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Pastor, church leader, church member, how is it in your congregation? Are you effectively worshipping the false gods and goddesses of this world, or are you worshipping the Lord alone "in the beauty of holiness"?
As the Lord prepared Israel to enter the Promised Land after forty years in the wilderness, He spoke a long series of warnings and instructions through Moses, who was soon to die. Indeed, most of the book of Deuteronomy could be titled, "The Last Words of Moses." Several times in Deuteronomy the Lord through Moses warns Israel about the evils of false worship. God's words through His prophet are just as relevant for the church in our day:
When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, "How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise."
You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it. (Deuteronomy 12:29-32)
The philosophy of today's so-called seeker-sensitive church movement is essentially just this: "How do the unbelievers worship their gods? We will mimic them."
The Gods and Goddesses of Today's Pagans
Who are the gods of today's pagans? Their gods and goddesses are the stars of entertainment and all that they represent. They worship and strive for their glamour, success, fame, wealth, and influence. And so, today's post-evangelical church brings in the paraphernalia of the world in order to attract the so-called "seeker".
But what is it they are seeking? It is not the holy God of Scripture. It is not the One who demands absolute lordship over mankind by right of creation. It is not the One whose holy Law man - and his gods and goddesses - so blatantly violate and scoff at. Indeed these people, and those who go after them and encourage their children to emulate them, "burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods." They kill some in the womb. But those they do not kill in the womb they send on the path that leads to the fires of Hell by sending them in pursuit of their gods and goddesses.
The Ungodly Thinking of So-Called Spiritual Leaders
As I write this (December 2024), popular music star Taylor Swift has just completed her Eras concert tour. Over a million young people - and their parents - purchased nearly $2.1 billion worth of tickets [1] to see this often scantily-clad woman perform 149 sold-out shows around the world in which she sang her own often sexually suggestive, profanity-laced compositions to a deafening rock beat [2]. Swift claims to be a Christian, yet some of her lyrics mock Christianity and even blaspheme the Holy Spirit. [3]
"Life purpose mentor" Elizabeth Ellames, whose work is "designing and facilitating seminars and retreats for women" has written admiringly that "Swift embodies qualities that resonate deeply with the archetype of the Roman Goddess Diana, making her a powerful role model for modern girlhood." [4]
Several so-called evangelicals have produced "devotionals" based on Swift's pagan mayhem. One of them is Sarah Griffith, a wife and mother who is both a student at Dallas Theological Seminary and a member of the staff in its Spiritual Formation Department. Griffith has produced "Five Devotionals Inspired by Taylor Swift Lyrics" in which she dares to (positively) put the words of some of Swift's songs alongside Scripture to draw alleged "spiritual formation" lessons. She writes, "I pray you will journey to encouragement with me through this small selection of my most dear Taylor Swift songs." [5]
While we are on the subject, let me recommend an article reproduced in our Bible Knowledgebase, The Theological Error of Spiritual Formation by Dr. Robert Payne.
The focus of such things - on self-esteem, material success, and the soul-damning falsehood that salvation does not involve repentance from sin - replaces the Bible's focus on a willingness to be "fools for Christ's sake" in the eyes of the world (1 Corinthians 4:10). We are witnessing an epidemic of blatant irreverence for the holiness of God, the person and work of Jesus Christ, and the authority of Scripture within so-called evangelicalism.
But what does the Lord say to His true Church?
"Take heed that you are not ensnared to follow them."
"You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods."
"Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it."
What About You?
Pastor, church leader, church member, how is it in your congregation? Parents, how is it in your household? What are you teaching your young people? What are you encouraging them to emulate? Are you worshipping the false gods and goddesses of this world, or are you worshipping the Lord alone "in the beauty of holiness"? Thus says the Lord:
Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. (Psalm 29:2)
Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth. (Psalm 96:9)
Only the holy things which you have, and your vowed offerings, you shall take and go to the place which the Lord chooses... Observe and obey all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you and your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God. (Deuteronomy 12:26, 28)
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References
1. Ben Sisario, "Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Grand Total: A Record $2 Billion", The New York Times, December 9, 2024, as viewed at https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/09/arts/music/taylor-swift-eras-tour-ticket-sales.html
2. C. A Bridges, "Taylor Swift Cusses Up a Storm in New Album, 'Florida!!!' Has 2nd-Most F-Bombs", The Daytona Beach News Journal, April 20, 2024, as viewed at https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/entertainment/music/2024/04/30/taylor-swift-new-tortured-poets-department-album-explicit-lyrics-count/73512514007/
3. "Taylor Swift Mocks Christianity in Her New Album", MovieGuide, December 28, 2024, as viewed at https://www.movieguide.org/news-articles/taylor-swift-mocks-christianity-in-her-new-album-2024.html
4. Elizabeth Ellames, "Taylor Swift: A Modern-Day Goddess of Girlhood", February 18, 2024, as viewed at https://elizabethellames.com/2024/02/18/taylor-swift-a-modern-day-goddess-of-girlhood/
5. Kelly Matthews (ed) and Sarah Griffith, "Five Devotionals Inspired by Taylor Swift Lyrics", Patheos, December 26, 2023 as viewed at https://www.patheos.com/blogs/theestuary/2023/12/five-devotionals-inspired-by-taylor-swift-lyrics/
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