By Laura Acuff, Staff Writer

Local music artists joined Students’ Association president Matt Worthington and Don McLaughlin, author and minister from North Atlanta Church of Christ, Monday night in the Williams Performing Arts Center to discuss connections between modern music and relationships.

Barry Smith, hip hop urban gospel artist and DJ for Abilene Christian radio station KGNZ, performed, followed by alternative Christian group Look to the Sky before Worthington, senior English major from San Antonio, and McLaughlin led the small crowd in conversational discussion.

“Words are very powerful symbols, and all of this music we’ve been listening to tonight is filled with words that are very strong symbols, and they communicate to us McLaughlin said in his opening remarks. McLaughlin said these messages are drilled into people, serving as discouraging or encouraging messages.

Speakers carefully distinguished between the messages of secular and Christian music throughout the event.

“So much of our music reflects back to me, only those things that I care about already.” McLaughlin said. “That’s part of what we want to demonstrate tonight – the wonder and the beauty and the diversity that comes when we share this music.”

On the topic of minimal student participation at Monday’s event, Worthington said he still saw value in meeting with those who did attend but encouraged better attendance at similar events in the future.

“Obviously, having an opportunity to sit down and dialogue with a guy like Don [McLaughlin], I think it’s a fantastic thing,” Worthington said. “A lot of people don’t know who he is. I just became familiar with him in the past year or so, but I’ve definitely learned a lot from him so far. Just because you don’t necessarily know who somebody is doesn’t mean you can just back out of it or say, ‘ah, I’m not going to go to that one.’ I definitely think that any opportunity is an opportunity you should take.”