“Relatable” with Allie Beth Stuckey + guest, Kat Von D (Ep. 902)
I thought about Kat Von D a few days ago. I know. It sounds preposterous. It’s preposterous, of course, because I don’t know her, and I’m not at all familiar with her career and popularity. In fact, Von D’s baptism video was the first I’d ever seen or heard of her, and I commented on her IG post.
She liked my comment.
Von D’s popping in my head wasn’t arbitrary. It was definitely a God-led thing. When I thought of her, the question, How’s she doing? was what was impressed on my heart. After that, I was immediately prompted to pop back into her baptism vid and post an encouraging comment. But, I quickly snatched myself out of that spiritual moment, got logical, got in my head and talked myself out of posting the check-in comment.
Don’t post a comment again. That’s weird. You’ve already celebrated her baptism. She appreciated it. Leave her alone. You have stuff to do.
Then, yesterday while I was in the middle of a brief writing block writing, I decided I needed a laugh and remembered some genius ‘Real Housewives’ ASMR videos that may or may not have made me laugh-pee a little. I watched 29 a couple of them, snapped out of my stupor and mentally shifted back to writing mode. When the last ASMR Housewives video ended, I glanced at the queued videos on the right column in YouTube and saw an episode of Allie Beth Stuckey’s show, ‘Relatable,’ featuring Kat Von D as the interviewee.
That was in the video queue after I’d just watched 47 a few Housewives ASMR videos? Really? I’ve literally never seen an Allie Beth Stuckey video in a YouTube queue. Ever.
My first thought: Okay, Allie Beth… I see you leveling way up.
My second thought: Kat’s serious about Jesus if she’s interviewing with Allie Beth.
My third thought: I am, right now, writing a review on the ‘Relatable’ interview with Voddie Baucham. Why am I suddenly seeing this interview with Allie Beth and Kat Von D one day after having the thought to post encouragement on Kat’s baptism video?
My fourth thought: Okay, God. I’m catching what You’re throwing. The Stuckey-Von D interview is the next blog post on Contrarian Review.
As a supporter of Stuckey’s BlazeTV content, I’m well-versed on her uncompromisingly fixed position regarding her walk with Jesus and its juxtaposition with popular, accepted and, in many cases, compelled thought. I also gave her a body of Christ accountability comment on a recent post.
Stuckey’s face is set like a flint. She is not playing about Jesus, though. Her talk and walk usually match (we all miss it occasionally and there’s grace for the miss). So, I was pleasantly surprised to see she’d gotten an interview with Von D.
After mentally filing it under the Didn’t See That Coming category, I paused my review of Stuckey’s interview with Voddie Baucham, made myself a giant mug of tea and dove into episode 902.
The Allie-Kat Chat
I couldn’t resist writing that subheading. Sometimes I’m hopelessly corny. Don’t judge.
As is the case with most of my posts, this one is long. I don’t care if people bail halfway through. As a friend of mine beautifully expressed it, every post on this blog is my offering to God. This particular post doubles as my offering to God and as an homage to the two women who saw fit to connect, begin a friendship and document on video what His ceaseless, loving pursuit of every soul He created looks like from two different vantage points.
A few observations about Stuckey
Her content consistently keeps her relationship with Jesus at its foundation. This is critical to her credibility, and she beautifully bucks all things woke. I’m here for it. She also watches “The Office.” Same.
She unflappably tackles some of the most triggering (to some) issues most media members won’t touch, and she does it with a boldness that can only come from knowing her identity as a daughter of the Creator of the universe. I dig that about her.
She’s a natural disruptor. Waves will be made. Hide and watch.
A few observations about Von D
Her tatts are beyond. She’s a walking body art Masterclass. SIDEBAR: I have one small tatt. It’s a four leaf clover on my lower abdomen. My best friend and I got them at the same time when we were seniors in college. It was quite scandalous for my bestie, considering she didn’t tell her mom about it until her wedding day. While putting her wedding dress on – arms overhead – her mom saw it, gasped and had a mild come-apart.
