By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Christian Post Reporter
Christian and conservative leaders reacted with dismay after Lil Nas X, the artist behind “Old Town Road,” announced he is collaborating with the streetwear company MSCHF on a pair of “Satan Shoes” that contain a drop of human blood in the sole.
The shoes, apparently modified Nike Air Max 97s — are decorated with a pentagram pendant and a reference to Luke 10:18: “And he said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.’”
The sneakers also contain a drop of human blood in the sole, drawn from members of the MSCHF team. A total of 666 pairs — a number widely recognized symbols for the devil — went up for sale Monday at the price of $1,018.
The release of the Satan Shoes coincides with Lil Nas X’s latest single, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” and its accompanying music video. In the video, Lil Nas X descends down a stripper pole and gives Satan a lap dance.
The openly gay rapper, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, explained the song was about a guy he met last summer.
Amid backlash, Nike clarified that it is not affiliated with the product, as the shoes are custom adaptations of existing products.
“We do not have a relationship with Little Nas X or MSCHF,” Nike said in a statement, NBC News reports. “Nike did not design or release these shoes and we do not endorse them.”
Both the release of the shoes and the music video, announced ahead of Palm Sunday weekend, drew criticism from conservative and Christian leaders. From Franklin Graham to South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, here’s how six leading conservative figures reacted.
In a statement sent to The Christian Post, Bob Reccord, founder and chairman of Total Life Impact Ministries, Inc. and former head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board, said that “most all of our Founding Fathers are turning over in their graves about now.”
“And I convinced that thousands upon thousands who have fought to protect the liberties of this nation never had an inkling of an idea that those freedoms could/would lead to this,” Reccord added.
“Those who hold and treasure our Judeo-Christian heritage are surely staggered by the wanton disrespect and demeaning for everything that made this nation great and gave it moral and spiritual anchors. Do not dismiss God’s punishment when they choose to abandon the God who had done so much for them, and his anger burned against them … I sincerely hope the world is watching – and praying for America.”
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem tweeted on Sunday that children today “are being told that this kind of product is, not only okay, it’s ‘exclusive.'”
“But do you know what’s more exclusive? Their God-given eternal soul,” Noem wrote. “We are in a fight for the soul of our nation. We need to fight hard. And we need to fight smart. We have to win.”
Noem’s response drew a response of Lil Nas X, expressing concern that a state governor is tweeting about shoes.
“[Do] ur job!” he wrote in a retweet of Noem’s tweet.
American conservative author and talk show host, Candace Owens also said shoes were “keeping black America behind,” asking, “How stupid can we be?”
“We are promoting Satan shoes to wear on our feet. We’ve got Cardi B named as woman of the year,” she wrote. “But we’re convinced it’s white supremacy that’s keeping black America behind.”
In a statement to The Christian Post, conservative author and evangelist Alex McFarland said that using Satan as a marketing tool is “disconcerting.”
“Believers and non-believers alike have questions about Satan and the demonic,” he said.
“Some youth seem especially prone to curiosity about the dark side. There is no shortage of references to Satan in pop culture to satisfy public fascination, but it is important that our opinions on such be Biblically informed.”
On Twitter, Pastor Mark Burns, one of former President Donald Trump’s informal faith advisers and pastor of Harvest Praise & Worship Center in South Carolina, tweeted his displeasure.
“These #SatanShoes by #Nike & #LilNasX with 666 and a drop of human blood in the sole is a reason why we Christians must be prayed up ready to battle in the spirit with the Voice of the Holy Spirit,” he contended. “This is evil & heresy and I pray that Christians rise up against this.”