Expert: The Rick - 12/6/2004

Question
What guidelines should a young Christian have when deciding which heavy metal bands are appropriate to listen to?

Answer
Honestly...  I listen to anything that isn't blasphemous to God, and the best way to judge that is to read some of the bands lyrics.  I listen to a lot of metal/hardcore and 1/3 of it is secular, but I have a preference to the bands that are Christians.  There are so many opinions on this subject that the best thing to do is pray about it and ask God what is appropriate.  Most Christian metal bands are on Christian record label (i.e. Solid State Records, Facedown Records).  So many people feel that heavy metal and hardcore music are evil because they think it is "devil" music.  I think that "devil" music is anything Satan can use to harm the Kingdom of God or His people.  That, to me, is stuff like Slayer or Otep, which glorify the ideas that God is evil or non-existent.  But truthfully, most metal bands aren't like that, so you just have to see for yourself and ask God's help in deciding what to listen to.