In a rare non-foxhole moment (and in an attempt to reassign the heat to me), my best friend said, “Dee has one, too! We got them together!”
Aghast, her mom said, “What?! Dee! Does your mama know?!”
I defiantly lifted my shirt, showed her my matching green clover and said, “I told my mama the day we got them… two years ago.” The heat was effectively re-reassigned.
Checkmate, bestie.
My tiny little tatt (which was an impulse and involved zero thought) is obviously the sort at which Von D would scoff, but I am in the tatt game. Kind of.
Von D is smart, charming and she listens to The Cure and Depeche Mode.
Same.
She doesn’t know any Taylor Swift songs.
Same.
She doesn’t watch horror movies anymore because she doesn’t want to be scared.
Same.
Her dad likes Hall & Oates.
Same.
This interview is compelling evidence confirming that Katherine von Drachenberg’s name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. She refers to the Bible as “undeniable.” She understands that Jesus would give Marilyn Manson a hug and that God wouldn’t refuse Ted Bundy’s confession of Christ. Von D has made herself a conduit for Christ to the folks many in Christian circles shun, she has a heart for the silently wounded and for those who are spiritually, emotionally and mentally bleeding out. She politely asks that those who have a lot to say about her would, instead, pray for her. Whether or not she endeavors to, Von D is challenging many in the body of Christ to uncomfortably explore what revival can look like today.
Sis is a God girl. Deal with it.
* * *
Stuckey and Von D covered a lot of ground in this interview. Irrespective of their physical contrasts, Stuckey and Von D had a comfortable flow. It’s clear there’s mutual respect between them, and I applaud Stuckey for revealing what has always been a characteristic of needle-moving believers: It’s God’s grace through our faith in Him that saves us… all of us. One of the most redeeming qualities of this interview is the fact that Stuckey simply let Von D talk. It was less a conversation between two new friends who are still learning about each other, and more a non-judgmental space for Von D to testify.
To most effectively communicate the best bits of their conversation, I’m partitioning this review into some of the most intriguing points Stuckey and Von D made alongside my straight-no-chaser responses.
Prodigal Stuff
Von D was raised in the church the same way many of us were: she did what her parents told her to do and went to church as often as they required her to go. She now understands that her being trained up in the way she should go was what was actually happening but, at the time, she doodled on tithe envelopes. As her affinity for drawing developed, Von D’s success proved to be in lockstep with the parable of the talents. She’s one of those who didn’t squander hers. She’s got several talents under the heading “artist” and, whether she’s realized it or not, she has spent extraordinary time sowing them and reaping bountiful harvests.
Not without its complications, she initially experienced her success as a functioning alcoholic and recreational drug abuser. Even while in the throes of yielding to the enemy’s usual bag of tricks (stealing, killing and destroying), God had her cradled in His protective arms. His patience and willingness to deal with the alcohol and drugs when her heart was malleable enough and ordering her steps in her giftings are the definitions of mercy and grace. Of course, He’d rather she’d skipped the substance abuse years, but He knew she’d do it and He made provision for it: Jesus.
He really is long-suffering, and it’s always so brand new when I hear someone else testify about His Abba Father (Daddy God) demonstrations. I gasp every time. That whole Lover of our souls thing… big facts.
Alcohol and drugs notwithstanding, her work ethic has always been impressive: “I just loved tattooing, and I wanted to be a good representation of the industry that I was in.”
In case you’re making mental notes, that’s integrity personified.
Also, as of July 2024, she will be sober 17 years.
Wins. Gains.
New Age Dabblings
People who know my Scripture-quoting self today will likely be surprised (and probably a little judgy) to learn that I was all up in New Age nonsense when I lived in L.A. I didn’t know it, but my exploration of things like “The Secret,” crystals, yoga, Feng Shui, prosperity Hindu idols was perfectly fine to me.
I just gagged a little.
