Psalms to be written down as words and not as music notes. In other words, play all the music you want, but without words, the song is meaningless. Of course, it’s only meaningless unless there’s something else to accompany it, such as dancing before the Lord, expressing joy from your heart and in celebration and praise to God for the wonderful things He has done.

I believe that God made sure to include the timbrel in His Word because God is not the author of confusion; praise and worship music must be orderly and in sync. In the Old Testament, Israel praised the Lord with various stringed-instruments, dancing, singing, shouting and playing the timbrel and other percussion instruments. From the descriptions given of all these multiple instruments, it almost sounds as if there were large groups of musicians praising God; kind of like a Christian Rock band!

The world, from every nation, tribe and tongue has taken something beautiful, like music that comes from God, and put their own spin on it and has used it for evil, cultic rituals and for their own selfish benefits. Drums, in and of them, are not evil. Would you say that tents are evil without a reason to make them evil? How about tent-makers? Are tent-makers evil because they make “evil” tents to cover the witches who perform black Sabbaths in the desert?

The Apostle Paul was a tent-maker, is Paul and evil man or a righteous man declared by Christ? Obviously, Paul was a righteous man even though he made and crafted tents. Perhaps later on, an evil man with evil motives came into the local tent shop where Paul’s tent had been placed on consignment. Is the tent evil? Was Paul evil for making the tent?

No, tents are no more evil than drums are. Drums are merely a musical instrument that is used to keep the tempo of a song. What man decides to use drums for, is his business. However, for me and my family, I will use drums for the Lord just as the Israelites did when praising God. In the end it’s all a matter of the heart!

Every nation, culture, tribe and person has their own idea as to the history of and the origin of, the modern-day “drum.” Unfortunately, we cannot rely on the opinions, traditions and philosophies of men whether they are true or not; for Christians the Scriptures must be our standard and our guide for true biblical praise and worship music.

Colossians 2:8 - “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ (KJV).”

True worship does not come from the “beat” or tempo, the rhythm, the sound or even from the words or lyrics; true worship comes from having the right attitude in your heart. Words can be empty and meaningless unless the right motive of the heart is involved. Music, along with drums, a catchy melody and a repeating rhythm with lyrics are merely a tool; or a vehicle that helps us to get there. Music is merely the means by which we are ushered into acceptable praise and worship.

When God looks at our worship, is He worried that we are worshipping Him with a tempo? When we are praising God, is He looking down saying, “Those worshippers are using drums to worship me with. I do not accept the worship from them.” Is God concerned that we are using a vehicle to accompany us in our heart-felt worship? If our praise and worship is from the heart with having the right attitude, does it really matter the tempo or “beat” (I really hate that word) in which our songs are kept?

John 4:23, 24 – “But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth (NLT).”

Did you see that? “True worshippers” worship God in “spirit and truth,” not by the “beat” or tempo. In other words, the music, tempo, drums and the “beat” are irrelevant! Why? Because it is the heart (attitude, motive) of the worshipper that God sees; not the style, beat, rhythm, or tempo of the music. Again, the music is only a “vehicle” to help us get there. There are probably thousands of people who attempt to worship God every Sunday morning with pipe organs and pianos that do not have a heart for worship. Does God hear the music or “beat” over the hearts of worship? What God is looking for, is people who worship Him in spirit and truth; the drums along with the music are merely a means by which we are led into praise and worship.

Some people may say, “Since when does something become Christian by merely "Christianizing" the terminology and placing Christ’s name in front of it? How about the Roman cross that was used to kill the worst of criminals in Rome? It was a torture device now it’s a holy icon, seen in practically every church building in the world & hanging around millions of Christian necks as a sign of their faith. It was originally Roman (pagan, heathen) in its history, now it’s Christian.

How about baptism? Why did Jesus use baptism in his day? It’s because the people knew what it was. In some pagan rituals, people would be baptized in bull’s blood as a symbol of eternal life. Others used water as a symbol of purification. In Judaism, it was a familiar practice for new converts. It was pagan and heathen, now it’s Christian.

Since God can use the things of the world to honor Him, such as the Roman method of torture and baptismal pagan bull’s blood practice, why wouldn’t God want Christians to take back what was originally ours to glorify Him with? That is, music; which includes drums, stringed instruments, wonderful words and other various instruments!

Another percussion instrument that God chose the Israelites to use during praise and worship was the tabret. How do I know that the tabret was not just a tambourine and more of a drum-like instrument?

Nahum 2:6-7 “The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved. And Huzzab shall be led away captive, she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, tabering upon their breasts (KJV).”

