-and yes, listens to her songs-
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| SERIOUSLY YOU GUYS. read. her. captions. |
I've noticed a lot of hate on the Internet lately for celebrities with Instagram. I'm mainly thinking about the controversy over Sadie Roberson (Duck Dynasty gang) and Kylie Jenner (Kardashian family). The two 17-year-old stars couldn't be more different, and everyone has been extremely quick to point it out (you're looking it up right now, aren't you?).
Everywhere I turn there's a new article about Selena Gomez' new bikini pic or Demi Levato and her scandalous new boyfriend.
So in comparison, for me, Taylor Swift is a GINORMOUS whiff of fresh air. Crazy, right? You would think one of the world's foremost music artists would be someone to, I dunno, avoid! And while she isn't someone to imitate or build your life around (more on that later), from what I've seen perusing her account, I'm beginning to realize that she's doing her best to live a normal life in the limelight of fame.
Taylor really reminds me of a Jennifer Lawrence of the music world; a girl-at-heart who totally doesn't take herself seriously! ---> (picture on point)
Also, confession: I feel slightly weird as I write this because I've never joined up on the Swift train. I listen to ONE of her songs on a regular basis, and even with that I mute the chorus. *yes I'm sure your ex-boyfriend has nice hair but I don't wanna hear about it thank you*
So why would I write a post about someone I know virtually nothing about except for the fact that she writes a lot of break-up songs? (I don't even know if they're halfway decent or not, due to my lack of experience in this field)
I'm writing a post about Taylor Swift's Instagram because it's really not about her Instagram.
In the Christian circle, you see a lot of fingers being pointed when it comes to music, celebrities, movies, etc., The fact that I follow a secular artist on Instagram, for some people, would be considered sinful. This has led to many great late-night conversation about this topic with my parents. Truth be told, we're a family who loves to get. our. groove. on. Spontaneous dance parties are not really spontaneous anymore because someone is always dancing or singing around the house somewhere! And yes, many of these dance parties include music from Fallout Boys or Maroon 5. We also love our Marvel movies, which are definitely not produced by Christians, lemme tell you.
So does that make them bad?
Should we completely eliminate anything that doesn't have the Dove-stamp of approval on it?
My personal belief is that God has given us the incredible INCREDIBLE privilege to make decisions on a day to day basis, which does include the decisions about music, movies, books, and any other kind of media.
We're finding our balance, all the while keeping Christ at the center of every
media-related decision we make.
You see....
The point I think I'm trying to hone in on is that when it comes to media, us as Christians tend to be very legalistic about it! Taylor Swift, evil. Ariana Grande, evil. You get the gist.
And there's always a fine line, because many artists and actors are living sinful, worldly lives and producing songs and movies that I would never feel comfortable watching/listening to. BUT there an equal number of upbeat secular songs with innocent messages that can spice up the dance party and man, make working out SO FUN. Again, going back to the balance, y'all.
I don't condone secular music/books/movies when they:
There are OBVIOUSLY songs and movies and books that we shouldn't expose ourselves to because they are sinful, immoral, and against God's word. But if you feel right about a certain form of media before the Holy Spirit, and you truly don't believe that they are placing wrong thoughts or becoming an obsession before Christ, I THINK YOU SHOULD GO FOR IT!
Guys, I listen to Bruno Mars. I listen to Selena Gomez. Trust me, I listen very selectively, and there are certainly times when my parents have banned songs. I also watch Captain America, Inception, and Harry Potter. Each. Person. Is. Different.
It's only been recently that I've been allowed to watch or listen to these things, because just like I'm trying to figure things out in my life as a highschooler, my parents are still learning every day how to be better parents.
Flip side: I also love my Britt Nicole and Toby Mac. I think it's AWESOME that God has called them to shine lights in the music industry, and guess what? attending a Hillsong United concert is on my bucket list. I know that for some people, they truly believe that God is calling them to only listen/watch/read to Christian artists and producers, and that's fantastic. I'm just trying to be honest with where I'm at in my relationship with Christ as well, which right now includes a fine mix of Capital Kings and Imagine Dragons.
