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What is the responsibility of someone releasing music in a mass-media kind of way (on a record label, for example) so as to not have committed a wrong or a sin?

Is it right to spend more time with music than with peers? And then, what if there aren't any peers to spend time with? Or, if one has no access to the peers they need?

And finally, if there is music that could be used wrongly, what is the responsibility of someone making that? How can one be sure that a form of (potential) art honors God when sharing it?

Should art even be shared in a mass-media kind of way? After all, people don't know who they're reaching or how they'll react. Is that wise? Please advise.

I was putting my music out there. I thought "people could listen to this and forget about problems" - that's what I do to it. But, you know, the Bible promotes humility and modesty, and I don't think producing music for the masses is humble or modest. People start jamming out when maybe they should be thinking about a task they have to complete tomorrow. Or someone, who is self-abusive, gets stuck on a sad song. I think what people really need are friends in situations like that, not music. Music influences people, it can even tell them what to think or make them feel a certain way, and I just don't think I should put mine out there anymore.

Paul wrote letters to the churches he fathered. He knew the congregations. He knew what was going on. He didn't reserve a hilltop on some countryside and play a rock ballad about Jesus. What if someone showed up that had been severely abused for a long period of time shortly before getting there. Could he explain with praises to God that God really did indeed love that person?

I don't think secular music is the worst thing in the world. It gives people something to do, for a lot of people it might be pretty benign. I don't know. But I don't want to be responsible for the effects of influencing so many in such a personal way without even being there in person. You know?

The leaders of the congregation I was in during the early 1980s had the idea that perhaps their congregants were in the wrong bodily functions.  So they asked everyone to pray and fast for the Lord to tell each one how they were to serve the body (both local and worldwide). So I did.

THe Lord spoke very clearly to me:  "You are to lead my people before me in worship leading and in song writing. And the song writing will be of greater importance because the songs will go to places you never will."

And that has come true.  I released a CD of original worship tunes in 1995 and via mp3 downloads it has spanned the globe. I have not made any $$ off it but that was not my goal anyway.

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Quote from: ctheirsuffering on Wed Mar 26, 2014 - 01:11:27
Did the Lord tell you to release the CD?

Not specifically and not as clearly as the call I had a decade earlier.  I was led to do a concert which I originally wanted to do in a civic venue in my [small] home town.  When that did not work out, my congregation wanted to host the concert and to record it.

QuoteDid Paul wear a "Jesus Saves" t-shirt when he ministered to the gentiles?

no but perhaps that was because there was no equivalent in that day.

Quoteedit2: There are so many people who will simply never be called in this life. I don't see how putting songs of praise for a God that has chosen to give them over to Satan for parenting out in public view could be a good thing. Seems rude and immodest to me.

IMO you have the wrong perspective on that.  Was Paul giving the gospel message "over to satan" when he preached on Mars hill?  That was certainly in public view - right in the middle of a place of pagan idol worship.

I have no problems with good scripture based music. But there is one thing that I do. When songs are written in and for praise of God and then a church uses one of them in their church for worship and they are charged royalties for singing the song. So you then have people making money out of others worshipping God. I have no problems with CD's costing money for me to buy and the maker of it making their living. But when they make extras from their songs being sung to God and charge churches a fee to do so. You would be surprised now many churches pay a fee to do so! Hmmm.....making money out of people worshipping God...
Its like this, I buy my Bible, no problems, but how should it be viewed if one was then charged a fee to read it out aloud in church?

Quote from: Free Christian on Sun Jun 01, 2014 - 23:59:37
I have no problems with good scripture based music. But there is one thing that I do. When songs are written in and for praise of God and then a church uses one of them in their church for worship and they are charged royalties for singing the song. So you then have people making money out of others worshipping God. I have no problems with CD's costing money for me to buy and the maker of it making their living. But when they make extras from their songs being sung to God and charge churches a fee to do so. You would be surprised now many churches pay a fee to do so! Hmmm.....making money out of people worshipping God...
Its like this, I buy my Bible, no problems, but how should it be viewed if one was then charged a fee to read it out aloud in church?

They pay fees because that is the law.  Those who don't pay fees are not following the law.    Any church/congregation can sign up for a license and pay a fee.  It's a simple process.   Christian artists feel as though they should be paid just as secular artists are paid.     What if there were no respect for Christian artists and the government denied royalties because the product is of a religious nature?   I understand your feelings about this but there are two sides of the argument and both are valid.   

Ahh, but one has a choice to say that they do not want or need royalties for the singing of a song to worship God!
They could quite easily put into their copyright requirements "these songs may be feely sung or played in the worship of God in churches". Could they not? They are not bound by the law for their own songs as such. The law exists as a safeguard not a total requirement of anyone who makes a song. If I made a song and was happy for it to be sung in churches freely does that mean that even though I don't want royalties, that I have no option but to take them? I think not.
Take for example free Bible resources on the internet, they have copyrights that guard against unscrupulous people who would copy and sell them yet there is on their site "Copyright....this is freely given to all, it is illegal to sell copies"
They have a choice and they choose to be paid for those who sing in the worship to God. They choose to make money out of people worshipping the Lord. They are not pastors who have the right to do so as it is their right to, they have already made the money from selling the songs, performing the songs at concerts. They choose to keep making money from them even down to doing so from those worshipping God. They have a choice just as do those on the Christian online resources who freely give in regards to God. The worship of God is a Holy Matter and entirely different to a concert or buying of a CD or playing one in a shopping mall for the customers. It is a shame that those artists make no such distinction when it come to the Holy Worship of God! They have a free choice.

Quote from: notreligus on Tue Jun 10, 2014 - 15:37:14
They pay fees because that is the law.  Those who don't pay fees are not following the law.    Any church/congregation can sign up for a license and pay a fee.  It's a simple process.   Christian artists feel as though they should be paid just as secular artists are paid.     What if there were no respect for Christian artists and the government denied royalties because the product is of a religious nature?   I understand your feelings about this but there are two sides of the argument and both are valid.

No - both sides are not "valid." Those who want to use whatever song any time they want are, according to the law, stealing.  And we are COMMANDED both by Paul and Peter to obey the laws of the land. At one congregation I was in, I tried to bring up the subject and the minister of music became totally insensed.  She thought that paying to use a song was completely antithetical to the gospel and perhaps demonic.  So I took my case to the pastor - giving examples of congregations that had been bankrupted by lawsuits from publishing companies. I showed him that CCLI licencing for a small congregation like ours was not that expensive so he went with it. The music minister quit rather than be a part of a congregation that paid.

Quote from: Free Christian on Wed Jun 11, 2014 - 20:04:36
Ahh, but one has a choice to say that they do not want or need royalties for the singing of a song to worship God!
They could quite easily put into their copyright requirements "these songs may be feely sung or played in the worship of God in churches". Could they not?

Absolutely.  Songs can be copyrighted into public domain or copyrighted under an open licence. Or if you self-publish you retain all copyrights and you can charge or not charge as you see fit. (that is how my CD is copyrighted) I was planning on going the route of open licence thru Kingdom Praise but they decided to not distribute any more CDs when I sent mine in.   So now if anyone wants to use my songs they just have to email me for permission and pretty much you got it.