By now you probably know that popular 23-year-old rapper Lil Nas X modified a pair of Nike sneakers based on a demonic theme and sold them as “Satan shoes.” The shoes include a Satan worshipping pentagram, an inverted cross, and a drop of human blood placed in the sole. Only 666 (Get it) pairs were sold, but they were gone in 60 seconds at a price of $1,018. (Even the price was based on a scripture about the devil – Luke 10:18.) The shoes were promoted with an obscene video in which the rapper first simulates gay sex. Then he becomes a demon riding a stripper pole to hell. In the abyss he gives Satan a lap dance and mimics sex with the devil. No surprise, Miley Cyrus, who was baptized and raised in a Southern Baptist Church has already been seen wearing her very own pair of Satan’s shoes.
Should Christians avoid being goaded into a response by what is obviously a publicity stunt? With important issues such as rising crime, a southern border crisis, and a worldwide pandemic should believers ignore this pathetic attempt at notoriety? Can one pair of shoes matter that much?
Christians need to understand that Satan plays a long game. He inches his plans along with small victories. He is patient and looks for openings to normalize his agenda. Consider the oft-quoted scripture 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant because your adversary the devil walks about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.” Notice that the devil “walks about.” He’s not frantic or rushed. He picks his opportunities carefully and introjects himself in ways that are shocking but don’t seem overwhelming at the time. He raises the water temperature in the boiling moral pot of social interaction a slight degree at a time so that secular, dying culture has no sense of impending spiritual doom.
Yes, the shoes should be taken seriously. If this affront doesn’t spark outrage, what will? Satan isn’t a theatrical prop or a marketing gimmick. Symbols, like pentagrams, have the power to evoke evil. To place human blood in a shoe is an invitation for demons to enter the wearer. If those who bought these shoes were to be tracked for some years, my guess is that many would suffer foot, ankle, and leg problems. These shoes are an orthopedic surgeon’s dream come true. Satan’s shoes aren’t made for walking. They are worn by those whose feet, according to Proverbs 6:18, are “swift in running to evil.” Better you should walk in the armor of God with the gospel of peace on your feet.