Music is great. Movies are great. But really, end of the day? They hold zero eternal value! And while they might be fun uses of your free time, often they aren't the BEST. Even if they're christian songs or movies, this doesn't give us the right to spend all of our time on them.
Music is great. Movies are great. But really, end of the day? They hold zero eternal value! And while they might be fun uses of your free time, often they aren't the BEST. Even if they're christian songs or movies, this doesn't give us the right to spend all of our time on them.
So I say great, follow Taylor on Instagram. Listen to that song by Meghan Trainor (guilty!). Watch Harry Potter! But always come back to your parent's authority, and ultimately, your relationship with God. It's the relationship that matters, not the rules. It's the promptings of the Holy Spirit you should listen to, not the voices of others.
This is such a heavily-debated topic, and I know there's A LOT of swirling and conflicting opinions on this. Guess what; I really want to hear what you all think! Do you listen to secular music/watch secular movies? How has your family handled this issue? And do YOU follow Taylor Swift on Insta?
(Just a note, please keep your comments honest but thoughtful. I'm totally great if you don't agree with me, I'd just appreciate you keep your disagreement polite & considerate! You guys are so awesome!)
17 comments
I love how you worded this post! I think it's all up to judgement on the family, but my parents are okay with us listening to non-Christian music, as long as it is not inappropriate. Taylor Swift is pretty awesome (except for the bad words of course!) and Ben Rector is another favorite.
ReplyDeleteI love how you said, "BUT there an equal number of upbeat secular songs with innocent messages that can spice up the dance party and man, make working out SO FUN."
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts, I completely agree with you on everything :)
Exactly! My parents are the same- I think each family is different on where they draw the line of "inappropriate", though, ya know?
DeleteIsn't it true though?!? Working out is awful, and sometimes the thought of dancing to a good beat while I exercise is the only motivation ^_^ plus the fact that I kinda love my brownies... lol
Thanks for your comment, Lauren! keep being awesome.
Great post, and great points! I really agree with all of this. I totally listen to secular music as long as its clean. Just because they're not Christians doesn't mean they don't have talent and know how to sing a sick beat. =D But yea, lyrics are what you need to be careful with.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of people need to read this post. =) Its frustrating when people don't know how (or struggle to) find a balance. We don't to swing the pendulum to far either way!
Thanks for sharing with us and put these thoughts out there.
I love it- you're so right! Some pop artists can break it down and sing a VERY sick beat XD you crack me up.
DeleteNo, thank YOU for being honest and encouraging in return! The balance is a hard one, and I think so many people struggle with it, which is one of the reasons I decided to "put my thoughts out there" :)
I follow Taylor Swift on Instagram (but then you probably were already aware of that, since you follow me... haha). My family is Christian but my parents follow the motions, so honestly, their rules aren't as strict. They do tell my brother and I to listen not to dwell or dip ourselves in things that will "dilute our intuition" (their words), so I keep in mind that if I song is really dirty, I leave the premise right away. I do agree that a lot of music is great party music; I love some of the songs and at high school parties, I'm like, "LET'S DO THIS THING."
ReplyDeletexoxo Morning
YUSS let's get our groove onnnnn!!! And I think it's cool that your parents trust you to make those decisions for yourself. That's awesome :D
DeleteTaylor Swift has a couple good songs, but we don't listen to her all the time. She has a very nice voice! Just wish she could use her voice for christian worship, or hymns!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, Isabel! Like I said, there are only a few of her songs that I like to listen to ^_^
DeleteDang, IKR? I could say that about a lot of secular artists, actually....
This post explains my thoughts exactly! I love how you said that it is about a relationship, not rules. After graduating and getting older, my parents have given me much more freedom about what I listen to and watch, but sometimes I just want to have a set of rules to follow, it makes things much easier!
ReplyDeleteI love listening to "non-Christian music" and even more watching "secular" movies. But something that I find joy in is connecting even these "worldly" pieces of art to Jesus. For example, I found a representation of the gospel in Avengers: Age of Ultron (see the blog for the review). Because even non-Jesus followers can give Him glory because they are still created in His image!
