I’ll give Taylor this. She has a great marketing team.
The Eras Tour of 2023-2024 was marketed so well that it’s the highest grossing music tour ever, amassing over $2 billion in revenue[1]. You’re not a true fan unless you splurged on astronomically priced tickets, designed your outfit around your favorite Taylor album, and brought a plethora of friendship bracelets for trading with other Swifties during the concert.
Like many teens, I enjoyed the sweet ballads of Love Story and You Belong With Me during my high school years. But I was shocked to see how far people were willing to go in order to attend a single concert.
The cultish FOMO surrounding these concerts caused me to pause and ask, when did we become Taylor’s idolaters?
Think I’m exaggerating?
In this article we’re going to examine Biblical scripture that gives us a guideline on what kind of content we should consume. We’ll talk about the risks of content consumption. And then you’ll have the opportunity to decide for yourself if Taylor Swift’s music makes the spiritual cut.
READER DISCRETION: this article contains some mature content that may not be suitable for younger readers. Please use caution when reading around your young children. If you are a minor, please ask your parent to read the article first before proceeding.
Evaluating the Christian’s Responsibility: Set Your Minds on Things Above
The inspired apostle Paul gives us a clear calling (or responsibility):
“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” — Colossians 3:3
If that isn’t clear enough, Paul elaborates:
“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” — Colossians 3:5-10
Paul uses an extreme image—“put to death”—to describe giving up worldliness.
But sometimes we leave worldly influences on life support.
We will justify almost anything if we really want to. We say things like, “It’s okay for me because my mind is strong; I’m unaffected.” Or, “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, just one night will be fine.” Or, “I’m just too weak to withstand this, it’s just who I am.”
I know this is true because I have said things like this before. At times I’ve let worldly influences reroot in my heart, and I’ve had to put those urges to death all over again.
I have a feeling I’m not the only one. If you’ve experienced the same, then we both have to ask: have we truly put worldliness to death?
When we digest content (music, movies, books etc.) with sinful themes, we are letting that worldliness live on life support. And in doing so, we will risk the health of our holiness.
There is no in-between—either we live for God, or we live for sin and selfishness. And if we want to live for God, then we need to put to death the pleasures of sin and live transformed for Him (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 5:15, 17; Matthew 6:24).
Why Taylor Swift’s Music is Dangerous for Christian Women
How does Taylor’s music measure up to Colossians 3? The vast majority of her songs fit into one (or both) of two categories.
Category one: meaningless nonsense that doesn’t really make a lot of sense.
Category two: full-on blast of sinful rebellion, substance abuse, and premarital sex.
Not to mention both categories being full of vulgarity (even if you listen to clean versions, let’s be honest; there is no clean version for a live concert).
I hesitate to put real lyrical examples in this article because it’s far more PG-13 than I typically publish. Ultimately, I’m choosing to do so to show you the seriousness of the issue.
If you’re a mother, a grandmother, an aunt, or an older sister who thinks Taylor Swift inspires young girls, you need to know what this “inspiration” looks like.
“Religion’s in your lips…The altar is my hips; Even if it’s a false god, we’d still worship this love.” — False God, 2019
“I’m spilling wine in the bathtub. You kiss my face, and we’re both drunk.” — Dress, 2017
And from her newest album:
“I’ll be your father figure; I drink that brown liquor; I can make deals with the devil because my {explicit’s} bigger.” — Father Figure, 2025
There are dozens of examples like this, but to include a comprehensive list would be simply depressing. Surely with just these three examples, you can see the seriousness of standing by while young ladies listen to and idolize this artist.
The Real Question Christians Should Ask about Consuming Content
At this point, I’m wondering if we’re asking the right question. See, perhaps you came to read my opinion or response to the title, “Should Christians Listen to Taylor Swift?”
But I’d suggest better questions for us are…
Does Taylor Swift’s music represent Christian morals? Do the themes of her songs edify and encourage Christian women? Have we put to death “what is earthly,” as Colossians describes, if we’re giving our brains a steady diet of this music?
My Shocking Revelation About Listening to Taylor Swift
The Eras Tour was a wakeup call for me. When I started investigating more of Taylor’s music and seeing how obsessive her fans were for these concerts, I realized her influence simply isn’t healthy for Christians. And even though I listened to a select number of clean version songs, I decided I didn’t want to support her work in any way.
And when I took a break from listening to her, something surprising happened.
I started feeling lighter and more joyful. I stopped feeling so angsty, anxious, and even annoyed at little things on a regular basis. And then I started to question…could Taylor Swift’s music have that big an impact on the heart?
Could it be that the subtle, underlying worldly themes even of her clean songs can distract us from keeping our minds set on things above?
The problem isn’t just Taylor Swift
Here’s the reality: it’s not limited to Taylor Swift. It’s not even limited to music.
It’s true for anything that becomes a distraction from things that are true, honorable, pure, and commendable. (Phil 4:8).
Music, movies, novels. Podcasts and YouTubes. Pop culture and politics. Even positive resources can become a distraction if we give them higher attention than we give to our God and His Word.
A Final Call from Jesus
It’s been three years since I pushed pause on all Taylor Swift songs and I’m increasingly glad I did. Perhaps you’re thinking, that’s nice for you, but giving up allTaylor Swift songs forever? That’s a little extreme.
You know what? Fair. And I’m not telling you the right choice for you is to never listen to any Taylor Swift song again But I’ll tell you this: I’d rather take extreme measures to stay eternally focused than to lose my soul for the sake of temporary self-gratification.
Jesus gives us a directive in Matthew 18. If your hand, eye, or foot causes you to sin, cut it off (Matthew 18:7-9). Thankfully for us, getting rid of certain music or other content is a lot easier and a lot less damaging than losing a whole body part. Taylor’s music is easy to “sacrifice” if indeed it helps me stay true to our Biblical calling.
I encourage you to self-reflect. Where do you draw the line when it comes to digesting content? Has this article highlighted worldly passions that are on life support in your heart? Or, are you inspired, knowing you’re not the only one who’s concerned? Tell me what you think in the comments.
Please, if you agree that this is a serious matter that needs to be discussed, share this article. Email or text a link to moms with teenage daughters. Share this article on Facebook or save to Pinterest. Then, find more inspiration on the Gather in the Garden blog. Together, let’s inspire women to keep their hearts rooted in Christ.
[1]: Guinness World Records Highest-grossing music tour
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