Madonna, Taylor Swift, and Hitler
I sometimes wonder if people truly listen to what individuals are actually saying, or is the person more important than the actual words. For instance, Madonna recently told a crowd in Los Angeles that she remembers talking with God. This alleged conversation occurred this past summer while she was in the intensive care unit from a serious bacterial infection. Madonna “told fans that her first word coming out of an induced coma after four days was ‘no.’” Allegedly that “no” was in response to God.
Madonna said, “I’m pretty sure that was God saying to me, ‘Do you want to come? Want to come up with me?’” Madonna’s response: “No.” Wright’s account of Madonna’s experience then goes on to quote her going on a profanity-laced tirade of when she would get out of the hospital and be back on tour.
This is the same Madonna who back in the 80s had parents trying to ban her music because of her raunchy songs (i.e., “Like a Virgin”). And for those who stopped listening to her music years ago, let me assure you Madonna hasn’t experienced a recent conversion to Christianity and begun singing wholesome songs. No, in fact, some of her more recent titles are so explicit (or profane) I won’t even mention them here.
So, let’s review—we have a popular pop singer who dresses exceptionally immodest, sings vulgar lyrics, had a coffee table book titled Sex, enjoys being lewd and raunchy on stage, but supposedly was asked by God if she wanted to come up with Him to heaven?
And no one is raising an eyebrow or asking what makes her think God is going to save her given her tight embrace on immorality? No one is asking how this religious experience is going to change her life or the songs she sings? God is holy—pure. Why would a holy God seek to bring a sin-stained pop singer to heaven if she still hasn’t put on the new man and been cleansed by the blood of Christ? But she is Madonna, and the people listen to her, as seen by the sellout crowds.
Or what about Taylor Swift? (And yes, I recognize I might feel the wrath of the Swifties after posting this—but they are actually part of the point.) Promo shots from her recent Eras tour reveal a 34-year-old woman who is not concerned about covering up. Several of the outfits she wears on stage are incredibly immodest. Or how about the profanity in many of her songs? Or the fornication she sings about? Or the alcohol chugging she proudly displayed from an NFL suite while her boyfriend was playing football? This is the same Swift who is very pro-choice and a strong advocate for gender equality and LGBTQ rights. But she is Taylor, and people listen to her, as seen by the sellout crowds.
At this point you might be saying, “Yes, and you should just shut up and leave these popular singers alone. They aren’t hurting anyone!” But there is another person in history who was also charismatic, the people listened to, and he spoke before sellout crowds.
His name was Adolf Hitler. And according to many historians, he was a great orator. He could hold crowds captivated and move them to emotion and action. He had massive crowds chanting his name and agreeing with every word he spoke. The problem was these crowds weren’t scratching below the surface and asking real questions about what he said.
For instance, he proudly declared he would help cleanse Germany, help build them up again, and help develop a great Aryan race. These people who were starved for leadership and hanging under the cloud of the Treaty of Versailles flocked to his confident voice without asking: Exactly how is this going to be accomplished? What will he actually do to those Jews? What will he do to people who disagree with him?
Madonna and Swift, just like Hitler, have the ability to emit emotion and action from thousands of followers. They have a huge following that will defend their every word or action—often without really thinking through what the person said or stands for. Just like in Hitler’s day they have become sheep.
But the question remains: Have they really scratched below the surface to ask the tough questions?
Like for instance, Madonna why in the world would you give up heaven for this fallen world if God was willing to take you? Isn’t God more important than your music career? Oh, and by the way Madonna, how much damage has your immorality and debauchery done to our culture?
And Taylor, you sing about love but you live a life that does not demonstrate love as it is defined in the Bible (see 1 Corinthians 13). The Bible says God is love (1 John)—so how does your “love story” of supporting same-sex marriage fit into God’s Word? And you sing so effortlessly about love, but what about your love for the unborn? Where is that? In a couple of your song’s, you sing about heaven. Do you really think heaven will be filled with profanity, immodest dress, and fornication? And when you encourage your Swifties to live, dress, or vote in a way that is not in accordance with God’s will, are you really helping them?
Friends, it is easy to get swept up in rhetoric. It’s easy to follow the crowd. It’s easy to just go along. And sadly, many of our own children are doing just that.
What takes courage is listening to the rhetoric and then asking hard questions.
Line up what the person says and the life they live in accordance with Scripture. Parents we must do a better job of training up our children to follow Christ instead of some cultural icon.
Do I believe God offered to take Madonna up to heaven and she turned Him down? At the end of the day my feelings don’t matter. What matters is God and my desire to spend eternity with Him. What matters is the promise Jesus gave us about heaven in John 14. What matters is Paul’s words that “to live is Christ and to die is gain.” What matters is hearing those words, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”
It is time we teach the next generation what really matters.