• Easton's Bible Dictionary says that tabering is like “playing on a small drum or tabret. In Nahum 2:7, where alone it occurs, it means beating on the breast, as players beat on the tabret.”
• In Smith's Bible Dictionary tabering “connects itself with toph, "a timbrel”…the "tabour" or "tabor" was a musical instrument of the drum type which with the pipe formed the band of a country village. To "tabour," accordingly, is to beat with loud strokes, as men beat upon such an instrument.”
• “In Nahum 2:7, where the word "tabering" occurs, it means beating on the breast, as drummers beat on the tabret.” – (Wikipedia, timbrel or tabret)

A “tabret” is a small version of the “Toph” or “Tof.” The term “Tof” implies the word “tophet,” which means to smite, which is how you play the Tof. It is very similar to the medieval tabor drum (or tabour), “which consists of a circular frame of two hoops fitting within one another in which a cloth or animal skin is stretched across to create a small, one-headed or two-sided drum. Since no records, pictures or drawings of tabrets have ever been found, some have come to believe that the tabret is an instrument that is between a tambourine and a modern-day drum.

Originally, the tabor was believed to be a two-sided drum with strings that were strung across one side on a head to create a loud snap. The tabor is believed to be the very first version of the modern-day snare drum. Because of the lack of precise information, in some versions of the Holy Bible, the word tambourine is used in place of tabret and timbrel (Hebrew; Tof), flip-flopped and vice versa.

The tabret was used for:
I. Celebrations
1 Samuel 18:6 – “And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick (KJV).”
II. Prophesying
1 Samuel 10:5 – “After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy: (KJV)”
III. Praise
Psalm 150:4 – “Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs (KJV).”
IV. Worship
Jeremiah 31:4 - Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry (KJV).”
IV. Religious Services
2 Samuel 6:5 – “And David and all the house of Israel played before the LORD on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals (KJV).”
1 Chronicles 13:8 - And David and all Israel played before God with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets (KJV).
Psalm 68:25 – “The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; among them were the damsels playing with timbrels.
Psalm 81:2 – “Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery (KJV).”
Psalm 149:3 – “Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp (KJV).”

All musical instruments that were available to the Israelites, were used to praise the Lord God: The Israelites were not limited to only two instruments, such as in many churches today that consist of a piano and pipe organ alone. If it was acceptable for the Israelites to have huge bands of people playing all kinds of “instruments of musick” during praise and worship, then it’s acceptable for us today’s Christians to do the same. To oppose this idea is legalistic and burdensome. The freedom we have inherited in Christ gives us release from all those rules and regulations of the Old Testament.

2 Chronicles 5:13 – “It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; (KJV)”

Let’s face it; music really has little to do with praise and worship. As I stated earlier, the musical instruments in a song are merely a means by which we move into our praise and worship. It’s really what comes from the heart that God loves the most. Your motives for praise and worship are worth more to God than having a drummer in the band or a “beat” in the song. Anyone who is worried about having drums in a Christian band or a “beat” to keep the tempo has gotten their priorities in the wrong places. They are more focused upon themselves and the flesh rather than upon the kind worship that pleases God.

Some legalistic and biblically ignorant Christians may say that having drums in a Christian song or Praise and Worship band “feeds” the flesh. The following are a couple of quotes by Christians who have absolutely no clue about using drums in Christian music or what the Scripture say about it:

• “It is the beat which either appeals to the flesh (Rock, Blues) Soul (Classical) or Spirit(Christian).”
• “The lyrics are irrelevant, when the beat is fleshly.”

Just as the word “drum” is not found in the King James Version of the Holy Bible, you will not find the phrase “music feeds the flesh” and you will not find the word “feed, drum, beat or music” associated with the flesh.

The bible says that there are “deeds” of the flesh but there is no mention of anything that “feeds” the flesh. These fleshly deeds are found in Galatians 5:19-23):
• Immorality
• Impurity
• Sensuality
• Idolatry
• Sorcery
• Enmities
• Strife
• Jealousy
• Outbursts of anger
• Disputes
• Dissensions
• Factions
• Envying
• Drunkenness
• Carousing

I have heard that some Christians have even gone as far as to say that Christian music that includes drums, appeal to the flesh. In other words, it is “fleshly.” What does God’s Word have to say about what is “fleshly?”

• 2 Corinthians 1:12 - For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward (KJV).”
• Colossians 2:18 – “Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind (KJV).”
• 1 Peter 2:11 – “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul (KJV).”
• Ezekiel 16:26 - You also committed harlotry with the Egyptians, your very fleshly neighbors, and increased your acts of harlotry to provoke Me to anger (NKJV).
• Hebrews 7:16 - “…who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life (NKJV).”
• Hebrews 9:10 – “…concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation (NKJV).”

