Past Christmases have seen battles over Baby Jesus crèches in the public square and questions about whether to say, “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays.” But who could have predicted that a 1940’s music classic, “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” would stir controversy? People who usually could care less about public morality have suddenly become overheated about a song suggesting hanky-panky in cold climes. The MeToo Movement has been apoplectic over this issue. Some radio stations stopped playing the song. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national Canadian broadcasting network, pulled the tune off its radio affiliates. This Christmas classic went from being flirty to a date-rape anthem. Most people’s disgust centered on a lyric that said, “Say, what’s in this drink?”
I’d like to ask the question, “Why this sudden culture moral outrage when worse than this has dominated the pop music charts for decades?” Where were these same middle-age moralists when Kiss sang, “No place to hide, no place to run, you pulled the trigger on my love gun.” Or when AC/DC sang, “I’m on the highway to hell?” Also, fast forward to new millennium rap, with these examples:
WARNING, COARSE LANGUAGE
“Bitches ain’t **** but hoes and tricks.” – Snoop Dogg
“You only **** with actors, you’re still getting ****ed backwards.” – Jay Z
“My little sister’s birthday, for a gift I had ten of my boys take her virginity.” – Eminem
“She could have a Grammy, I treat her *** like a nominee.” – Drake
These are only four examples of rap/hip-hop misogyny and vulgarity. I could quite literally give many thousands of other references. These kinds of lyrics, and much worse, bombard the airwaves every day, without any public outcry. Rap and pop artists use the most vile and demonic language imaginable on CD after CD, download after download, and nobody blinks. And the same people who tolerate daily, pop culture assaults on public decency are worried about “Baby, it’s cold outside?” That’s hypocrisy at its worst. I’m not defending this song; however, if these phony moral guardians of a Christmas song want to express outrage, let them focus on the real travesty of Christmas — the drunken, partying celebration of the day we memorialize as Christ coming to earth to save us from our sins. My suggestion is quit worrying about how cold it is outside and think about how hot Hell will be if you fail to put Christ in Christmas and put Jesus in your heart.
An encouraging word: Wicked Deceit
“The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise andto do good.” These words of Psalm 36:3 describe the destructive progression of sin. First, the work of wickedness is deception. The evil men speak is spiritual fraud. Second, such deception leads to a forsaking of wisdom. Foolishness takes over. Finally, wickedness and foolishness bring evil actions, and the sinning individual ceases to “do good.” If you see yourself somewhere in this progression from self-deception to evil actions, stop now, repent, and return to the truth of God’s word.
