Taylor Swift is on the Australian leg of her Eras tour, so we're always bombarded with information about her. Information stations held their breath when her personal jet arrived in Sydney. And that's no shock – it offered out the 92,000-seat MCG in Melbourne 3 times and the identical 4 occasions on the 82,000-seat Accor Stadium in Sydney. It's a unprecedented achievement for a tour that has grossed $370 million in Australia alone.
However the important thing query is clearly, are you a Swiftie or a 'Tay Tay hater'? Characteristically, in our supposedly non-binary, various society, all the pieces appears to be lowered to a binary choice. Apparently, in case you like Taylor Swift, that's an indication you're a Biden-supporting progressive liberal… and in case you don't like her, you're a Trump-supporting ultra-right fascist!
As Christians, is it attainable to method the Taylor Swift phenomenon in another way? I'm reluctant given her near-messianic/demonic standing, however let's give it a shot within the hopes that I survive each blasphemy and heresy expenses!
Initially, it's not about whether or not you want her music or not. Though it will be impolite to not acknowledge her songwriting expertise, leisure worth, publicity consciousness and enterprise genius. For many who don't know Swift – who is simply 34 years outdated – she is presently an important musical persona and cultural affect on this planet.
She's extraordinarily proficient as a songwriter, discovering a solution to join along with her followers' emotions in each her earlier nation type (like Love Story) and later pop (like final yr's Merciless Summer season). Personally, I don't assume she's pretty much as good because the particular person she's named after, James Taylor – though I used to be happy to seek out out she's of German/Scottish descent!
She was named Time journal's Individual of the Yr in 2023 and her many achievements embrace 14 Grammys and quite a few different awards.
He’s presently in the course of his Eras Tour – an enormous endeavor that may embrace 150 concert events on 5 continents by the top.
As for Christianity, though Wikipedia claims she is a Christian, there’s little proof of this in her life. She was raised in church and went dwelling and remembers being impressed by her grandmother's singing in church – however she appears to have moved away from the extra cultured Christianity you'd count on from somebody raised within the Bible Belt to, at greatest, looking and questioning. religion.
However that shouldn't cease us from appreciating her expertise or her music—if that's your style. He writes optimistic issues about friendship and is significantly better than a few of at the moment's hypersexualized cultural stars. I additionally discover her persona and demeanor caring and nice.
Sadly, she has change into a part of America's tradition wars (and due to this fact a ripple impact of tradition wars all over the world) due to her political opinions, that are definitely anti-Trump and pro-democracy. However that doesn’t imply, as some critics have instructed, that he’s a pawn of the Biden administration. And it additionally doesn't imply, as some on the opposite aspect have instructed, that it may sway the upcoming election for Biden. Absolutely we've had sufficient celeb endorsements to final us a lifetime?!
Her political place implies that the mainstream media treats her with child gloves. If she had been a Trump supporter there could be many questions on her personal life, enterprise pursuits, and so forth. However as a result of she is on the “proper aspect” she is protected. However, it implies that some on the opposite aspect will revile her. Neither is a good or cheap response for a Christian.
However this hype round her politics illustrates one other downside: in rejecting God, the tradition tends to lose its thoughts and search for different saviors. For those who doubt this, contemplate that previously week I've examine Taylor saving Australia's financial system via Taylornomics, girls in China and the planet – and likewise about Biden being re-elected!
The issue with idolization is just not a lot on a cultural, macro degree (which solely factors to the juvenile stupidity that has taken over so a lot of our establishments) however quite on a person micro degree in that there are thousands and thousands of principally teenage women who idolize her a lot they may as properly name themselves worshippers.
Watching them sing in live performance, phrase good for each track, tears streaming down their faces, screaming and chanting “F*** the patriarchy” was a quite miserable sight. They are going to inevitably be dissatisfied. A “private” relationship with Taylor won’t present the true that means of life.
I’ve learn a number of Christian publications that inform us that whereas not overtly Christian, Taylor is “spreading the sunshine of Christ.” Former Christian American commentator Chris Kratzer informed us that her charitable giving is proof that she is extra like Jesus than most American evangelicals: “I'm beginning to assume that every one the hate evangelicals have for Taylor Swift is as a result of everybody he sees way more like Jesus than they’re.” As proof, he cites her donations in 2023: $50 million for truckers, $30 million for meals banks, and $20 million for animals.
However that doesn't make her like Jesus, who by the way in which by no means had $100 million to present away. Taylor Swift does this as a result of she's an awesome enterprise particular person (or employs nice enterprise folks!). Take into account the next. He’s price $1.2 billion as a result of he will get royalties although he doesn't personal the outdated songs. And she or he's recorded “Taylor's model” of the identical songs from which she earns streaming and royalties. That's some huge cash contemplating, for instance, 1 / 4 of Spotify's prime 50 in Australia is made up of her songs.
He’ll obtain $13 million for every cease on his tour. She documented the tour and made a film that grossed $130 million. Her album gross sales are within the tens of thousands and thousands a yr. Merchandise from her Eras tour has already grossed some $200 million. Then there are manufacturers and partnerships and model fairness with some social channels. As well as, he has $150 million in actual property, together with a mansion in Beverly Hills and a New York Penthouse. Her cat alone is reportedly price $97 million. Would Jesus have a multimillionaire cat?!
No marvel she will be able to afford to remain for $36,000 an evening when she's right here in Sydney, and she or he flies in all places in an enormous personal jet (for which she pays for carbon credit, in fact, so she will be able to nonetheless journey in luxurious and tick “I'm a saving the planet” field).
We might be rightly horrified if a televangelist, or perhaps a politician, had such wealth. However Taylor Swift will get a free cross on all this capitalism. None of this means a life-style primarily based on religion in Christ! Neither is her assist for abortion and Stonewall. Taylor represents and stands for the nice idols of our time—intercourse, consumerism, and materialism—and in that she is a toddler of our time, not a toddler of Christ.
And for that cause, I can neither establish as a 'Tay Tay hater' nor a Swiftie. I’m 'Taylor Prayer'. I pray that the Lord will seem to her and that she in flip will level her many followers away from herself and to Christ. In her track “Quickly You'll Get Higher,” written after her mom was recognized with most cancers, she wrote, “Determined folks discover religion, so now I pray to Jesus.” Could the Lord make her determined sufficient to hunt Him and listen to her prayers.