Summery:

1. fleshly wisdom
2. fleshly mind
3. fleshly lusts
4. fleshly neighbors
5. fleshly commandment
6. fleshly ordinances

There we have it; I didn’t see any mention of music, tempo, the “beat” or Rock music as being “fleshly.” As a matter of fact, there are no examples of music or drums “feeding” the flesh either.

As mentioned previously, I really don’t care where the supposed origin of drums came from; I am not using drums for that purpose. Just as God used a Roman cross to save us from our sins, Christian Contemporary Rock bands use drums to write music that glorifies God and it helps us to move into a heart of praise and worship.

Anyone who claims that Christian Rock music is “fleshly” because it includes drums or that Christian Rock music appeals to the flesh, it only expressing their useless opinion! To do do this...is fleshly! Sheesh, what a frigg'n hypocrite. What really happens is that the music moves and carries us into a spirit or attitude of praise and worship. Thus, when this happens we are actually walking and living in the spirit and worshipping God in spirit (attitude) and truth (knowing Christ). Music being fleshly is not found in the Holy Scriptures and making the claim that Christian Rock music that includes drums is fleshly, is unbiblical and a lie. It is man’s opinions alone, nothing more. Do not fear man, but fear God.

Nowadays, some Christians who are ignorant of music theory, biblical music history and what true worship is, would make the claim that Christian music should emphasize the melody, not the “beat.”

Does Christian music emphasize the melody if drums are involved? When you hear a Christian Contemporary/Rock song on the radio, do you remember what the drums did or what the melody is?

For example, when you hear the song “Jesus Saves” by Jeremy Camp, do you hear or remember “boom, pop,(rest) boom, pop, crash, (rest) boom, pop, (rest) boom, pop, crash?” Or, do you remember the chorus, “Sing it out, to let all the world know that Jesus saves. Raise a shout, to let all the world know, that Jesus saves?”

Do you know why you remember the chorus more than the drum beat or the words to the verses? First of all, most people aren’t professional drummers and second, it’s because the chorus is the melody! The melody is the focus in the song and that’s why the chorus is usually played louder than the verses, thus emphasizing the melody and not the “beat.” The drum beat is simply a rhythm that carries the song and keeps the tempo to get us to the melody. The melody is the focus; the “beat” is actually a “back-beat” that keeps the song moving in a forward direction, that always leads us back to the chorus.

One simple guideline for Christian music is that it’s okay to have drums.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Christian Men with Long Hair

I copied and pasted this short piece from http://www.metalforjesus.org/ This was so good I just had to share it as to encourage other Christian men who have long hair to not be worried or concerned of the judgment of other Christians.
"Men with long hair is something some Christians don't like at all. So I thought I'd have to cover this issue to get rid of all misconceptions concerning this by some so controversial issue. Some even say that it's unbiblical to have long hair and refer to the verse <1 Corinthians 11:14> BUT to understand this scripture we need to understand what the situation was like in Corinth. At this time Corinth was known for it's immorality and perversity and the men that were sexual perverted had long hair. Paul that wrote this letter didn't want the men in the church to be taken for perverted and that's why he wrote these words. So this is NOT God's commandment to all people throughout all times, but Paul's SPECIAL ADVICE for the people in Corinth, at that time! Another interesting thing is that the whores in Corinth had short hair or shaven heads and Paul didn't want the people in church to be taken for whores so that's why he told the females in church to not cut their hair off. <1 Corinthians 11:6> Again that was Paul's SPECIAL ADVICE for the women in Corinth in that time and NOT God's commandment to all Christians throughout all times. With this thing clarified, let's look into another scripture that talks about long hair. The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of separation to the LORD as a Nazirite, he must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or from other fermented drink. He must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins. As long as he is a Nazirite, he must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins. During the entire period of his vow of separation no razor may be used on his head. He must be holy until the period of his separation to the LORD is over; he must let the hair of his head grow long. This scripture talks about the Nazirites. The Nazirites were people that had devoted themselves to God and given Him a pledge. As a sign of their pledge they didn't drank wine and they LET THEIR HAIR GROW LONG!! Yeah, they let their hair grow long and their long hair was the outer sign to people around them that they had devoted themselves to God. Their long hair was the SIGN OF HOLINESS to speak clear! (Samson was a Nazirite from the moment he was born. He let his hair grow and didn't cut it, and through God that was a source of his strength. But when he played with his annointing and cut his hair he immediately loosed his strength. Another man in the Bible that seems to have been a Nazirite was the prophet Samuel. <1 Samuel 1:11>) So here we see that God have nothing against long hair. The Bible also saids clearly that God doesn't look on our outer look but He looks at our hearts! <1 Samuel 16:7> So God doesn't care if you have long or short hair, what's important isn't your hairlength but that you are living for Him. To sum it up we can see that God have nothing against men having long hair. So if you want to look real Metal, do as the Nazirites, grow your hair out and grow it long!"
No copyright infringement was intended.

