Taylor Swift has a net worth of 1.1 Billion. Her Eros / Eras Tour is poised to surpass Elton John’s Farewell Yellowbrick Road Tour. The talented lady has developed an almost cult status, as her loyal fans have tailored themselves Swifties. Ms. Swift began as “the girl next store,” country singer and then broached into pop, and now does mini plays on stage while singing her music. The first signs of the dark side seeping into her music according
to many Christian influencers online was the song “Willow” in which on stage she preforms a coven meeting in the woods with witches. She made some cryptic posts about being a witch, that some Fundamentalists have taken as a Satanic confession, but it may be out of context that she is saying she feels like she is being accused like the witches who were not witches in the Salem witch trials, and thus feels branded. Only God really knows her motives.
The more alarming lyrics that has stirred the community of Christ online is in her newest album Tortured Poet, the song Guilty As Sin?, which had the lyrics, “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?
If long suffering propriety
Is what they want from me
They don't know how you've haunted me
So stunningly
I choose you and me
... Religiously.”
People are taking this as major blasphemy, that she is claiming she could roll the stone of Jesus’ Tomb away, and perhaps they are considering her Babylon the Harlot in Revelation Chapters 17 and 18 who rides n the Dragon Satan. I confess at a glance the lyrics are alarming, the comparison that her lover is “the true holy,” and using imagery of Christ in middle of sexual yearnings seems odd, but the line “they’re gonna crucify me anyway,” seems to indicate that she feels crucified, like when someone says “he went public and they crucified him,” (Live Free or Die Hard) to denote major mistreatment. The line is believed to denote how she feels about the Christians condemning her online.
In lines before and after the stone roll away she does make a allusion to Revelation, “What if he's written 'mine' on my upper thigh
Only in my mind?
One slip and falling back into the hedge maze
Oh what a way to die
My bedsheets are ablaze
I've screamed his name
Building up like waves
Crashing over my grave
Without ever touching his skin
How can I be guilty as sin?,” the line “written on my thigh,” seems awfully close to “And he hath on his garment and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Revelation 19:16). And while she uses sexual language about bedsheets she then says “without ever touching his skin,” and she mention its her tomb not Jesus’ which is followed up by “what if I rolled the stone away?” Taylor is using a lot of religious imagery about herself which has made many Christian brothers and sisters think blasphemy, however, I think it could be poetic license, while I’d not personally say I roll the stone away, I have said “I feel crucified,” by people. Its quite possible Ms. Swift is channeling religious imagery because she feels tortured inside, and it may even be a good thing she is even drawing parallels to Jesus, since Willow had her finding comfort in witch circles.
The whole song talks about tryst and carnal passion without touching, which makes this almost sound like a song of someone in either unrequited love, or an allusion to The Song of Songs which has a lot of sensual imagery but it seen as allegory of Christ and His Church by many.
People tend to fall into the Swiftie or I hate Taylor camp. I frankly from looking at the lyrics of this song and few others think she seems like a tortured soul. She is the most successful singer in our lifetime, has a Superbowl winning quarterback boyfriend, and loyal fanbase. But you can have it all on the outside, and inside you are falling apart, and feel tortured. I knew a person who came to church, and when I was on the prayer team they approached me upfront at the stage for prayer. They looked like a movie star, had the finest Jewelry & clothing, and looked like they were as rich and successful as a Rockfeller, but they shared their marriage was collapsing and their spouse was verbally abusive. To quote 007 in Skyfall, “you put on a good show..” I wonder if the same is true for Ms. Swift? If her lyrics are truly how she feels, they may not be, she maybe happy and she just writes them without pouring her own feelings into them; that would be rare though, most singers pour some of themselves into their songs.
Should I say avoid Taylor Swift and claim Guilty As Sin? as a blasphemic piece that denotes an antichrist spirit? The song can be read that way, and if that is the intent, then I feel great concern for Ms. Swift. However, taking the other lyrics in hand, she seems to be using shocking religious imagery and allegory to convey feelings. One could interpret it as her own words towards the Church which on YouTube and social media has been sharpening pitchforks and lighting torches since her Willow song. Ms. Swift even made remarks about the Christian backlash, and so this may be an extended rebuttal or even to mock on purpose who she feels is a group saying “crucify her!” I understand that fellow saints feel affronted by her lyrics and believe that she had taken on a false god idol persona. What I see is a tortured poet, and we should pray for her. Purportedly she began as a Christian, in her early years of success in the country scene. If she has fallen away or been seduced by the dark side, the answer is not to get wood and set a stake ablaze, but to pray Jesus brings her back, that our Lord leaves the 99 to draw her into his arms again, “If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.” (Mathew 18:12). Indeed, her Guilty As Sin? sounds if you filter out the sexualization like a song between her and Christ, like she is wrestling with not being able to touch and be close to Him. That may just be my interpretation, but if its true I can see what comes in between Christ and a person, sadly it is often cruel Christians who misrepresent Him. Remember what Jesus said, “I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent,” (Luke 5:32), and Jesus said to judgmental religious elite of the day, “Jesus said to them, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you that the tax collectors and the prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you.” (Matthew 21:31). Be careful judging someone, “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.” (Matthew 7:1-6 NLT). While yes we can judge what is said or done that is evil, the problem with musical lyrics is they are like poetry, it can have multiple meanings and is not very clear like a statement or declaration. For that reason alone put the pitchfork down and put praying hands together, pray for Ms. Swift; put aside words of judgement and instead pray Jesus and Taylor can touch. Amen.
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