EGN NEWS DESK
Taylor Swift is on the Australian leg of her Eras tour so we’re consistently being bombarded with information of her. The arrival of her personal aircraft in Sydney was breathlessly lined by the information stations. And that is not stunning – she offered out the 92,000-seat MCG in Melbourne thrice and has completed the identical 4 instances for the 82,000-seat Accor stadium in Sydney. It’s a rare achievement for a tour that in Australia alone will elevate $370 million.
But the important thing query is seemingly whether or not you’re a Swiftie or a ‘Tay Tay hater’? It is a attribute that in our supposedly non-binary, numerous society, every little thing appears to be decreased to a binary possibility. Apparently if you happen to like Taylor Swift it’s a signal that you’re a progressive Biden supporting liberal … and if you happen to do not like her, you’re a Trump-supporting far-right Fascist!
As Christians, is it doable to have a extra nuanced strategy in contemplating the Taylor Swift phenomenon? I’m reluctant given the just about Messianic/Demonic standing given to her, however let’s have a go within the hope that I’ll survive each the blasphemy and the heresy expenses!
Firstly, this isn’t about whether or not you want her music or not. Although it might be churlish to not acknowledge her song-writing expertise, leisure worth, publicity consciousness and enterprise genius. For those that do not know Swift – who is barely 34 years outdated – she is essentially the most vital musical determine and cultural affect on the planet in the meanwhile.
She is awfully gifted as a songwriter, discovering a approach to join with the emotions of her followers in each her earlier Country fashion (e.g. Love Story), or later pop (like final yr’s Cruel Summer). Personally, I do not suppose she is nearly as good because the individual she was named after, James Taylor – though I used to be delighted to find that she is of German/Scottish ancestry!
She was Time journal’s 2023 Person of the Year and amongst her many achievements has 14 Grammy and quite a few different awards.
She is at the moment within the midst of her Eras Tour – an enormous enterprise which by the point it ends may have concerned 150 reveals on 5 continents.
With regards Christianity, though Wikipedia claims she is a Christian, there may be little proof of that in her life. She was introduced up in a churchgoing house and remembers how her grandmother’s singing in church impressed her – however she appears to have moved from the extra cultural Christianity you’ll anticipate from somebody introduced up within the Bible Belt, to at finest, a looking out, questioning religion.
But that ought to not cease us appreciating her expertise or her music – if that’s your style. She writes constructive issues about friendship and is method higher than a number of the hypersexualised cultural stars in the present day. Her persona and demeanor additionally come throughout as caring and nice.
Sadly, she has grow to be a part of the American tradition wars (and thus due to the wave impact, tradition wars everywhere in the world) due to her political opinions, that are definitely anti-Trump and pro-Democrat. But that doesn’t imply, as some critics have advised, that she is a pawn of the Biden Administration. And equally it doesn’t imply, as some on the opposite facet have advised, that she may sway the approaching election for Biden. Surely we have now had sufficient celeb endorsements to final a lifetime?!
Her political place signifies that she is handled with child gloves by the mainstream media. If she had been a Trump supporter there could be quite a few questions on her personal life, enterprise pursuits and so on. But as a result of she is on ‘the proper facet’ she is protected. On the opposite hand, that signifies that some on the opposite facet will vilify her. Neither one is a simply or wise response for a Christian.
But this hype round her politics illustrates one other downside: within the rejection of God, a tradition tends to lose its thoughts and search for different saviours. If you doubt that, then simply contemplate that previously week, I’ve examine Taylor saving the Australian economic system via Taylornomics, girls in China and the planet – in addition to getting Biden re-elected!
The bother with the idolisation is just not a lot on the cultural, macro degree (which simply reveals the juvenile silliness that has taken over so lots of our establishments), however quite on the particular person micro degree in that there are tens of millions of primarily teenage ladies who so idolise her that they might be referred to as worshippers.
Watching them sing on the concert events, phrase good for each music, tears streaming down faces, screaming and chanting “F*** the patriarchy”, was a considerably miserable sight. Inevitably they are going to be let down. A ‘private’ relationship with Taylor is not going to present actual which means in life.
I’ve learn some Christian publications which inform us that although not overtly Christian, Taylor is ‘spreading the sunshine of Christ’. Former Christian, the American commentator Chris Kratzer inform us that her charitable giving is proof that she is extra like Jesus than most American evangelicals: “I’m starting to suppose that every one the hatred Evangelicals have in direction of Taylor Swift is as a result of everybody can see she is much extra like Jesus than they’re.” He cites as proof her donations in 2023: $50 million for truckers, $30 million for meals banks, and $20 million for the animals.
But that doesn’t make her like Jesus, who by the way by no means had $100 million to offer away. Taylor Swift does as a result of she is a superb businesswoman (or she employs some good businesspeople!). Consider the next. She is price $1.2 billion as a result of she will get royalties regardless that she does not personal the outdated songs. And she has recorded ‘Taylor’s model’ of those self same songs, from which she will get streaming royalties and possession. That’s some huge cash on condition that for instance, 1 / 4 of the Spotify high 50 in Australia are her songs.
For every cease in her tour she will get $13 million. She documented the excursions and created a movie that netted $130 million. Her album gross sales are tens of tens of millions per yr. The merchandise from her Eras tour has already netted some $200 million. Then there are model endorsements and partnership, and model fairness with some social channels. On high of that, she has $150 million in actual property, together with a Beverly Hills mansion and a New York Penthouse. Her cat alone is supposedly price $97 million. Would Jesus have a multi-millionaire cat?!
Little surprise that she will be able to afford to remain at a $36,000 per night time govt suite whereas right here in Sydney and flies all over the place in a big personal jet (for which after all she pays carbon credit so she will be able to nonetheless journey in luxurious and tick the ‘I’m saving the planet’ field).
We would rightly be horrified if a televangelist had such wealth, or perhaps a politician. But Taylor Swift will get a free go on all this capitalism. None of it signifies a way of life primarily based on religion in Christ! Nor does her assist for abortion and Stonewall. Taylor represents and espouses the good idols of our age – intercourse, consumerism, and materialism – and in that, she is a baby of our age, not a baby of Christ.
And for that cause I can’t determine both as a ‘Tay Tay hater’, nor a Swiftie. I’m a ‘Taylor Prayer’. I pray that the Lord will reveal himself to her and that she in flip will level her many followers away from herself, and in direction of Christ. In her music “Soon You’ll Get Better”, written after her mom was identified with most cancers, she wrote: “Desperate folks discover religion, so now I pray to Jesus too.” May the Lord make her determined sufficient to hunt Him, and should he reply her prayer.
