Response to the recent attacks by the NAR on Taylor Swift, taking her lyrics out of context as bad as they do scriptures...

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The self-absorbed apostate church is at it again. I started noticing recently a full-frontal attack on America's darling Taylor Swift. Full disclosure, I am no Swiftie but I respect her efforts from a purely musical standpoint to create her own music in an age where talent has gone to die. While I find the old classic, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" absolutely hysterical from a lyrical standpoint, I actually do not know much of Ms. Swift's repertoire. I do know the repertoire of the NAR dominionist church however and I see very clearly when people try to leech off of someone else's celebrity to make themselves part of a story they had nothing to do with. I have ignored the first ten stories to recently appear on Charisma News but the above link stood out because there is nothing worse than people who do not understand lyrical content to read a song and assume it must be about them when it actually has nothing to do with them. That is the narcissism of wannabe church leaders. Now, I know even less about Shane Pruitt than I do about Taylor Swift. Pruitt appears to be a youth-oriented evangelist and while I do not see anything reported as false, he does appear on CBN, a major red flag. Let us reason once more together beloved through the above linked article from Charisma News.

'An evangelist who recently went viral for his critical response to pop star Taylor Swift's latest album is explaining his commentary and why he's encouraging Christian parents to be more discerning. "I'm not an anti-Taylor guy," Shane Pruitt told CBN News. "I'm [a] pro-Gospel guy."' - Charisma News

Please understand that the reason for the Tweet from Pruitt was to go viral. That is to be expected when you openly criticize the most recognizable and popular person on the planet. This is also what makes the criticism so disingenuous. If you want to encourage parents to be more discerning, start by discerning the churches they go to and the preachers they follow. Start by encouraging them to never tune into CBN for example. Instead, Pruitt tweeted recently regarding some of the lyrical content on Swift's new album, declaring it "anti-Christian."

'Disclaimer, I'm definitely not the minister or parent that has the "no secular music" stance. Also, I fully realize unbelievers are going to act like unbelievers. HOWEVER, there is a difference between being secular, and being ANTI-CHRISTIAN. For example, here a few lyrics from Taylor Swift's new album:

? "But daddy I love him / I just learned these people only raise you / To cage you / Sarahs and Hannahs in their Sunday best / Clutchin' their pearls, sighing, "What a mess" / I just learned these people try and save you 'Cause they hate you"' - Shane Pruitt

Let us start with the premise that if she was speaking about church people then that should concern us because it speaks to how we are perceived by people on the outside. It is easy to say you are "pro-gospel" but if you are not pro-people, it is irrelevant. These lyrics however are not necessarily about Christians but rather about all judgmental people. You see the one thing Shane Pruitt apparently forgot to do is any research. I assume he knows that Swift has been dating Kansas City Chief's tight end, Travis Kelce. It seems that not everyone was happy with this union. Mr. Kelce had some tweets resurface from many years ago that were less than favorable about women, and heavy-set women especially. So, a lot of people who claimed to be fans, in other words, who raised Swift up, then tried to cage her with their beliefs and opinions regarding Kelce. I am sure some were self-pronounced Christians as well, hence the reference to Sarahs and Hannahs, because Swift was raised Christian. The referent to "save" however does not appear to be a Christian reference. Just people imploring her to break up with Mr. Kelce.

'? "God save the most judgmental creeps / Who say they want what's best for me / Sanctimoniously performing soliloquies I'll never see / Thinkin' it can change the beat / Of my heart when he touches me / And counteract the chemistry / And undo the destiny / You ain't gotta pray for me / Me and my wild boy and all of this wild joy / If all you want is gray for me / Then it's just white noise, and it's just my choice"' - Shane Pruitt

We see here the direct tie into what I am saying. It is interesting that she pleads for God to actually save those that are so judgmental, as if they were going to change how she feels about Kelce. As if their opinions will change the chemistry they have or the destiny they may have. As if what they say matters more than what she feels in her life. The reference to not praying for her is a direct response to some who said they were praying for her to break up with Mr. Kelce. Are you sensing the point Shane? She is just not that into you. This has very little to do with being anti-Christian and everything to do with telling off the critics of her love life. The wild boy is Kelce, known for being very outgoing and a partier.

