"Oh, Be Careful Little Ears" is an opinionated manifesto which makes poor attempts at justifying personal preferances with God's holy word.
The basic premise of the text is that popular and ethnic music runs rampant with "unnatural rhythms" and "sensuality, carnality" by way of devices such as "offbeat accents, rhythms that conflict with melody, sliding or scooping (gliss. even), etc." According to the authors, these devices engage listeners in evil responses such as motioning with the hips, head,... more info
Good Arguements:
Even though this book is not perfect, it is still a must read for any Christian concerned with such issues. Smith clearly illustrates why CCM is not appropriate for worship, because it glorifies the flesh. It is not singing in your heart to the Lord (Ephesians 5:19). Today's popular music is specially designed to bypass the mind and appeal directly to one's senses and emotions, just like the easy distractions of popular culture. Not all pop culture is bad, but an excess of pop culture can erode the skills... more info
Misguided:
To say that God spends his time worrying about percussion and 21st Century musical styles is like saying there are different brands of tortilla chips that Jesus warned us about, or God would hate it if you read the classifieds before reading the sports section. Miss Smith has written a book which bends biblical verses to fit her own anti-rock music agenda. Books like this are making Christians all the more reactionary and silly. The God I believe in doesn't care about meaningless conservative... more info
I believe it is solid...:
Good exegesis of the two (similar) verses in the N.T. that address music. Mrs. Smith clearly explains how God is referring not just to lyrics, but also the music to which they are set. Right away, we must admit that God has standards for music. It is more difficult to convey what those standards are. Mrs. Smith is correct in her assertion that we "must" worship God in spirit and truth. It follows that carnal (physical) "worship" is not appropriate worship. Music that is spiritual combined with lyrics that... more info