Biblical Christian Metal/Rock


The cross (or crucifixion) was an ancient torture instrument used by the Roman Empire and other primeval societies to execute criminals. It was a symbol of the world and known for death, torture and public humiliation. Rome was not the only society who used the cross for execution purposes. Alexander the Great hung 2,000 people on crosses when the city of Tyre was destroyed.

“From the early days of the Roman Republic, death on the cross was used for rebellious slaves and bandits, although Roman citizens were rarely subjected to this method of execution. The practice continued well beyond the New Testament period as one of the supreme punishments for military and political crimes such as desertion, spying, revealing secrets, rebellion, and sedition. Following the conversion of the emperor Constantine to Christianity, the cross became a sacred symbol and its use by Romans as a means of torture and death was abolished.”

The cross was never a Christian symbol or did it have any Christian meaning until Constantine. You might say that Constantine “redefined” the meaning of the cross and it has now has become the new symbol of redemption for the sake of Christ. These days, many Christians actually wear this ancient and worldly symbol of death, humiliation and execution around their necks as jewelry as a symbol of their faith.

This is the very same contrast between the worldly Rock and Roll music and the godly Christian Rock. According to the Bereans (www.bereanbeacon.org/), Rock and Roll is evil, demonic and fleshly. I agree. However, my argument is that Christian Rock is not evil, demonic or fleshly. I submit that Christian Rock is holy, godly and fully Christian in its origin. How and why, you may ask?

The reason is because just as Constantine redefined the cross, Christians have “redefined” Christian Rock. The “Rock” in the title “Christian Rock” does not mean Christians who love to have sex in the back of cars; that is the worldly definition according to the quotes the Bereans have posted from worldly Rock and Roll musicians. The “Rock” in Christian Rock means that Christ is the biblical “Rock” and foundation of the heart of the music.

“The word “rock” is often used figuratively in the Bible to speak of God and Christ. As Rock, God is the Creator (Deut. 32:18), His people’s strength (Deut. 32:4), His people’s defense and refuge (Ps. 31:2–3; 94:22), and His people’s salvation (Deut. 32:15; Ps. 89:26). In the New Testament, Christ is the Rock from whom the Spirit of life flows (John 4:13–14; 1 Cor. 10:4), the foundation of the church (Matt. 16:18) and its cornerstone (Eph. 2:20).”

Christian Rock is totally biblical and redefined to tell the world that Christ is, what He has done and what He will do. Christian Rock has taken from what the world loves and has redefined it in order to glorify Christ as the one and only redeemer of mankind. For Christ is the spiritual Rock and Peter, whose name means rock, was the first mentioned in the bible to be commissioned as the receiver of this spiritual truth in which Jesus said to him, “That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). ” This revelation of truth was not an idea from carnal man but from the Spirit in which Jesus says, “for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 16:17).”

Allow me to reiterate and get this through your thick skulls please. “Hear and give ear: Do not be proud, For the LORD has spoken (Jeremiah 13:15).” Christian Rock is Christian to the very core. If it were not for Christ Himself, Christian Rock would not exist! Let me remind you though, not every song from a Christian Rock band is always about Christ or about God. Some songs deal with the personal struggle of sin in someone’s life or the resistance and overcoming of an addiction that has victory in Christ. Not every Scripture talks about Christ or God either; many Scriptures do not even mention Christ’ name. He has many names and He means many different things to different people; so does Christian Rock. As there are many topics, parables and stories mentioned from Genesis to Revelation, they are as many songs from Christian Rock, Rap, Punk and Contemporary bands as well.


Why would the Bereans assume that Christians who like, listen to or play instruments in a Christian band would associate sex with Christian music? Because that’s the way the Bereans think. They believe that they are the only ones who have the monopoly on truth. The Bereans believe that they are the only ones who have the right answers and the right teachings. The Bereans believe that what they believe is the only way to believe and if you disagree with what they teach or believe, you are a heretic or an apostate. Plain and simple, the Bereans are the New Testament version of the Old Testament Pharisees or Sadducees. If you disagree with what the Bereans teach, they will make a public mockery of you and verbally hang you for the entire world to see as to teach you a lesson not to disagree with them.