'? "What if I roll the stone away? / They're gonna crucify me anyway / What if the way you hold me is actually what's holy?"' - Shane Pruitt

Swift is known for multiple layers to her lyrical content. I find it interesting that she chooses to use biblical imagery but I am relatively sure to her it is just imagery, probably from her upbringing in church. Given the context of the lyrics however, rolling the stone away is obviously ending her relationship with Kelce. She is basically saying here that even if she gave in to these critics, they would more than likely still be critical, or "crucify her." Not the language believers would use but as Pruitt is fond of pointing out here, unbelievers going to act like unbelievers. The reference to the way you hold me is essentially just saying that shouldn't "love" be what is righteous and not this judgmentalism. Certainly not biblical but not anti-Christian as Pruitt accuses here. Let us not lose sight of the fact that we should be expecting biblical accuracy from Taylor Swift as I do not think that was her goal in writing her songs.

'? "The smallest man who ever lived / I would've died for your sins"' - Shane Pruitt

Dear Lord. Shane Pruitt cannot be this obtuse. I invite you to google the full lyrics for this song, "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived." This is one of the things I absolutely loathe about Christians who try to analyze secular music. To take these 12 words out of the context of the whole song to give the illusion that it is anti-Christian is intellectually criminal. CLEARLY, this song is about another ex-boyfriend of Ms. Swift, who is renowned for writing such songs. She is referring to that ex as the smallest man whoever lived throughout the lyrics. The reference to dying for his sins is just Swift saying that she would have excused his lousy behavior but instead she ended up "dying inside." Now, if you want to be critical of her using the term that is fine but we do not get to pretend that she did so as some kind of stance against Christians. It was a stance against the ex, period. In ironic fashion, Pruit concludes the tweet:

"In transparency I used to listen to Taylor, HOWEVER I think now it's time to reconsider. As Christians, who are filled with the Spirit should we be entertained by, sing with, and expose our kids to lyrics that aren't just different than what you believe, but are actually mocking what you believe?" - Shane Pruitt

Really. First of all, if you are a hypocritical person, posing as a Christian, then maybe some of what Swift does is mocking. In a recent documentary she was quoted as saying that though she was raised Christian, she does not see Christ in the political mess that poses as Christianity today. Guess what? She is right. It is sad when Taylor Swift is more discerning about the NAR than the average churchgoer. The ironic part though is the pearl clutching by Pruitt over exposing our kids to lyrics different than what we believe. So, let's try these on for size:

So we are his portion and he is our prize

Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes

If grace is an ocean, we're all sinking

So heaven meets earth

Like a sloppy wet kiss and my heart turns violently inside of my chest

And I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about

The way that he loves us - "How He Loves Us"

I lay my head on Your heart

Take me to Your chambers, lead me by the hand

I can't keep my eyes off You

I can't keep my eyes off You - "How I love You"

You didn't want heaven without us

So Jesus, You brought heaven down - "What a Beautiful Name"

I assume Shane Pruitt has no problems with these yet they do far more damage to Christian youth than Taylor Swift could ever do. That is because these pose as Christian lyrics. What do they teach us as we sing them over and over again in church? That we are God's portion and not the other way around? That we are so special because hey, look how much He loves us! That Jesus wants to lead us by the hand into His chambers or that He is giving the earth a sloppy wet kiss? You shouldn't feel like you need a shower after worshipping. Or that we are so special, that the creator of the universe just didn't want heaven without us. Yet we are concerned that a secular music artist used Christian imagery to speak badly about her ex-boyfriend or that she called out hypocrites for criticizing her current boyfriend. We need to get over ourselves. There is a world going to hell and we are dithering over out of context lyrics from Taylor Swift instead of all the out of context scriptures being used to sell the NAR dominionist worldview. Love Swift or hate her, she is not the enemy beloved.

Reverend Anthony Wade - May 3, 2024

Authors Bio:
Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.