So yes, I do follow Taylor on Instagram, and I like almost all of her photos! (Fashionista cat-lady who loves throwing adorable parties, who could be sisters!) I love Marvel, and watch The Blacklist. But what is even better than these forms of entertainment is Jesus, whom we can talk to and relate to even while jamming to Shake It Off.
Sorry for the long comment, but this post really got me thinking. Loved it!
Hannah from Grace In Everything
Yes! YES! Exactly :D You get it!!! I'm so glad. And I'm with you; doesn't Taylor Swift sound like the bestie you've always wanted? She's adorkable!!!
DeleteAlso, your sentence "....is Jesus, whom we can talk to and relate to even while jamming to Shake it off." <---- BINGO.
You're awesome girlfriend! Never apologize for long comments; I thrive off of those.
I think Christians can totally get caught up in being super legalistic all the time. *sigh* But aren't we free in Christ anyway?! I'm glad you're comfortable and happy to enjoy life and the awesome music that's out there. GOOD ON YOU.
ReplyDeleteI'd have to agree with you on this, Cait, and I'm sorry if you've ever personally experienced legalism from Christians :(
DeleteTHANK YOU MUCH. I WILL DANCE TO KATY PERRY AND TOBY MAC THANK YOU. haha, but seriously, I'm still learning! :D
THIS THIS THIS. Our family is homeschooled and Christian and pretty conservative as they go and all that, but one thing that's been important to us and that I'm endlessly grateful to my parents and my mom especially for is the fact that we've always been careful about the secular stuff we delve into, but also allowed to experience it with plenty of discernment if that makes sense. Such as, I know me and my little brothers have read/watched some stuff that other Christian families around us haven't let even their older teenagers read yet, but we're not reading /trash/, of course. It depends on the person and the value of the thing (secular books, for example, can include rough content but have good messages and be a very good story) and we're able to enjoy 'secular' things fully. I personally don't like Taylor Swift, but that's just me, and I think your view on this is awesome! In my opinion if I feel like there's some measure of value in the thing, it's not so profane that I feel guilty reading it, and it's /good, there shouldn't be a problem. But I also very strongly encourage people not to feel bashed into going outside what they feel comfortable and right with.
ReplyDeleteGurl, I think you and Hannah are tied for longest comments on this post! :D you guys rock.
DeleteBut seriously, I think it's so cool that your parents are also learning the balance between the bad secular and the not so good secular stuff. GO PARENTS. XD and while we're at it, YAY FOR HOMESCHOOLED CHRISTIANS. We're a pretty awesome bunch, you can't deny it >:D
You've totally got it, Aimee! So glad my ramblings made sense and that you agree. *fistbump*
Thank you for writing this! We're a Christian homeschool family, but at the same time I have no problem with secular music or television. While you have to be careful about discerning whether something is wise or not, I don't find it "evil". You just have to be careful about not listening or watching things that are inappropriate. And yes, I follow Taylor Swift on Instagram!
ReplyDeleteSounds like we're in the same boat! *fistpump* It's so awesome to hear that other families are learning this balance themselves. Thanks for the comment, Grace Anne, and I'm very proud of you for following Taylor Swift. welcome to the club! >:D
DeleteAs someone who grew up in a legalistic home, I agree with you for sure. There are some songs by secular artists that are trashy, but there are many more that are not, and why shouldn't we listen to them? They aren't evil.
ReplyDeleteThankfully, my family walked away from legalism when I was about fifteen, so my siblings have not had to grow up in it. I could write a blog post--no, a series--on how damaging legalism is. It's great to see other Christians walking free from it!
As for me personally, I don't follow Taylor Swift on Instagram. I used to, but then I just didn't really care anymore, because I don't listen to her songs. (Not because they're "evil"--which they aren't--but because my taste in music is very narrow. I basically just like soundtracks and some Owl City.)
And as far as the hate for celebrities on Instagram...it just strikes me as really necessary. I mean--they're people, too. Why shouldn't they have Instagram? It's a great tool for them. To hate someone for doing the same thing you're doing (even if they have more followers than you), is really a terrible way to spend your time, in my opinion.
Anyways, great post. I really enjoyed it. (:
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