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In the last few weeks, headlines about Lil Tay have ricocheted across the internet—fame reignited, platforms monetized, and opinions divided. Whether you cheer, cringe, or feel numb, the story is bigger than one person. It exposes the grooves our culture runs in—and the grooves our hearts prefer. This post is not a takedown of a single individual; it’s a mirror held up to all of us under the light of Romans 1:18–32.
What Romans 1 Is Actually Saying
Paul writes that “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (Rom. 1:18). God has made Himself plain in creation (vv. 19–20), yet humanity “does not honor Him as God.” The result is a tragic exchange: trading the glory of the immortal God for images (vv. 21–23) and swapping the truth about God for a lie so we can serve and worship created things (v. 25). Three times the text says God “gave them over” (vv. 24, 26, 28)—not as a tantrum, but as a terrifying permission. When we insist on our idols, God allows us to be shaped by them. The fallout is personal, relational, and societal (vv. 26–32).
Romans 1 doesn’t read like ancient news. It reads like our newsfeed.
Scripture Sidebar — Imago Dei & Human Dignity
- Genesis 1:27 — People bear God’s image; not products to be bought.
- Psalm 8:4–5 — Crowned with glory and honor by God.
- James 3:9 — Don’t degrade image-bearers with our words.
- 1 Peter 2:17 — Honor everyone; dignity before discourse.
A Case Study—With Caution
I don’t know Lil Tay’s heart, and neither do you. But her public story—constructed brand, monetized attention, and a watching audience—illustrates the exchange Romans describes. As a child, she became famous for a persona that promised instant glory: wealth, status, shock value. Years later, the headlines surrounding her return to the spotlight show how our economy rewards the packaging of self as product. The platform says, “Turn yourself into content.” Idolatry says, “Turn content into a god.”
Here’s the part we can’t ignore: the ecosystem isn’t only made by creators; it’s funded by consumers. Our attention pays salaries. Our curiosity sets prices. And our outrage is still a click. Romans 1 doesn’t indict them—it indicts us: performers and patrons, supply and demand.
The Countdown We Should Have Grieved
One of the darkest subplots of the recent discourse was the way corners of the internet seemed to count down to a birthday—as if the transition from 17 to 18 flips a moral switch. You could feel the cultural machinery warming up: once the legal threshold was crossed, the expectation was that “adult content” would be available and purchasable. That should break our hearts. A child star’s coming-of-age became a marketplace milestone. We should say this plainly: waiting for a young person to become legally “available” for sexualized consumption is not freedom; it’s the fruit of idolatry. It reveals a culture discipled to believe bodies are inventory, desire is authority, and money is meaning.
Romans 1 names the pattern: we “exchange” the truth about God—about the sacredness of the image of God, about the goodness of limits—for a lie that says whatever is desirable and monetizable must be good. When a countdown clock runs on someone else’s body, that’s not empowerment; it’s evidence of what happens when worship is misdirected.
Scripture Sidebar — Protecting the Young & the Vulnerable
- Matthew 18:6 — Severe warning against causing “little ones” to stumble.
- Proverbs 31:8–9 — Speak up for those at risk of exploitation.
- Isaiah 5:20 — Legal does not equal righteous; woe to calling evil good.
The Exchange Beneath the Headlines
- Glory on Demand (vv. 21–23). We crave visible glory now—followers, virality, status. Platforms reward persona over personhood. The lie: If people know me, I’ll be whole. The truth: Glory belongs to God; borrowed glory without God deforms us.
- Autonomy Without Limits (vv. 24–28). “My body, brand, and boundaries are mine alone.” We mistake freedom for the absence of constraint. The lie: If I do what I want, I’ll be free. The truth: Freedom is gladly belonging to Christ.
- Money as Meaning (v. 25; vv. 29–31). Monetizing attention makes everything—including the self—feel like inventory. The lie: If it pays, it’s good. The truth: Money is a tool, not a telos.
Again, this is not an indictment of one person on one platform. It’s a description of the air we all breathe and the algorithms we often reward. If you and I feed on shock, we will be formed by shock. If we feast on spectacle, we will become shallow. Psalm 115 says those who make idols become like them. Romans says God hands us over to what we insist on worshiping. Put together, they tell us: you become what you behold.
Scripture Sidebar — Clout, Cash, and Complicity
- Glory & Approval: John 12:43, Galatians 1:10, Matthew 6:1 — Loving human glory hollows the soul; seek God’s approval.
- Money & Idolatry: 1 Timothy 6:9–10, Matthew 6:24, Colossians 3:5 — Greed is idolatry; you can’t serve God and money.
- Consumer Complicity: Ephesians 5:11, 1 Corinthians 8:9, Romans 14:13, Habakkuk 2:15 — Don’t fund what deforms; use liberty carefully; don’t set stumbling blocks.
From Diagnosis to Deliverance
If Romans 1 exposes our exchanges, Romans 3 announces God’s: “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law… through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe” (Rom. 3:21–22). Jesus steps into the wreckage of our false worship and makes the great exchange—our sin for His righteousness. The wrath we deserve is absorbed by Christ; the approval we crave is granted in Him.
Scripture Sidebar — Gospel & Renewal
- Romans 3:21–26 — The great exchange: our sin for Christ’s righteousness.
- Titus 2:11–12 — Grace trains us to say no to ungodliness.
- Ezekiel 36:26 — New heart and Spirit; change at the desire level.
The way out of idolatry is not better branding; it’s better worship. New adoration creates new appetites. The Spirit redirects our gaze from self to Savior, from clout to Christ, from monetization to mission. In union with Jesus, we recover limits as gifts, bodies as temples, money as provision for generosity, and fame as a stewardship for service.
Scripture Sidebar — Attention & Speech
- Philippians 4:8 — Refill the mind with what is true and pure.
- Proverbs 4:23 — Guard your heart; it shapes your life.
- Psalm 101:3 — “Set no worthless thing before my eyes.”
- Ephesians 4:29 — Use words to build up, not tear down.
- Job 31:1; Matthew 5:27–28; 1 Thessalonians 4:3–5; 1 Corinthians 6:18–20; Ephesians 5:3–5 — Flee lust; bodies are temples; holiness is God’s will.
- Examine Your Exchanges. Ask, Where am I looking to glory, autonomy, or money to give what only God can? Sit with Romans 1:21–25 and journal.
- Re-train Attention. Choose a weekly 24-hour social fast. Replace scrolling with Scripture and embodied service.
- Honor the Image. Speak about public figures as image-bearers; refuse dehumanizing humor or gossip. If you wouldn’t say it with them in the room, don’t type it.
- Give Before You Get. Practice generosity that breaks money’s dominance (2 Cor. 9:7–11). Turn consumption into contribution.
- Worship First. Begin each day with doxology (Rom. 11:36) before opening any app. You will become what you behold—so behold Him.
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A Prayer for Our Moment
Lord, have mercy on our culture and on us. Forgive the ways we have exchanged Your truth for a lie. Protect the vulnerable, including those in the spotlight. Give creators wise counsel and true friends; give consumers holy restraint and holy hunger. Teach us to worship You alone and to love our neighbors well. Amen.