One of the nation’s leading evangelists recently warned Christian parents that Taylor Swift’s newest album contains lyrics that seemingly oppose Christianity. Shane Pruitt, the author of Calling Out the Called and an evangelist who tours with the annual Winter Jam concert, sparked an online debate with comments on his Facebook page that led to over 500 comments and 3,000 likes. Churchleaders.com first drew attention to Pruitt’s comments.
Swift released “The Tortured Poets Department” on April 19. Pruitt wrote, “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’s a difference between being secular and being ANTI-CHRISTIAN.” He then posted samples of Swift’s lyrics. In “But Daddy I Love Him,” Swift sings, “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.”
Later in the same song, she sings, “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.”
In “Guilty As Sin,” Swift sings, “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.” Pruitt wrote, “In transparency, I used to listen to Taylor, HOWEVER, I think now it’s time to reconsider.” He asked, “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?” Even before Pruitt’s post, the double album had been the source of debate for its inclusion of coarse language. Eleven of the 31 songs contain an “E” descriptor for “explicit.” MovieGuide, a family-centric entertainment website, also criticized the album, saying it “mocks Christianity.”
MovieGuide wrote in a review, “The album is full of minor quips that elevate Swift above God while also featuring two songs devoted to tearing down the Christian sexual ethic.” MovieGuide cited the lyrics in another song, “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can):” “They shake their heads sayin’, ‘God help her,’ / When I tell ‘em he’s my man/ but your good Lord doesn’t lift a finger / I can fix him, no, really, I can. And only I can.”
MovieGuide wrote, “The fact that one of the most popular and celebrities of her generation cannot find happiness reveals that living in the world leads to death while living for Christ and under his teachings leads to life. Unfortunately, Swift has chosen the path toward death and is reaping the fruits of her labor.”