In retrospect, I was a ratatouille of foul spirit flirtation with a Bible on my nightstand while pledging my allegiance to Christianity on Easter, at Christmastime and during The Passion of the Christ’s opening weekend.
It’s called being deceived, folks. You don’t know what you don’t know until you know. Y’know?
Brace yourselves, pearl clutchers.
Von D chatted with Stuckey about her participation in the occult and witchcraft. For all who are tempted to excoriate her, be reminded of this: “Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols” -1 Samuel 15:23. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been both rebellious and stubborn.
So, yeah… leaving that one right there.
Von D shared with Stuckey that her exit from the occult had a simple revelation at its root: “I don’t want these crutches in my life anymore. I just want Jesus.”
Wait, what?
She didn’t describe the entire gospel in two sentences like that, did she? I rarely use exclamation points, but say that, Kat!
The love of God definitely got in while she was doodling on those tithe envelopes as a kid. God is so good. Some people don’t want to believe true transformation can be that simple, but there it is. No drug overdose. No exorcism. No smoke wafting out of an air shaft. No visions, near-death experiences or pearly gates visitations.
Just Jesus. That’s all she needed.
Von D’s understanding of the gospel’s simplicity – that the Name Jesus says and means everything - is the mastery of the exchange between these two women. In one sentence, Von D slaughtered a millennial's-worth of sacred cows, dead works, devil doctrine, denominational infighting and prophetic pissing contests.
I was in a tea shop when I heard her say it, but that didn’t stop me from hollering “COME ON, KAT… PREACH!” out loud. There wasn’t anything I could do about it. She stuck the freaking landing, and it made my spirit leap.
“I don’t want these crutches in my life anymore. I just want Jesus.”
She referred to her exposure and participation in the occult, witchcraft and whatever else as “crutches.”
Crutches.
I’m about to throw this computer.
Von D couldn’t be more over-the-target of religion and legalism if she spent the next four decades studying ancient scrolls. And she dropped an anvil on them. Her uncomplicated grasp of Just Jesus explains all the hate in her comments section. Many people on both sides of the cross simply cannot abide childlike faith. It picks the scab of every self-inflicted wound they’ve sustained from trying to add their works to His simple instruction.
“Jesus replied, ‘This is the work (service) that God asks of you: that you believe in the One Whom He has sent [that you cleave to, trust, rely on, and have faith in His Messenger].’” -John 6:29 (AMPC)
That’s the New Testament, if you’re taking notes.
In a way that only God can do it, He used what the liar meant for evil, flipped a switch in Von D’s spirit and boomeranged the liar’s agenda for her back to its original residence: hell. But here’s the thing, we’re not chess pieces. God couldn’t have done it if Von D hadn’t given Him an access point.
Yes, He needs an access point.
God is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent, but He’s not forcing Himself on anyone. Free will is a thing, and God’s not rescinding that (or any other) gift. He wants us to use our free will to choose Him, and He has infinite, custom-designed ways of knocking on our hearts’ doors, offering us an inexhaustible supply of opportunities to give Him the access point He needs. Andrew Wommack correctly says, “God’s will does not automatically come to pass. He needs our consent and cooperation.”
Meanwhile, in 2020, Von D told Stuckey that an occult-renouncing IG post (which included a photo of books she’d decided to toss) attracted non-believers and believers alike spitting venom in her comments. She and her husband even had to deal with intruders at their home after she posted about throwing the occult books out.
Demons throw whole hissy fits when they’re handed their walking papers.
Von D believes the stalkers at her home were possessed. Based on my study, demonic possession is extremely rare. satan doesn’t fancy full exposure. Because his one and only tool is deception, he much prefers for people submitted to him to function as covert ops. Societally accepted “culture” shifts emphasizing broad-path traps perverting good as evil and evil as good are among his craftiest handiwork. And, of course, his most diabolical deception is convincing the people who have given him the greatest access to them that he doesn’t exist.
Demonic influence is, in fact, much more destructive than demonic possession because the “disguised as an angel of light” thing is in play. Doing his bidding through the nuances of demonic influence in people is how the liar most commonly – and effectively – executes his agenda to corral as many people as possible into the place reserved for him and his ilk.
