What are We Teaching Them?

I just sent this letter to Family Christian Bookstores. If you shop at their store (or if you’re just concerned with what’s being sold at Christian bookstores), I would urge you to consider looking into this and writing them yourself.

Dear sir or ma’am,

I received a new flyer for Family Christian Bookstore in the mail today and I must admit that I was shocked and disappointed by the ad for “tween and teen” cd’s that I saw inside.

This advertisement highlighted three cd’s – High School Musical 2, Aly & AJ: Insomniatic, and Jonas Brothers. All three of these choices seem in poor taste for a Christian store. While there is nothing inherently wrong with High School Musical 2, it’s a soundtrack to a secular movie and should be left in the secular music and bookstores, since there’s nothing specifically “Christian” or godly about it. This cd is simply irrelevant to Family Christian’s purpose.

The next cd, The Jonas Brothers is, again, a very secular cd. The boys in the band may profess to be Christians but there music is sadly lacking in anything spiritual. From what I have read in the lyrics to their new cd, they don’t even mention the Lord, much less sing about His faithfulness, love, mercy, or grace. Their songs are mainly focused on guy-girl relationships and they don’t seem to have a healthy view of those. “Hold On” appears to be their most positive song, encouraging a friend not to give up, regardless of what happens in life. But never is this friend encouraged to seek security and guidance in Jesus.

The most astonishing of them all, however, was the positive review of Aly & AJ’s new cd, Insomniatic. The write-up states: Aly & AJ’s newest release — the follow-up to their gold-selling debut album Into the Rush — features more of this sibling duo’s faith-infused positive pop. Includes the hit “Potential Breakup Song.”

Now, two things from that paragraph stood out to me. First of all, I have heard their first cd and was highly unimpressed, knowing that they are touted as a Christian band. To say that this new cd features more of their faith-infused positive pop seemed doubtful, but I was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. Then I continued to the next sentence and my jaw dropped as I saw that the flyer for this Christian bookstore is highlighting the fact that this album (for tweens and teens) features a song entitled “Potential Breakup Song.” I was shocked!

In reviewing the lyrics from this new cd, I have become yet more disgusted. Not only does Aly (or AJ) threaten to breakup with her boyfriend because he forgot her birthday, but other songs mention having a boyfriend that says things that make her uncomfortable and yet encouraging him to keep doing it, saying it will be their secret, telling a guy that he shouldn’t be flattered by her attention because he’s not the first that she’s given it to, encouraging a boy to flirt with her to get her interested in him, asking him to move closer and “maybe try a little kiss” until she’s “into him crazy.”

It saddens me that this is the type of music that so many kids are listening to these days, but it sickens me that this stuff is now being peddled to them by those who should be encouraging them in their walk with the Lord. These sort of lyrics are the kind that will drag teenagers into relationships they’re not ready for, rather than drawing toward the One relationship that truly matters.

Page 19 of this flyer features a book titled “What Your Daughter Isn’t Telling You.” The write-up states: This book is filled with real-life emails from teen girls that will give parents a new perspective on issues like family relationships, trust, dating, sex, alcohol and much more.

Our society is corrupted and will continue to sink into depravity until Jesus returns but isn’t it just possible that this sort of book would less likely be needed if the church weren’t promoting secular ideas and essentially telling our kids that lifestyles that aren’t in line with the Word of God are okay?

I encourage you to please consider removing these cd’s, and other cd’s and books like them, from your product line, and to replace them with more worthwhile literature and lyrics. As it says in Phillipians 4:8 – “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

And, lest you think I am an 85-year-old grandmother who is simply “out of touch” with the times, I would like to let you know that I am only 23. As a dance teacher I’m well aware of what our kids are listening to these days, but I don’t believe they should be getting the “okay” on this sort of music from churches, Christian bookstores, and other places of “spiritual influence.”

Thank you for your time and your attention to this matter. I will be praying for your staff as you pray over this situation.

Blessings,
Rebekah Bentley