The English author G.K. Chesterton once said, “art, like morality, consists of drawing the line somewhere.” This quip echoed through the chasms of my mind when I heard about Britney Spears’ controversial single “If U Seek Amy.” For those who are not quite as hip as me, it phonetically spells out the F-word in sequence with ‘me.’

So, where do we draw the line? I would hardly define this as art, but beyond that it clearly exemplifies Spears’ moral compass.

But I don’t want to crucify this poor girl when all that Britney Spears has done is reveal the truth behind the music industry, and the reflection it casts on society.

The problem is that most people do not care about a song like this, in fact, on the contrary, we hand out Grammy Awards to rap artists such as Eminem who rhyme about murdering their wives and raping their mothers. To many people’s surprise, I could lead you to a dozen different successful bands that sing about necrophilia, rape, torture and the glorification of serial killers.

The reality of it all is that these things have become commonplace and are rightfully protected under the freedom of speech laws. That I can accept. Freedom of speech and rights to artistic expression should be protected, but let the lyrics speak for themselves.

Where there was once a hint of morality left in pop culture, it has now gone down the drain. It’s no wonder that this is the product we end up with.

In a nation where you can go to the corner store and buy a crack pipe without showing ID, hand out condoms in public schools but not the Bible, where pornography is everywhere and hourly motels stay open for decades while churches close weekly.

We live in a country more concerned about pleasing the world than changing it with the gospel.

A verse comes to mind as I reflect upon these issues: “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).

We cannot blame Britney when we as a nation do not have eyes to see how corrupt and immoral some of the things we call entertainment truly are.