Sick of Taylor Swift headlines yet?
Over her nearly two-year Eras Tour (which will end later this year on Dec. 8, per Billboard), she has morphed into even more of a superstar, and with additional fame has come additional criticism.
Some critics have attacked her for appearing in the NFL’s spotlight, according to Sports Illustrated; others have panned her for being “unmarried and childless” at age 34, per The Standard.
You name it, there’s a reason to hate Swift (and anyone else) if you look hard enough.
One objection to Swift comes from a demographic I belong to, though I don’t agree with their criticisms. Some Christians, including some Christian social media influencers, have accused Swift of heresy, witchcraft and depravity.
Allegations of heresy surround Taylor Swift
Some critics say Swift, through her songs and concerts, promotes wickedness and unholiness.
“So tired of satanic imagery being shoved in our faces,” wrote a Christian influencer in 2023. She captioned a video from Swift’s Eras Tour, in which Swift and dancers swayed along to the song “Willow,“ “This is not normal, cool or cute. It’s demonic.”
“I listened to a handful of her songs and I couldn’t even keep up with the lines she used to mock God and Christians or talks about drugs, death, killing, and suicide,” one Instagram user posted in April.
“She’s really revealed who she is. ... Almost half of the songs on Taylor Swift’s recent releases are explicit and mock Christians and basically straight-up blasphemy,” warned another.
“If (you’re) a Christian listening to Taylor Swift Music you need to repent!” argued a video on TikTok.
Social media users aren’t the only ones bring up faith-related concerns about Swift.
Some faith leaders have accused her of glorifying blasphemy and sinfulness with her music and of featuring witchcraft in her concerts.
Taylor Swift music as a faith-building experience
As a young woman, I’m a member of Swift’s core audience. I grew up listening to songs like “Love Story” and “Picture to Burn.”
As her music has evolved, so have I, right along with it, including by growing more religious.
As a child, I depended on my parents to motivate me to go to church, read my Bible and say my prayers. Now I do all these things more independently and enthusiastically.
If the picture drawn by Swift’s accusers was accurate — and if I had to choose between following Jesus and listening to Taylor Swift — then I would choose Jesus in a heartbeat. Thank goodness the choice is a false dilemma.
Swift’s music has actually helped point me back to God in some of the toughest moments of young adulthood.
Her songs make me think of endurance, strength and hope for the future. They also served as an emotional catharsis as I struggled to balance the expectations in my religious culture with my own thoughts and feelings.
In other words, I think her music counters parts of Christian culture that have grown toxic, acknowledges the toxicity and points listeners back to the love and sincerity that beats at the heart of the faith.
Let me walk you through some of Swift’s controversial lyrics and how they speak to me.
‘But Daddy I Love Him’
“I just learned these people only raise you to cage you / Sarahs and Hannahs in their Sunday best / Clutching their pearls, sighing, ‘What a mess’ / I just learned these people try and save you... cause they hate you... Now I’m running with my dress unbuttoned / Screaming ‘But Daddy I love him!’”
These lyrics from “But Daddy I Love Him” rattled some Christian listeners, but I can relate to them. I have experienced judgment from some well-meaning and loving but short-sighted elders who, at the expense of showing love and empathy, put the emphasis on their concerns over things like how I dress (“that skirt doesn’t cover the knees”) and the swear word I spewed in a moment of anger (“what would Jesus say if He heard you?”).
I can’t relate to the love scandal Swift talks about in the song, but I can relate to feeling judged ... and then accepting the love of the father. The lyrics ”even my daddy just loves him” make me think of my Father in Heaven’s unconditional love.
‘Guilty as Sin?’
“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?”
“Guilty as Sin?” is from Swift’s latest album. Christian critics have called out the above lyrics for being particularly blasphemous. But I think she puts to voice a question that some young adults consider. What is holy to me? Who is to say that the life, the gifts and relationships God has given me are not holy?
Throughout the New Testament, Jesus was plagued by Pharisees who thought him blasphemous for practicing love and acceptance that defied tradition. He was persecuted for having a relationship with God independent of the establishment.
Through these lyrics, Swift expresses what many young adults fear: that they will be rejected for behaving in a way their elders dislike. “Guilty as Sin?” reminds me that that it is okay to question the establishment — and that love has more value than hate. Christianity, in part, is about rebelling against an unloving establishment ... and “Guilty as Sin?” is about the same thing.
‘Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?’
“Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” also comes from “The Tortured Poets Department.” Its lyrics reference witchraft:
“So I leap from the gallows and I levitate down your street / Crash the party like a record scratch as I scream: / ‘Who’s afraid of little old me?’”
The imagery of hanging witches alludes to the Salem witch trials, when women were falsely accused and hanged. Like those women, Swift has faced intense criticism and been accused unfairly of all sorts of misdeeds.
“Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” is Swift’s assertion of confidence in her identity.
It reminds me of Jesus Christ boldly claiming his identity in Luke 22:70:
“Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am.”
‘You’re On Your Own, Kid’
“You’re On Your Own, Kid” comes from “Midnights,” the album before “The Tortured Poets Department.” There’s a beautiful twist in its sad-but-hopeful lyrics that captures the faith in Swift’s music.
In the song, Swift often repeats “You’re on your own, kid / You always have been” as she describes setbacks, dashed hopes and slow progress (”everything you lose is a step you take”). At the end of the song, those lines are delivered slightly differently: “You’re on your own, kid / Yeah, you can face this.”
I believe that message is core to Swift’s music, and it’s important to me. Like her, I’ve experienced heartbreak, setback, unfair circumstances, judgmental elders and more. I have frequently felt alone, in spite of seeking to rely on God.
Her lyrics sometimes touch me when my Christian habits don’t. They remind me that I’m not alone, that other people are experiencing these trials with me and that things will be OK.
They make me think of the love of God. As I’ve grown spiritually, I’ve begun to see that love everywhere, from the friends God places in my life, to the scriptures, to the trees that give me shade on a cool day, to popular music that serves as a reminder to be myself and a reminder that I am loved.