Opinion: Rapper’s “Satan shoes” Should Not Be Celebrated

The Bible says that Satan disguises himself as an “angel of light” when he tries to deceive the world and ensnare us in his ways (2 Corinthians 11:14). On Monday, he abandoned his age-old playbook of nuanced deception and reared his head in a stark way through one of his servants.

Rapper Lil Nas X released a new line of shoes with satanic themes and imagery that instantly started an uproar. The shoes, colored black and red, have a pentagram and an upside down cross on the tongue. Each shoe also contains one drop of human blood in the air bubble sole.

The line of shoes dropped in conjunction with MSCHF, a New York based fashion line, and 666 pairs were available for sale – a nod to the number of the devil. The shoes sold out in less than a minute of their release, despite the outlandish price of $1,018 per pair (a reference to Luke 10:18, which describes Satan’s fall from heaven).

As if this demonic imagery were not enough to make the stomach churn, the art on each shoe box has this statement adorned on top of Satanic
artwork:

“Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven.”

 This is the lie that our culture has accepted, and every element of our culture reflects that: art, fashion, government, etc. A brief glance at our culture shows there is nothing redeeming about what our society values.  It is not the government, politicians, or policies we are fighting against per se, but the one who is deceiving these people to carry out evil. These shoes and the wide level of acceptance they’ve received is enough to move the discerning heart to mourn.

So, what do we do? If Lil Nas X is clearly stating that evil is better than good (which all of us do when we sin), how should we fight this when all of culture seems to echo that statement?

It starts with recognizing the true nature of this war and surrendering to the One True King. 

Nothing we do on our own power changes anything in the long term. Naturally, we try to bring reform to culture through policies and ideas, which I am all for. Our war to redeem culture, however, is just as much a spiritual one as it is a physical one. We cannot expect even our best efforts at reform to last long apart from God.

Second, we have to trust God to do only what he can do. Only God has the power to change a sinful heart (even Lil Nas X’s) and give it new desires and give us new life, and we must recognize that. We must be equally ready to proclaim the Gospel as we are to redeem culture, because once someone is saved, their actions will reflect the new life they have received.

Third, we have to hold fast to truth. Despite Lil Nas X’s and culture’s claim, there is one God who alone is worth serving.

The terms of God’s kingdom are as follows: grace and mercy to cover the penalty of our sins, a life that fulfills us in ways sin never will, and eternal life and reigning with Christ in heaven. Satan’s are living a life of pleasure that only yields fleeting results in the short-term, which will lead to serving the penalty of your sins in hell, burning in a “lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15). 

Romans 6:23 says that “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

Satan is continuing to press forward in a futile attempt to defeat God on this earth. We shouldn’t fear the evil we see, because our job is to be faithful servants of God. No matter how evil the times become, we can rest in the promise that God has already won the war.

John Simmons is the Web Manager. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnSimmonsJr7.