Taraborrelli wrote that "Like a Prayer" was a turning point's in Madonna's career; "Every important artist has at least one album in his or her career whose critical and commercial success becomes the artist's magic moment; for Madonna [...] "Like a Prayer" was. pushed onwards as an artist, using her creative wit to communicate on another level, musically." Kenneth G. Bielen, author of "The Lyrics of Civility: Biblical Images and Popular Music Lyrics in American Culture", wrote that with the album Madonna began to be seen as a serious artist; "Five years earlier, she was a dance-pop 'Boy-Toy'. With "Like a Prayer", she proved she was an artist who could think with more than her body". Thomas Harrison on the book "Music of the 1980s", documented that "Like a Prayer" pushed boundaries by addressing "uncomfortable song topics". Similarly, Annie Zaleski from "The A.V. Club", praised the album for "starting a conversation about religion—which remains one of the most incendiary topics a musician can address. [... All of this pointed to Madonna establishing herself as a serious artist (emphasis on the "art") who had significant things to say". She also wrote: