Based on what Scripture teaches about the deceitfulness of Satan and his blinding the minds of all unbelievers (2 Cor. 4:4; 11:14; Rev. 12:9), it is understandable to me that an unbeliever would mock any suggestion that supernatural evil beings have had important influence in the origins of certain musical styles. For a likely example of such unbelieving mocking, note the response by one of the judges at the end of this brief video excerpt from an episode of American Idol: “and demons, [laugh, laugh, laugh, laugh].”
It is puzzling to me, however, when someone who is presumably a believer appears to hold a similar perspective. For example, in a recent Christianity Today article, Dr. Russell Moore, who is the Dean of the School of Theology at Southern Baptist Seminary, writes, “Myers’ critique of Christian hip-hop wasn’t a fundamentalist scold, wary of the Devil’s music” (Dr. Russell Moore, W.W. Jay-Z?, http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/may/ww-jay-z.html?paging=off; accessed 5/27/13; bold added). Because he does not say anything further about the subject in his article, we can only infer that Dr. Moore apparently thinks that fundamentalists are erroneously “wary” of what they mistakenly regard as “the Devil’s music.”
How is it possible for a learned believer (presumably) to hold such a view of the Devil’s influence on human music? Although I have some ideas about why he might hold such a view, I’d be interested to hear what others think about this subject.
For an introductory article that explains my view about this subject, see my post Fallen Spirits and Their Influences on Human Music—Part I
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