Christian Rock has numerous subcategories as well. There is Contemporary, Metal, Rap, Praise and Worship, Black Metal and Punk. These subcategories are also founded upon the “Rock” of Christ, not the Rock and Roll of the world who glorifies sex in the back seat of a car.

My advice to the Bereans is this; if you do not fully understand Christian Rock, do not comment until you know all of the facts. The facts can only be known if you have listened to, researched and investigated lyrics, testimonies and the musicians’ intentions and heart behind the songs. Facts are not what you say they are, facts are facts and they come from first hand observation, not outside biased opinions. If you do not read the lyrics, listen to or play an instrument in a Christian Rock band, you are not qualified to critic on it.

If you do not like loud music, don’t listen to it. Being a Berean does not give you a holy license to accuse other Christians of being “fleshly” or “worldly” because you do not like Christian Rock. Let’s face it; the Bereans have absolutely no Scriptures to back up their belief that Christian Rock is “fleshly” or “evil.” Personally, I do not like praise music that includes only a piano and an organ. I find it boring, mundane and unexciting. However, you don’t find me preaching about it in a negative manner. I may not like it but it doesn’t mean I have a right to condemn the music or those who choose to listen to it. God is a God of variety and He created in us the abilities and talents to be diverse, not only in skin color and facial characteristics but also in music and other ways He made man.

Can you imagine that if every Christian liked and listened to the same music and we all dressed the same, had the same haircuts, the same skills, the same thoughts, the same dreams, same talents and all had the same language? We would be virtually a bunch of boring robots that are headed for a cultural descent into a society of pure dullness. I wouldn’t be surprised that at some point, many people would probably beg for sudden death instead of dying of slow boredom.

If you do not know the origins of any video made by these Christian artists, then you are not qualified to comment. Videos on youtube.com made by Christian Bands have many or multiple meanings. Some of which you may not know the real meaning or background or intentions of the heart of the band members or the video director. If you see dead people in a video made by Christian bands, it probably does not mean that they glorify death or worship the devil. It may mean that the band members are trying to convey the message of being once dead to God before coming to Christ. If you absolutely do not know the exact meanings, you are not qualified to negatively comment until knowing all of the facts.

It is not a sin listen to or play an instrument in a Christian Rock, Contemporary or Metal band or group. There are absolutely no Scriptures that imply that anyone can lose their salvation because of listening to any kind of music. Where in the bible does it say “Thou shalt not bang thy head?” Where does it say, “Thou shalt not dance” or “Thou shalt not play guitars loudly” or “Thou shalt not scream lyrics” or “Thou shalt not dress in spandex” or “Thou shalt not play drums” or “Thou shalt not play music loud?” The Scriptures do suggest any of these things, so why do the Bereans insist that Christian Rock is “fleshly” or “evil?”

I know why. It’s because the Bereans hate it. They hate it because some Christians might actually enjoy Christian Rock music that is loud, fast, heart-pumping, intense and exciting. And, the very thought of actually enjoying music they hate is an abomination to them. How can they call themselves Christians when they hate what is from God? “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he (Deuteronomy 32:4).”

Christian musicians and people who listen to Christian Rock, Rap or Metal are not accountable to the Bereans. By the very thought of the Beareans trying to police the music that Christians are led to listen to or worship with, is appalling and arrogant and the Bereans should be ashamed of themselves. Every Christian, regardless of their individual taste in music, is accountable only to God for whatever they do in the body. “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable (Hebrews 4:13).


“So my advice is, leave these men alone. Let them go. If they are planning and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God! (Acts 5:38-39)”

Baptized in Filth

I just received the new CD from the American Christian band called Impending Doom. I am greatly impressed with these guys. They never fail to glorify Christ and press into the message of salvation. As a Christian my self, I am proud to see other Christians who love metal moving past the traditions of my parents with pianos, choirs and organs into a new era of Christian music. Like I said, I just got it yesterday but I was so excited to hear it, I haven't fully comprehended the meanings of the songs yet. I am sure over time I will gradually become to understand the songs in their entirety just like I did with the album called There Will Be Violence. I just wanted to share a portion from the thanks section from inside the CD sleeve: Impending Doom Thanks: Impending Doom - "Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The fans across the globe. We love and appreciate each one of you." Brook Reeves - "My God who forgave me and saved me from myself and has blessed me with all things." David Sittig - "Jesus Christ. My mom, dad and brother." Cory Johnson - "First one goes out to the King of kings, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ." Btown - "Jesus."