Ahhh... secular radio. The feeding place of the devil worshiping public. Actually, contrary to popular Christian belief, listening to secular music will not turn you into Marilyn Manson's twin. However, it may give you the uncontrollable desire to kill No Doubt's Gwenn Stefani, and in the process of your rage, possibly damage some of your precious sound equipment, which I am now experiencing as I once again hear her annoying voice enter this space. At times like these, one must take a few deep breaths and realize that eventually, someone else will do it for you (I'm just joking on that one kids, don't take me too seriously now).
This piece of writing is the result of an experiment in which I (who else would do such a thing for you) listened to "San Diego's Complete Alternative." for nearly an entire day. My only local Christian station sounds a lot like static coming from my stereo, so this is the station that I usually listen to. If I had one cent for every incredibly annoying car commercial I've heard today, I'd never have to work again. But, unfortunately, I don't.
Secular radio is a hit or miss operation. On one hand, there's more variety in the secular market right now, because the industry is older. However, that does not stop bands such as No Doubt and Saint Ferris from becoming incredibly popular, at which point you fully realize that these most definitely are the end times. Now just in the past few years the Christian industry has made incredible leaps in contemporary music, and I don't mean Sandi Patty and Point of Grace, I mean MxPx, Skillet, Jars of Clay, and other new incredibly talented bands are popping up right and left, which really is something to get excited about (sit down, not that excited).
Now, as I sit, listening to the oldie but goody "Smells Like Teen Spirit" I reflect upon my day in secular alternative land. For one, I'd like to see a law passed about how many times in one day any given station can play any particular song. I would swear (if I were that kind of person, of course) that they've played Luscious Jackson's "Naked Eye" at least once an hour for the past three weeks! The song is simply not that good and it gets worse every time I hear it now. Also, the listeners seem to have taken a liking to a song by Space called "The Female of the Species" which practically screams pure cheese. They play it all the time and yet it is still the most requested song of the day. Go figure.
Also, the DJs are really something else. Possibly the strangest things you will hear on secular radio come out of the DJs mouths. Beware if you're calling for a request that they may answer the phone "Your Mom" or even ask you just what exactly you're doing right now. I request things so often that I'm sure all of them know me by name, so I'm pretty prepared for those sorts of questions. Possibly the strangest thing that I have had said to me was after the man answerers the phone claiming to be my mother, I responded with a little red riding hood "what a low voice you have" , it was returned with, "That's not all I've got low baby." which really was the last thing I wanted to hear from someone claiming to be my mom. So unless you have a bag chock-full of witty comebacks to strange pick-ups, steer clear of many disc jockeys.
As far as the message of the actual music is concerned, it really has to be a personal call. While most of it doesn't scream "KILL YOUR PARENTS!" and proceed to severely bash God, you just have to be aware of what's entering your head. In other words, don't listen to someone screaming "God is dead" over and over while you're doing the dishes and then wonder why you're starting to doubt your faith. Just try to be aware of the lyrics, because most people who "don't listen to the words" could probably write them down for you if they tried. While it's true that most secular artists aren't playing Satanic music, there are a lot of mixed messages out there. As far as vulgarity goes, there isn't a whole lot of that on alternative radio, and when there is, like in The Bloodhound Gang's "Fire, Water, Burn" it's censored anyway, since it's illegal to cuss on the radio. You never know when a five year old could be listening!
So when you're making the decision of whether to listen to secular or Christian radio, it's more of an issue of if you want to worry about what's going into your head, not if you're facing eternal damnation because you like the Wallflowers. I'd say, that is you have a good Christian alternative station in your area, go for it, because it is a rare luxury. Otherwise, secular radio won't kill you, but you might not want to make M. Manson's "Antichrist Superstar" your next CD purchase.