The Spotify Top Ten and Discipleship

According to Spotify’s most recent report, there are 675 million monthly users. The music streaming service is particularly popular with young people, with an estimated 62% of these users falling within the 18–34-year-old age bracket.

Because Spotify is ubiquitous among teens and young adults, the weekly Top Ten Chart functions as a “pulse check” on youth culture. What are their favorite songs? What are the songs about? What does this tell us about their values?

Whether you are a faithful Spotify user or a parent trying to figure things out, I want to give three principles for engaging Spotify’s weekly top ten like a Christian.

1. Music can shape your thinking and desires.

Listening to your favorite song on repeat is like spending quality time with the artist. You are listening to their story, their life issues, their solutions, and their vision of the good life. This exposure can have a big impact on your thinking.

Jesus explains this principle in Luke 6:40, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.”

If your favorite song celebrates something (money, fame, romance, revenge), you will feel a pull to celebrate that same thing. If your favorite song condemns something (faithfulness to your spouse, God-ordained authority, traditional marriage, biblical conviction), you will feel a pull to condemn that same thing. This is Luke 6:40 at work.

How does this apply to Spotify’s top ten?

As I’ve reviewed Spotify’s weekly top ten through the years, I’ve noticed a pattern: most of the songs that make it to the chart are not the kinds of teachers I want in my life. While the songs change from week to week, the themes remain the same.

At the time of writing, the current top ten songs include themes such as celebrating sexual sin, self-destruction and despair, and the open embrace of queer culture.

Christians are called to “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).

When it comes to cultural products, there is no such thing as neutrality. Every piece of art, whether a book, song, or movie, communicates the worldview commitment of the artist. When it comes to the Spotify Top Ten, the worldview commitments that ground the songs are frequently at odds with Christianity and counterproductive to our sanctification (see Proverbs 13:20). This leads to the second principle.

2. Decide what you will and will not engage with.

There are three song categories I want to outline.

First, there are songs that Christians can enjoy and listen to on repeat. Music is a gift that comes down from the Father of lights (James 1:17). It is good and right for Christians to enjoy music that points us to the Giver of all good gifts.

Second, there are songs that should not be included in the Christian playlist. Some songs are so full of explicit language and content that they become unlistenable for believers (see Ephesians 5:12). For example, songs that contain graphic descriptions of sexual activity belong in this category. There are also songs that don’t have explicit lyrics but do have poisonous messages. For example, “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan does not contain a single cuss word, but it’s all about moving away from a religious mother to go dancing in a queer nightclub.

Third, there are songs that are tame, subtle, and “family friendly” but carry a message that can range from questionable to toxic. For example, Frank Sinatra’s “I Did It My Way” promotes a lifestyle that is the opposite of Christianity. Moreover, the wildly popular Disney song “Let it Go” contains the same basic message: the best way to live is by following the internal compass of your own heart.

While it’s easy for Christians to identify songs in the second category, it can be tricky to identify which songs fit into the third category and where they fall within the questionable to toxic spectrum. This leads to the final principle.

3. Jesus wants active listening instead of passive listening.

We are not allowed to turn off our brains when we consume media, whether music, movies, or the written word. When we become passive consumers, we run the risk of letting ungodly content shape our thinking, which is the opposite of what God wants (Romans 12:2).

Paul lays out a method for critical engagement in 2 Corinthians 10:5, which says, “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ…”

Active listening requires critically evaluating the songs that stream into our lives by cross-checking the message with “the knowledge of God.”

Here are some questions you can ask to help you move from passive to active listening:

1. What is the song about?
2. What does the song celebrate? Does God celebrate this?
3. Does the song tell the truth about God’s world and how the world works?
4. If so, what did the artist get right? If not, what did they get wrong?
5. What specific Bible passages address the wrong thinking?

These kinds of questions help us keep our guard up when we listen to music so that we are being shaped and transformed by God’s word instead of ungodly influences.

As stated above, young people make up the largest demographic of Spotify users. For this reason, young people need to be taught the practice of active listening.

I want to end by giving three questions parents can ask to start a conversation about active listening:

1. Who are your favorite artists?
2. What do you like about their music?
3. How does their message compare with what Jesus teaches?

Having these conversations with your teens will help them become more aware of how music can affect their thinking and give them the tools they need to apply 2 Corinthians 10:5 to their listening habits.

Conclusion

Jesus has called us to be transformed into his image. Unfortunately, many Christians allow themselves to be conformed to the values that appear on Spotify’s top ten charts more than the person of Christ. I don’t want this for myself or for my kids.

We want to worship God by enjoying and receiving the gift of music. Music shows off the beauty, creativity, and generosity of our great God. Moreover, we want our kids to delight in the wonder of excellent music. But this requires that our flavor palate is trained by Scripture to love the good stuff and throw out the bad stuff (Romans 12:9).

As Christians, let’s engage in active listening with an open Bible. When we do this, we will become more like Jesus, less like the ungodly lifestyles we left behind, and more equipped to reach the world with the gospel.