Episode 902: The Highlights
This post is getting long (I could actually write a case study on it) so, to whet your appetite for consuming the full YouTube interview, sample these nuggets as told by Von D:
Without knowing it, her unsaved husband led her back to Jesus. Her hubs has Boaz energy. Von D prays for him to one day tell her that he’s chosen Jesus. Same.
“I desired more and more and more, so I just started studying the Bible.” The childhood-church stickiness factor was real. She thanks her parents.
“I remember finding myself in very dark moments and… intuitively, I was praying. And it wasn’t because my dad made me. It was because He’d (God) been waiting.” Teach us seasoned Christians your ways, Kat.
“I’m on fire for Jesus. I don’t plan on this dimming out. The more I learn, the more I get excited about things and the more at ease I am about what’s happening in this world, or what’s happening in my marriage… all of it.” I’d like Ms. Von D to deliver exactly that message to every church leader who is, on an insufferable loop, lamenting the state of the world “prophesying” about how much more horrible it’s going to get and predicting Jesus’ return date. I mean, really. It’s enough already. The Word says there’s nothing new under the sun and that Jesus doesn’t even know the hour of His return. I dare say we can all benefit from the same deep dive into the actual Bible – that thing with the onion skin pages – Ms. Von D has wisely done. Because she says she’s on fire for Jesus. She says she’s “excited.” She says she’s “at ease.”
Her excitement and ease has nothing to do with her being a neophyte in the faith, and has everything to do with her malleable heart for God.
That part.
She said she’s noticed that people in her life who refuse and/or reject Jesus are miserable, financially wanting and disconnected from loving, committed relationships. “Let’s not be dummies anymore. This obviously hasn’t worked for us.” She doesn’t say it with malice. It’s the zoomed-out loving rebuke of a transformed heart. She’s telling the truth in love because she cares enough about the people being negatively affected by refusing Jesus to minister the way of escape to them.
Go ahead. Marvel. This woman is reading folks’ mail, and hugging the offended after she reads it.
I love this interview. Von D is the spiritual equivalent of a castor oil shot. Her effortless witness for Christ cleanses from the inside out. For some (not me), her Just Jesus theology is difficult to swallow and can make faces contort when it’s being digested. But the benefits… worth it.
When referring to negative (unsolicited) feedback from (alleged) Christians, Von D said to Stuckey, “Christians don’t realize how much harm they’re doing. Who does it help to be a know-it-all?” She reminds me of how Jesus used to fuss at the Pharisees.
“I’m seeking… more traditionalism. When it comes to my worship… I wanna worship. I don’t want to go to a concert. I wanna learn about the Bible. I don’t necessarily want feel-good stories.” Y’all. Kat Von D is based. Now, I’m a non-denom girl myself (she goes to a Baptist church) and I have a low bandwidth for joyful noise, but I’m tracking with her here.
“I’m not a ‘baby Christian.’” For Von D, publicly posting her baptism – which is an outward expression of her acceptance of Jesus as her Savior – was a renouncing of her former beliefs which, like the baptism video, have been available for public consumption. It was her personal reckoning and an act of, in her words, “putting things right” to her millions of followers. It was her Saul-to-Paul declaration. The reality is, Von D’s post engagement is crazy and, with that reach, she posted the baptism vid, choosing to wear Jesus on her tatted sleeve and be His Influencer collaborator to the whole 9.7 milly. She’s right. Nothing about that says “baby Christian.”
And here’s what: Christians who consider themselves veterans in the faith could benefit from watching this interview and allowing her raw devotion to the actual gospel chip away at the hard shell around their hearts.
I realize this may land as caustic for some. Good. It should land that way. I don’t know of one celebrity Christian with the level of traction Von D has – in or outside the body of Christ. That fact, and her bold witness for The Way, The Truth and The Life to her expansive audience makes me oddly protective of her. That one video – which went super viral – for Christ can, literally, bring millions to the foot of the cross and the empty tomb – beginning with the two most important people in her world; her husband and son.
