Q. Why do Christians say music affects people? If a song talks about violence or sex, I'm smart enough not to do it.

A. What about songs that say we should kill everyone of a certain race? You're not likely to go do it, so what's wrong with listening to it, right? Or how about songs that describe rape or torture in detail? Listening won't make you do those things, so why not listen?

For me, the answer is: "Why would I want to listen to song about those things?" Very few of us really want to be entertained by songs that describe racism, murder, rape or torture. But other sins seem less offensive to us. Songs about seductive casual sex or violent revenge make those sins seem much more attractive.

The problem: They're still sins.

You should probably check your motives if you're listening to songs about sex and violence to be entertained. If we accept that it's OK to regularly be entertained by music that depicts sin, then looking to be thrilled by the real thing might not be as far behind as you think.

Mark is the founder of WisdomWorks Ministries. You can learn about his conferences, read movie and music reviews, and more at planetwisdom.com.

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