\n<\/p>\n
\n\tCarly Pearce<\/a> bravely questioned the idea of faith in a modern world when she released the new song \u201cChurch Girl\u201d<\/a> last month. Written by Carter Faith, Cameron Bedell, and Seth Ennis, the lyrics juxtapose human vices with the teachings of a major religion.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cSo you drink and you think for yourself,\u201d Pearce sings. \u201cThat don\u2019t mean you\u2019ll go to hell when you leave this world.\u201d The payoff line hinges on a well-placed comma: \u201cJust \u2019cause you heard it in church, girl.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tIn a new interview with Rolling Stone\u2019<\/em>s Nashville Now<\/a><\/em> podcast, the Kentucky singer and songwriter talks about the blowback she received over the song from some fans, who objected to a Christian woman singing such lyrics.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI think it was surprising to people because my faith is so important to me,\u201d Pearce says, and stresses that \u201cChurch Girl\u201d isn\u2019t encouraging listeners to get drunk, high, or be promiscuous. \u201cI\u2019m not condoning reckless behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tInstead, Pearce says she\u2019s singing the song for an audience who may be navigating various issues in their lives. \u201cI\u2019m thinking about the 15-year-old boy in school that maybe is questioning his sexuality and he feels like he can\u2019t be himself,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m singing this song for somebody who maybe has sexual purity trauma \u2014\u00a0I did \u2014 where you\u2019re told, \u2018No, that\u2019s bad when you\u2019re a child.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tShe also references her past marriage and divorce<\/a>: \u201cJesus says you\u2019re not supposed to get divorce? Really? I know the marriage I had wasn\u2019t what Jesus wanted for me.\u201d<\/p>\n