Oh, Be Careful Little Ears : Contemporary Christian Music [Paperback]

Kimberly Smith (Author), Lee Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1998

How can we know what kind of music honors God? Are there specific Scriptures that can be applied to truly discern music? In an easy-to-read style, Christian music is biblically and historically evalua

Product Details

• Paperback: 143 pages
• Publisher: Winepress Publishing (June 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579210457
• ISBN-13: 978-1579210458
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,206,456 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Arguements, October 21, 2005

By 

Proud American Conservative (CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Oh, Be Careful Little Ears : Contemporary Christian Music (Paperback)

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 that a person needs for a robust spiritual life. Attention to the spiritual realm requires something that is different from the everyday distractions of modern pop culture. I highly recommend this book in addition to "Why I Left the Contemporary Christian Music Movement" by Dan Lucarini.

51 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Read the Book Before Bashing It, March 18, 2004

By 

William Crump (Madison, Tennessee USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Oh, Be Careful Little Ears : Contemporary Christian Music (Paperback)

Those who read this book with open, discerning minds will find it very difficult not to reconsider the use of contemporary Christian music (CCM), particularly Christian rock music, in the postmodern church today. Yet reviewers will still condemn the book, when it is clear that they have read little or none of it.

A man bashing this book elsewhere defended CCM on the misinformed notion that Martin Luther set his hymns to the worldly songs and brothel music of his time. Therefore, the man reasoned, the church should follow that example with popular music today. Having compiled a list of some 16 excuses which proponents of CCM commonly offer in defense, Mrs. Smith on page 84 exposes the fallacy and myth behind excuse #13, entitled "Martin Luther set his hymns to the tunes (worldly songs) of his day." It is clear that, had the man read "Oh, Be Careful Little Ears," he wouldn't have raised the issue, because Mrs. Smith already had defeated it. In Mrs. Smith's opinion, "The practice of pointing to another Christian so that we may excuse our own behavior is not to be commended."

If we honestly follow the biblical standards that Mrs. Smith summarizes in her book, we must honestly conclude that Christian rock music, the most carnal and prevalent form of CCM today, fails those standards and is completely unacceptable for use in worship.

To potential reviewers: Reviews based solely on prejudicial preferences rather than strictly on book content do potential buyers a grave disservice.

30 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Careful research results in eye-opening book, September 4, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (St Louis, MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Oh, Be Careful Little Ears : Contemporary Christian Music (Paperback)

Kim Smith has done an excellent job in bringing together all aspects of music and how it affects our souls. I challenge anyone who dares to criticize this work to do hours of unbiased research and come up with a different conclusion than Mrs Smith and her husband. If you have any questions about how important music is and the real origins of rock music, then this book is for you.