With that kind of influence at stake, why would anyone publicly criticize this woman?
This is why many Christians aren’t soul winners. We eat our own.
I said what I said, and I have receipts. They’re in the comments section of Von D’s baptism video (unless she’s blocked and deleted them, which is more than probable).
I’ll say what I said directly to the face of any mean-as-a-snake Christian I encounter. There’s Christians, and there’s CINOs (Christians In Name Only). CINOs are modern-day Pharisees. The way life-in-Christ really works is completely lost in the muck and mire of their obsession with their individual holiness they attempt to affix atop Jesus’ finished works, not realizing that on their best days, their efforts, works and checklists are meaningless. CINOs are ignorant to the truth that righteousness is an unearned gift of salvation, and holiness is a pursuit; an intensely individual pursuit, and it begins with the heart’s condition. We’re all at varying levels in the pursuit of holiness. There’s no place called “there.” We don’t achieve mastery of it until we reunite with the Father. The end.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m in love with God’s holiness (despite falling short of it every 17 minutes). It’s His self-righteous ambassadors who get on my final nerve.
Go ahead… @ me. I dare you.
Von D discussed that, despite some folks’ disapproval of her outward approval, she has undergone “monumental inner changes” making her pre-saved self unrecognizable to her. She talks about being “deprogrammed,” how the formerly attractive is now repugnant to her and that she’s convinced her surrender to Christ is responsible for her all-in commitment to being the best wife and mother she can be.
The one who refuses to drop Marilyn Manson as a friend said it. That’s called a heart change, folks. Sanctification. Transformation. And if you think all of heaven isn’t jubilantly cheering her on, then you need Jesus. Irrespective of her dark attire and tatts, I see light when I look at her. Von D has a twinkle in her eye – the one that can only be attributed to receiving the Love of the One Who created her – and I’ve spotted her in the spirit. She’s a ruby.
Von D also told Stuckey about some of the baptism video criticism she received, some of which were comments that her friends in the footage are “witches in the church.”
First of all, rude.
Secondly, none of her friends in the video said a word. How can the determination that they’re “witches” be deduced? By their appearances? Really? We’re still doing that?Thirdly, Von D said everyone who witnessed her baptism have been Christians longer than she’s been one.
Finally, what better place than the church is there for a witch? Shouldn’t the church be where a witch can go to not be a witch anymore? Sheesh.
Also, breaking news: there’s witches and warlocks in churches every week. Some of them are “preaching” in the pulpit. Remember the aforementioned verse about rebellion being as witchcraft and stubbornness being as idolatry?
Yeah. That. #Cope.
The Testimony
Earlier in the interview, Von D said, and I paraphrase, that there’s a lot of people with much more compelling testimonials than hers.
Not so, Ms. Von D.
Here’s what: the thing many may miss (but I caught in stride over the middle with nothing but green grass and an end zone in front of me) from this Stuckey interview is the overwhelming purity of faith she’s exhibited since I’ve been aware of her public declarations. Despite humoring satan for a season (who hasn’t?), the pull of her true identity in Christ seeped through the crevices of her experiences.
When she was getting sober, it bugged her that popular getting-sober literature she read referred to God as “a higher power.” She didn’t deem the cop-out phrasing as acceptable. It was a swing and a miss for her. Prodigal daughterhood aside, she had an inner check – a God-inspired unction – that divinely guided her about satan’s slippery wiles. The point is, as she embraced sobriety-sans-salvation, she wasn’t duped about the enemy’s camouflage. Without dragging the internationally renowned org to which she was referring, she said, “Nah” to the whole “higher power” punk-out.
All of that happened before she’d said “Yes” to Jesus. The real her – her spirit – knew the Truth.
The reality is this: Kat Von D is, and always has been, a woman after God’s own heart. And God, in His infinite kindness, patience and mercy, blessed her, kept her, alerted her to deception and wooed her. She says she doesn’t plan to make sharing about her faith a habit, and that she “doesn’t plan on being evangelical.”
