Red is such an evil color. For centuries, it has been used to symbolise anger and hate. Nazi flags are red, white, and black. Communist flags are red and yellow. When we talk of anger, we talk about how people go "red with rage". A red moon is often used in the horror genre to represent some kind of evil event. Even in less sinister contexts, red is used in marketing strategies to manipulate consumers. Yes, red is an evil color.
But you're probably not convinced. Colors, of course, cannot be evil. They are morally neutral. They can be used by evil, and they can be used for evil, but God Himself saw fit to include it in His rainbow. God uses every color from red to violet to assure us of His promise to never again flood the Earth. It is clear, then, that simply being used by evil, or for evil, is insufficient to make a thing inherently evil in and of itself.
Why, then, are so many Christians willing to judge their brethren over their music preferences? To say rock music is evil, as many Christians do, is just like saying red is evil. It's not the music itself that is evil, it's what the world has done to it. Sure, secular rock music is often depraved. Secular music in general is. Even genres which are more popular among Christians, such as country music. Conveniently, judgmental Christians tend to apply looser standards to the things they like than the things they don't.
Now, why can we say some songs are depraved? Simply put, it's because something in them goes against the word of God. Scripture tells us it is sufficient to fully equip us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Therefore, if something is truly evil, we can make a compelling case against it from Scripture. I can say blasphemous songs are evil because the Bible explicitly condemns blasphemy. I can say songs that glorify murder are evil because the Bible explicitly condemns murder. I can say songs that glorify sexual immorality are evil because the Bible explicitly tells us to flee sexual immorality. I can say these things are evil not because of the music genre, but because of the lyrical content.
The moment you remove sinful lyrics, even the most evil of songs immediately become neutral. And if you add good lyrics, they become good. Similarly, you can take any hymn, change its genre, and not even slightly change its moral implications. Why? Simply because there is nothing in Scripture that explicitly condemns any type of music.
In fact, the Bible's statements on music are overwhelmingly positive. Take Psalm 150 as the obvious example: "Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament! Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!"
Well that about covers everything. The trumpet, the lute, the harp, the timbrel, dance, "stringed instruments"... It's all there. If it makes a noise, you can use it to make a noise for God.
Can the anti-rock brigade make a similar case against rock music? Certainly not! But I challenge them to try. If anyone can find a single compelling Scripture which, in its context, adequately condemns rock music, I will, without apology or hesitation, give up rock music. I've already ditched some of what used to be my favorite songs. I can do it again. The only condition is God has to want me to, not just some Pharisee who has decided their word is the law. Anyone want to take me up on that?