In all honesty, I would consider myself a bit of a Swiftie. Over the years, I have found her songs clever, thoughtful, and catchy. More than a few times, my daughters and I have turned up the radio and sung her hits in the car together. Recently, she has once again been the topic of discussion with her latest album release, “The Tortured Poets Department.” This album continues the trend of a darker side to her music and, sadly, has been in the news due to the darker content, the more frequent use of profanity, and even anti-Christian/blasphemous themes. As Christians who live in the world but are not to be part of the world, we often struggle to know what to do with things like this. Let me interject some thoughts about lessons we can learn from situations like this.
DON’T EVER BE SURPRISED WHEN THE WORLD ACTS LIKE THE WORLD
First, we must always remember that the world will always act like the world. This shouldn’t surprise us. Before our regeneration, we, too, were lost and lived accordingly. Sin manifests itself in different ways in individuals' lives, and we should never be caught off guard when an unbeliever is okay with things God says are wrong. There is a difference between the standards of believers and unbelievers, and we should never be surprised when Taylor Swift or any other unregenerate person is okay with things that we know to be counter to what God says. Remember, though, that as Christians, we are indeed called to different standards, and we are no longer to live according to the world. Therefore, we should not be okay with these practices.
BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR INFLUENCES
This leads us to make sure that we are careful about who and what we allow to influence our lives. If you have been to a Taylor Swift concert (or any concert for that matter) or watched her Era’s Tour film, you can tell how much influence she holds, especially over ladies and young girls. We all must be careful with who we allow to hold influence over our lives, and music and media are some of the things that can influence us most greatly. Words have power; what we listen to and allow to speak into our hearts and minds holds power in our lives. All of us, especially parents, need to be mindful about what we and our children are allowing to have sway over their thoughts and beliefs. Let me encourage you to evaluate regularly what and who you are allowing to influence you and your family. Is it pointing you to Christ or away from him?
One of the things I have been concerned about with many of Taylor Swift’s lyrics, beyond her more frequent use of profanity, is her seemingly constant internal problems and struggles. The name of this album speaks of being internally tortured. We already have an epidemic of mental health issues, especially among our young people, and I am concerned that things like this might make it worse, normalize these feelings, and possibly even glamorize them. Her tone is that of unforgiveness and revenge, while her identity sadly seems to be wrapped up in relationships, what others say about her, and her fame. As Christians, we know that these are empty cisterns and should only let our identity be found in Christ.
TAYLOR SWIFT REINFORCES WHAT THE BIBLE WARNS ABOUT IN ECCLESIASTES
Taylor Swift is a billionaire who has everything the world can offer. Wealth, fame, beauty, prestige…you name it. However, she refers to herself as tortured and often sings from a point of dissatisfaction and emptiness. How can this be? Because the Bible tells us there is nothing in this world that can satisfy. Solomon learned this lesson as well. Full of wealth, wisdom, and women, he realized how empty this world was. He records this in the book of Ecclesiastes. Sadly, we have a hard time learning from the failures of others. There is only one thing that can satisfy us, and He is not of this world. Taylor’s own words reinforce what the Bible warns us about.
WHERE DO WE DRAW THE LINE?
So, where do we draw the line in this world? We clearly cannot throw out everything that is secular. What about when it comes to entertainment? Should we have a good old-fashioned record burning in the church parking lot? We each have to decide where we draw the line. However, here is my biggest concern with some of the newest lyrics from Taylor Swift’s newest album. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, her words mock and belittle the very thing that Jesus did to earn our salvation. There is a lot that Christians can tolerate from a lost world, but when things belittle our God and the gift of his Son, that is a line that we should feel is unacceptably crossed.
For His glory and your joy,
Pastor Charlie