She’s too late. That ship has sailed. Von D is more evangelical by accident than most self-professed evangelicals are on purpose. She’s more comfortable being a one-on-one witness for Christ but, with 9.7 million folk who are now in-the-know, that toothpaste is not going back in the tube.
And good for her that it’s not.
For every CINO who has disappointed her (and dismayed her husband), it is my prayer that she somehow knows there’s far more flawed Bible thumpers who are for her than against her. I’m sure Stuckey can connect her with some of the safest among us.
“I was sober for a long time, but I don’t feel like I was free until I found God.”
Now that’s a testimony.
Toward the end of the interview, Stuckey and Von D discuss what does and doesn’t “bum Jesus out,” and what is and isn’t “about Jesus.” Von D asked Stuckey to help her unpack those questions and specifically called out the fact that she listens to secular music (except when she’s singing in her church choir).
I personally appreciate this probing because it forces rightly dividing the Word. In my experience, everything is about Jesus. Not with respect to Him taking copious notes and keeping meticulous records on our every move, but from these perspectives:
Jesus died and was resurrected so that everyone who says, “Yes” to Him can live life abundantly. He finished every known and unknown pitfall we can encounter. He’s the Salve and the Solve. Appropriating His finished works when we “only believe” is how the consecutive wins happen.
There is a devil and, while Jesus utterly shamed and defeated him and his cohorts, he is also the prince of the power of the air and the lowercase g god of this earth lease we’re all on. His weapon is deception. And, the thing about deception is that we don’t know we’re being deceived without the daily bread that quickens in our spirits and alerts us when the liar is lying.
The enemy is subtle, slick and camouflaged. Whether it’s secular music (I listen to it), responsibly drinking alcohol (I do it), social media (I’m on it) or watching college football every Saturday from August to January (totally my jam), the magnifying glass doesn’t need to be on the activity itself. What requires repeated spot checks is the heart condition underpinning my participation. Golden calves come in many forms, and every person – believer or not – is susceptible to being deceived into idolatrous practices.
Jesus isn’t scrunching His face up every time I drink a glass of wine with dinner, scroll through posts or scream like a maniac when my team either scores or screws up. None of those things in and of themselves constitutes sin. And, even if they were, He died for every sin – past, present and future – and He gave me the Helper, the Holy Spirit, to give me an inner check when I’m wandering too far off the narrow path. My job is to stay in a posture of being able to hear Him when He alerts me. He won’t compete with the noise in my life. His voice is still and small. I keep my inner ears sharp by keeping my eyes on and in the Word.
As does God, the liar needs an access point, too. He has to have consent and cooperation, too. How the liar gets access to wreak his havoc is if any of the aforementioned activities unseat Jesus as being first place in my life. It’s about the slow drip. For example, I can’t repeatedly watch content that celebrates sin and not expect to get compromisingly numb about it over time. The Word is clear about this particular tactic of the liar: “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits’” -1 Corinthians 15:33. That “company” can be people, places or things. I can’t count on self-discipline to be a reliable checkpoint in ensuring Jesus is, and remains, number one before the things my five senses enjoy. I have to get quiet before my Lord. I have to shut up and listen. I have to let Him speak to me through His Word and through His Spirit, which is closer than my breath.
So, again, in my experience, everything is about Jesus. He gave us all things richly to enjoy, but we have to be intentional about regularly scheduling heart checks as they relate to what we’re enjoying… because the devil is absolutely in the details.
Kat Von D Loves Jesus, and There’s Nothing Anyone Can Do About It
What I find most beautiful about the Stuckey-Von D interview is that it’s two women of God unabashedly journeying with Jesus. They have questions, they’re plumbing His depths and they’re seeking Him with all their hearts. Stuckey and Von D are in different places on their respective faith journeys.
And the One Who is not partial to anyone over anyone else, very literally, calls them both “daughter.”