The Bible Told Us Every Girl Was Sour?
The theological problem with purity culture and how we talk about the plague of pornography is that it sexualizes women (and men, though I think to a lesser extent).
The title of this blog comes from Lil’ Wayne’s song “A Milli” from his album Tha Carter III. That album was nominated for the Album of the Year Grammy and won the Grammy Best Rap Album, along with the BET Hip Hop Award for CD of the Year in 2008. I vividly remember the first time I ever heard the song—it was a hot summer afternoon in Colorado when a guy was blasting it from his radio while I sat on my best friend’s parents’ porch. I was struck by that line in particular and thought to myself then, as I have many times since, “Is that true?”
Of course it isn’t true; that’s not what the Bible teaches at all. But somewhere along the way Lil’ Wayne picked up that idea and shouted it to all who listen to his music, thus giving Christians an opportunity to correct a misconception that the wider culture has about the biblical view of women. But before we get there, let’s be honest with ourselves: I think all of us can remember at least one time we’ve heard this sort of anti-women teaching in a Christian context.
