INTRODUCTION
If social media buzz has had a queen bee this summer, it has been Haliey Welch. This young woman attained viral status after responding to a lewd question with a lewd answer. If you haven’t seen the video, don’t look it up. There are no more details worth knowing. But the vast majority of people with any internet presence have been subjected to months of memes, reels, hashtags, and other content that refuses to let this toilet flush.
Shortly after I started writing this article, I noticed that the video’s popularity was dying down; so I decided it wasn’t necessary to publish anything about it. But after Miss Welch began appearing in more iconic interviews and now her own podcast, I felt I could no longer sit idly by, keeping my eyes rolling and my thumb scrolling. May God correct me if I seek attention through inane Bible puns or “seven things Christians can learn” from the obscenity. Having said that, ignoring it hasn’t done anything to stop the world from brushing up against the church and spilling its drink on our dress.
THE SERPENT
Ephesians 5:11-12
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.
As I consider this passage, I believe Miss Welch’s little routine has had more than enough exposure. But she was never the one who needed to be exposed, at least not to the whole world. That place should be taken by the YouTubers who set all this in motion, and then had the audacity to complain that they weren’t getting enough recognition for it. So let’s help them get the kind of recognition they deserve.
25-year-old Tim Dickerson and 24-year-old DeArius Marlow are Nashville natives who interview drunk passersby in nightlife districts. And by “interview,” I mean “ask foul sexual questions.” Lest I be accused of dipping below reproach by that generalization, I will clarify that they sometimes throw in clean questions for good measure. But their video thumbnails alone have a noticeable emphasis on women who sexualize themselves, and Miss Welch has testified that they blocked her when she asked them to remove the video of her. Perhaps they read Proverbs 7 and mistook it for an entertainer’s playbook.
Habakkuk 2:15
“Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor,
Pressing him to your bottle,
Even to make him drunk,
That you may look on his nakedness!
While these nocturnal animals don’t film what 21st century America calls “nakedness,” it only took me a few seconds of research to learn that they encourage some participants to go as burlesque as possible in their triple-proof trips. The participants, of course, will answer to God for their debauchery. But unless they repent, the males leading them on in this will be held more accountable on the Day of Judgment; and they should be held more accountable now. I won’t call them man-whores, because they are not men. They are boys in man bodies that would be better off taking a millstone to the upper region and a flint stone to the lower region (Mark 9:24, Galatians 5:12).
Hosea 4:14
“I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry,
Nor your brides when they commit adultery;
For the men themselves go apart with harlots,
And offer sacrifices with a ritual harlot.
Therefore people who do not understand will be trampled.
THE WOMAN
The world is full of 21-year-olds who dishonor God and themselves with sex and alcohol, but very few of them become famous overnight, let alone solely for these things. Prior to this summer, if any one of us had met Miss Welch in the light of day, the chances are strong that she only would have stood out of a crowd for her cheery humor and amiability. So before we discuss how the church should process this demoralizing phenomenon, we must first ascertain how Miss Welch should be personally regarded.
She has spoken of panic and humiliation when the video first went viral, because she never asked to be characterized by such behavior. One of the first things she emphasized is that she does not have an OnlyFans; and in the interviews that followed, she spoke of a desire to be seen as more than that girl in that video. Although she doesn’t know it, this means that she wants us to see the image of God in her. Thus, she should not be regarded the same way we would regard the likes of Katy Perry, Cardi B, or other celebrities that influence girls to be promiscuous and proud of it.
As she continues from spotlight to spotlight, however, she puts herself in increasing danger of becoming such a figure. She has embraced the coarse gag, casting off all shame and accepting it as a part of her celebrity identity. She even riffed off of it when she named her podcast, which is a transparent attempt to stay famous for it. In the podcast’s trailer, she gloated to her critics that she’s “just getting started,” as though she suddenly deserves the credit for her untimely fame.
It is imperative that the church take note of how effortless it is for the enemy to seize any young person on the street, apply the principle of in vino veritas, and forge a new cultural weapon in a matter of mere months. There is no more time to waste, brethren. Miss Welch needs our prayers!
James 3:5
Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!
THE FIRST ADAM
Even many Christians are responsible for perpetuating the original video’s circulation. Some argued that, as long as it was divorced from its immoral context, what could be the harm in making memes and jokes from the onomatopoeia? The answer lies before us. So if you were one of these people, you should not be turning up your nose at Miss Welch’s reaches for ongoing fame. You should be humbling yourself, praying about it, and if possible, deleting posts and comments.
Still others may be tempted to cheer on Miss Welch for a few reasons, not the least of which may be morbid curiosity. But it also may be refreshing to see a celebrity that, even with such opportunity to champion female empowerment, has not yet become an advocate for the woke movement. Miss Welch is a working-class family girl with some old-school values and a politically incorrect sense of humor. While I have no reason to believe she has any interest in being conservative bait, I know what can happen when naive trad males see these things, especially when there’s blond hair and a cowgirl hat on top.
I can’t repeat this enough: pray. Don’t let this go any further than the Throne of Grace. Miss Welch is a neighbor in need of prayer; and if she becomes a sister in Christ, you don’t want to meet her in Heaven and be ashamed of the services you rendered her on earth.
Ephesians 5:3-4
But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
Proverbs 11:22
As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, So is a lovely woman who lacks discretion.
THE LAST ADAM
1 Corinthians 6:11
And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
Even before Miss Welch set foot on the street that infamous night, she needed Jesus to save her. The same goes for the scores of other young folks whose regrets continue to be published on that YouTube channel. Let’s not forget about Mr. Dickerson and Mr. Marlow, who have the same chance to repent and be forgiven of the judgment they heap upon themselves with every video.
As the tragic downfall of Pastor Steve Lawson has reminded us this very week, Christians are not immune to falling into such sins ourselves. Whether before or after sin and repentance, there is never a time we don’t need Jesus and His Holy Spirit. In addition to my exhortation to prayer, I would ask us all to observe these events and take a moment to be reminded of why our Lord was crucified. This year has offered some sobering reminders of what a mess both the culture and the church are in; and I doubt this coming November will bring much of a relief.
But praise be to God that there is no sin too perverted, too public, too stupid, or too injurious to be forgiven. Christians should be grieved by them, but rejoice that there is freedom in the blood of Christ. The viral video of Miss Welch may be hard to avoid on the internet; but it does not have dominion over us. Our only relationship with it should be to pray that it would be nailed to the cross of Christ. And while we’re at it, let’s confess our own sins, too.