The rise of audio porn
Songs can evoke powerful emotions, so be careful what you listen to.
“Climb on board.
We'll go slow and high tempo…” – Pillowtalk by Zayn Malik
Pillowtalk is just one of many popular songs that portray an overtly sexual message. Nearly 70% of the top songs on all the charts have very graphic and sexual content.
What should we do as Christians who are exposed to this kind of explicit music on a daily basis? Here are three suggestions.
1. Pay Attention
Know what you are listening to. If you are a Christ-follower, what you listen to will impact how you view things like sex and relationships—usually in a negative way.
And, if you’re an older sibling or friend, the songs you listen to could make younger people feel it’s ok to listen to those songs too, or to think that this type of music or language is appropriate.
It is easy to get lost in a song and not even realise what is being said or promoted. So, it will take effort to pay attention to the lyrics and to ensure what you’re listening to is worth listening to.
2. Make No Excuses
It is easy to fall victim to the skill of a musician or to the popularity of a song—the beats are fun, the lyrics are catchy, you hear the song all the time.
While all of these things may be true, they are not an excuse to listen to the song. What the media displays as normal or appropriate should not be your benchmark for morality.
The Word of God offers specific content to think about found in Philippians 4:8:
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.
And in Psalm 101:1:
I will sing of your love and justice; to you, LORD, I will sing praise.
3. Enjoy Music
Music has the power to change moods, attitudes and words. With that power comes great responsibility. Music can change you for the good or lead you into moods, attitudes and behaviors that don’t honor God.
Find music that you can enjoy and that will glorify God in the process. That way, you won’t have to deal with the guilt of listening to music that is destroying your spiritual integrity.
Music was designed with the purpose of glorifying God, but like many things, it can turn into a self-glorifying process. What could be even worse is that it could be a sin-glorifying process.
Many lyrics and songs promote an enticing sinful behavior, make it look appealing, beneficial and fun. It is important to remember that looks—or in this case, sounds—can be deceiving.
So make an effort and pay attention to what you are allowing yourself to listen to. And instead of listening to unhelpful songs, choose to listen to songs that build you up, encourage you, and strengthen your walk with Christ.
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