Songwriter and worship leader Cory Asbury recently responded to a follower’s question on Instagram about why he wears nail polish, sparking a debate in the comment section about cultural gender norms and masculinity.
Asbury is no stranger to controversy, as one of his more well known songs, “Reckless Love,” is also one of the most hotly debated and criticized among evangelical worship leaders.
To some, Asbury’s use of the word “reckless” in reference to God’s love is theologically inaccurate and bordering on blasphemous. Nevertheless, Asbury has defended his use of the word, arguing that from a human perspective, Christ’s willingness to suffer and die for the salvation of those who would put their faith in him is a kind of love that is nothing short of audacious.
“It is remarkable to me how many times I get asked this question,” Asbury said in his video response regarding nail polish. “Number one, I have three daughters. It’s one of their favorite things to do: paint daddy’s nails.”
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In the video, Asbury’s nails can be seen as having been painted several different colors.
“They love it. They think it’s amazing. They think it’s incredible,” Asbury continued. “And you know, the funny thing is—segue into number two, they have never once thought to themselves, ‘It’s weird that daddy paints his nails.’ You know why? Because that is a societal construct. That is a social norm that we have accepted that men don’t paint their nails. That is cultural.”
“It has zero to do with the Bible, Jesus, Christianity, moral code at all, just in general,” Asbury argued. “It doesn’t make any sense to question the idea, unless you’ve grown up in a culture that says it’s not okay to do something.”
Asbury went on to say that “Jesus could care less” what color a man’s nails are, “because the truth is, as he says about King David in the Old Testament, ‘I’m not concerned with the outward appearance. Man looks at the outward appearance. God looks at the heart.’”
“And my heart’s definitely painted,” Asbury concluded. “Bye.”
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A number of people in the comment section voiced their disagreement.
