Using Taylor Swift songs and lyrics for devotions and Bible study

If you have a TV or young teen, you know who Taylor Swift is. And if you teach young people, then you have undoubtedly heard them talk about her and maybe even sing her songs. If not, I encourage you to ask your kids and listen to a couple of her songs on your favorite music service -- because she is what many kids are listening to these days.

M-A-N-Y.

She's the current reigning popstar and an icon to millions of young people, especially young girls. Her songs are all over the radio, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, iTunes, Alexa, and especially Tik Tok. She's won multiple Grammys. And her billion-dollar "Eras" Tour was the talk of 2023.

"Swifties" come in all colors, sizes, and genders. My ten-year-old grand-daughter and her mom, along with several of her friends and their moms went to the Swift concert in Cincinnati last year. And as the following video shows, teenage boys are listening too.

Boo-Hoo! Predictably, some in the Church have come out against her -- like they did against the Beatles, Elvis, Frank Sinatra (the younger Frank), Motown, and Swing. You name it - they hated it.  But many of us see her popularity and her fan's devoted familiarity with her lyrics as an opportunity to do some teaching.

This video news report shows teens at a "Tuesday Mornings With Taylor" Bible Study.

Example from the video's Tuesday with Taylor Bible Study: Swift has a song lyric about “the Heartbreak Prince.” The Bible study group compared that reference to a quote from Isaiah 9:6, which says, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Swift's lyrics are famously about growing up, dealing with relationships, persevering, and being your own person. More often than not, they confess her mistakes and insecurities (think: "I'm the problem it's me").  Some are mature, but many are older-kid and youth friendly. Some are on-target, and some need some biblical perspective.  Teachers of children and youth often teach BY CONTRASTING pop and cultural messages with the message of Jesus, and the only thing different here is that the kids can quote the message we need to talk about!

In the 5th Century, Saint Augustine wrote that “All truth is God’s truth.” Having heard my fair share of Swift tunes (several of my family members are big Swift fans), I can honestly say, "she speaks the truth" much of the time -- as an older male, it's just not in words and experiences I'm used to hearing or talking about. But that didn't stop the disciples at Pentecost did it.  As teachers, we are always challenged to speak the Good News in the LANGUAGE OF THE HEARER, not our own.

Discussing pop song lyrics in relation to Bible stories and verses is a teaching technique that goes back to the 60's and 70's. And though it started with youth and youth groups, it's a good technique for engaging older children too, in part, because older kids are much "older" than we were back then, and they have greater access to their own music these days due to the proliferation of cellphones, music on the internet and music services.

As usual, you can find the complete lyrics to any song at one of many online lyric resources, such as https://www.lyrics.com/ or https://genius.com/artists/Taylor-swift   **I don't endorse all her lyrics or points of view. Some lyrics use words many would find offensive (but many kids won't or are used to). I would avoid them, but if they come up, it's an opportunity to address that issue too.

Here are a couple of other links to Taylor Swift Bible Study resources:

Decoding the Religious Messages in Taylor Swift Songs -- this article has a list of 7 Swift song lyrics that could be discussed. It also tries to examine "what Taylor Swift believes" in terms of her faith. Interesting discussion fodder about someone many of our student idolize.

7 Things Christians Can Learn from the Taylor Swift Eras Tour -- this article by an M.Div student received some bad press by conservatives who read the Gospel Coalition's blog. I thought it was provocative. It shines a light on the joy and promotion of self-esteem (particularly among young girls) that Swift espouses, and looks at Christian parallels. It describes the joyous devotion of her fans and suggests we are made that way to seek the only ONE who can perfectly fulfill us. Sadly, the editors removed it, but nothing ever really dies on the internet and you can read it here at web.archive.org

This pastor and self-proclaimed "Swiftie" from the Crossroads Church movement gets it. Here's his breakdown of four principles that "Tay-Tay" reminds us of. 1) Pain can be a path forward (lyric: "If you never bleed you're never gonna grow."  2) Vulnerability is a superpower. 3) The rewards go to the risk-takers ("play stupid games, win stupid prizes"). 4) It takes hard work. ("I've never been a natural, all I do is try, try, try." Shake it off')  His article has Bible verses.

A British Pastor writes an article titled, "What I learned about Jesus from Taylor Swift."

He start by writing this: Anti-Hero, her Grammy-winning song, begins with the lyric: “I have this thing where I get older, but just never wiser.” It’s a surprising way to start a pop song. The chorus is even more pointedly honest: “It’s me, hi. I’m the problem, it’s me.”

Lyrics about self-limitation and culpability don’t usually appear in hit singles. We are more accustomed to the crooning of unabashed pride or lists of accomplishments. “I did it my waaaay.” But Swift’s song cuts through the radio noise and feels more like a confessional than a promotional.

Dallas Seminary student Sarah Griffith posted 5 scripture-based devotions riffing off of Taylor's lyrics. Check them out at Patheos: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/...taylor-swift-lyrics/

Writes Griffith, "Believers or not, God can use what he has created to point people to him and teach the truth."  And, "As a believer, my spirit grabs these lyrics and presents them before the throne of God. They help me sing (about) a situation (where someone is hurt) ...and celebrate or just cry when I need to."

Whether by Paul or Apollos or Peter or Taylor...

Read more about teaching with contemporary Christian music as well as popular music.