Krystle Partido from Oklahoma was listening to the radio at home when 'Norf Norf' by Vince Staples came on. As the Christian mother of four was listening she became very upset at the lyrics of the song. We know this because she recorded an 11 minute YouTube video capturing her reaction, which went viral this week.
In it, she says "I couldn't even believe the words that I was listening to. As a mom, it infuriated me. Obviously the cuss words were bleeped out, but I'm not stupid."
She even cries while she reads out the lyrics to the song.
Then the story took an unexpected twist, with Staples stepping in to defend Partido's right to critique his music after she was widely mocked for her stance. "I don't really have much to say about the video - I don't think it's funny at all," he told The Independent. "It's not right to attack someone over their stance, their opinions, and their religion. I think that's very immature."
The thought of the two of them getting together to talk is a lovely image (Partido posted that she would 'reach out' to Staples). Hopefully they can find some common ground.
What about the rest of us? Where should we draw the line? Is listening to secular music ever a good idea? It's something I've thought about a lot over the years.
I grew up in the '90s when Christian music was beginning to turn into the vast industry it is today. With big money behind it and high production values, for the past 25 years or so it's been possible for Christian teenagers and young adults to shield themselves from the secular music word and immerse themselves in purely Christian music.
This subculture was created in reaction to the scare stories that did the rounds in the '70s and '80s. Rumours flew around that certain songs played backwards had 'satanic' messages on them – or even that by listening to certain kinds of music, children were much more likely to get involved in 'occult' activities.
Of course, there was some truth to these worries – some bands are actively involved in promoting Satanism or other practices we'd like to shield our children from. But the vast majority of bands aren't – they're just making rock and roll, which isn't inherently evil or wrong.
Music is a powerful force, so it's understandable that parents would be concerned about the kind of content that is contained in the lyrics. That's where Christians need to be smarter. Rather than mere blanket dismissals of any secular music at all (which the kids will probably then find and be attracted to because of its illicit nature) it's much better to have a more open approach.
Judging the music children are listening to on the basis of the content is surely the way forward. The number of kids who are drawn to explicitly satanic music will be very small. Far more insidious and common is the kind of music which demeans women and promotes misogyny or music which glorifies the acquisition of wealth, for example.
Growing up, I enjoyed listening to contemporary relevant Christian music (shout out to Delirious?!). Yet I also learned and had my mind expanded by non-Christian artists. There are countless examples in the Bible of characters who were outside the people of God, yet provided great insight. Think about the Roman centurion whose faith is commended by Jesus or the Good Samaritan. They had lessons to teach – and so do many non-Christian music artists.
This is why I love the music of Bruce Springsteen, Leonard Cohen, Bruce Cockburn, Lucinda Williams and others who work at the interface of faith and doubt – but none of whom would straightforwardly identify as a Christian. In many ways, they express themes of lament and frustration which are much more true to the Scriptures than much contemporary Christian music.
Coming back to hip hop – which is where we started with Vince Staples – there are inspirational artists here as well. Not only is the expressly Christian music made by Lecrae worth listening to. The socially conscious work of A Tribe Called Quest or The Roots is well worth your time.
Ultimately, we can choose to have our children listen only to people whose doctrine lines up 100 per cent with our own. Yet it's unlikely they'll go through their whole lives being shielded from any music except Christian. In this case, surely it's better to introduce them to and allow them to discover their own tastes which expand their horizons while still affirming the God given creativity of the artists...
Follow Andy Walton on Twitter @waltonandy
