So, rapper Lil Nas X is in the news, on Holy week of all things. It is being reported that X is collaborating on a “satanic sneaker” that has occult imagery and allegedly, a drop of human blood in the sneaker of the shoes. Furthermore, he has taken it upon himself to create a music video depicting (I kid you not), the garden of Eden (serpent included), and slide down to hell on a stripper pole, before he gives Satan a show on his throne, then kills him and takes his crown. Yeah… it is real. That actually happened. The motivation was to respond to Christians who have remarked that he was going to hell because of his sexual preference. Naturally, the mainstream Christian community has taken offense to music video and this has caused controversy online. So here are my thoughts and I hope this is helpful for you.
Cancel culture.
The response that I have seen online, mostly looks like much of what we see in the culture war. Christians are attempting to play the culture’s game of victimhood Olympics and trying to get X cancelled. I think this is a terrible approach. Christians no longer own the culture in this country. We have progressively been losing ground in the culture since the modernist controversy. The world is likely to accept and even applaud such a move by a mainstream celebrity.
We as Christians should not be surprised when pagans act like pagans. I believe this is honestly a wake-up call to Christians who believe we can walk arm-in-arm with the world. The world does not like what we have to say. It is on a mission to resist Christ and His influence as He makes His enemies a stool for His feet. This the type of behavior we should expect from the world. The peace, unity, and tolerance we always hear about, does not apply to you, Christian.
Love conquers all?
There is a second response to the controversy. There are some who believe that the shoes and the video are all the result of a failed Christian witness. I have heard it said that if we would have just shown Lil Nas X the love of Jesus then he wouldn’t be making a mockery of our faith. Unfortunately, these are the people who maintain the delusion that we can walk arm-in-arm with the world. The same world that killed our Savior. Keep dreaming.
How should we respond?
We should respond by praying for Lil Nas X. He, as we all were, is a rebel sinner who hates God. He loves his sin and is proud of it. We should be praying that he hears the Gospel, and the Lord changes his heart. If the video disturbs you, do not watch it. Use this as a reminder that the world is not our friend. We need to be focused on being the church, spreading the gospel and making culture for ourselves and our children.
At the end of the video, Lil Nas takes Satan’s crown and declares himself the ruler of hell. But hell is not where Satan rules, it is his grave. Satan has been dealt a deathblow, since Christ was raised. And Jesus stood among His disciples and said these words, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me”. Christian, the Lord Jesus Christ has ALL authority. Live as so.
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