Many Christians celebrated when two Onlyfans girls turned from porn to Christ recently, but why have they been met with a barrage of criticism online?

The Church has always welcomed repentant "vilest offenders" as the old hymn, "To God be the glory" put it: Mary Magdalene and St Paul were there right from the start. So when two women recently repented of sex work and testified powerfully to their new faith on social media, many Christians celebrated along with them.

Yet both women have been forced to respond to a host of accusations and condemnation online – including from some people who identify as Christian. What has happened?

Nala

Nala Ray is the most well known. The pastor's daughter grossed $9m in earnings from her sex work on OnlyFans but a growing relationship with a Christian helped her to rethink her life after an encounter with God: "[I thought] what's the point of all this money, when I don't have feelings... I don't have kids, I have nothing but materialistic things that are cold and sitting in my closet?" she told Michael Knowles in an online interview. "I was sobbing, I was looking at my fireplace, I grabbed the Bible... God decided to truly meet me where I was. And it's not like he was far from me, it's that I was far from Him.

"I was like, 'God, I need an answer now, I truly need an answer now' and he gave me an answer... 'all you ever needed was Me'."

In the interview, she described a joyless life as an OnlyFans worker despite the money - numb to emotion and experiencing poor relationships. "I was making millions and I didn't feel any different," she said. "I could buy anything that I wanted and I still felt the exact same... all that numbness was emptiness, like complete and total emptiness."

She says that has all changed since her conversion. She posted a video of her baptism on Instagram on 26th December and has since married, deleted her OnlyFans account and talks often of the change in her life.

Bree

The other dramatic conversion attracting attention is that of Bree Solstad or "Mistress B," who reported on 1st January on X (formerly known as Twitter): "While in [Rome and Assisi], I had what can only be described as a life-altering conversion. I have decided to quit sex work. To repent of my innumerable sins. To give up my life of sin, wealth, vice and vain self-obsession."

She said she had been received into the Catholic church at Easter. She now regularly posts warnings against both making and using pornography and many faith-fuelled posts.

She has told part of her story to Catholic Vote. She describes being recruited as a sex worker: "I completely fell away from the faith into a lifestyle of drunkenness, recklessness and promiscuity," she said. "I became one of the top-selling creators of this content almost immediately. This is not me bragging at all. It is definitely not heroic to be the greatest narcissist."

During a trip to Italy, she was drawn to the beauty of the churches and the crucifixes and had mystical experiences. But when she went back home, she felt deep shame. "I couldn't stop thinking of all the things that I had done and all the lives I negatively affected through pornography," she said. "I felt grotesque."

A conversation with a priest helped lift the dark feelings and help her encounter the love of God. "After all that I was and all that I did, I'm still amazed that Jesus never turned his back on me. That translates for me into gratitude and joy in abundance."

Criticism and online mobs

Both women have received much support online, including from well known Christians. Where concern has been expressed, some of it has their interests at heart: for example, that high profile conversions need to be handled with care because a person's young faith can be harmed by celebrity – perhaps following the sad tale of Kanye West, who seemed to have a radical conversion to Christ but then started to express bizarre and antisemitic ideas, and announced he will start a porn business.

But a lot of the criticism online is less concerned for the converts' welfare, and more cynical about their authenticity, their dress or their motivations due to new businesses they have started. One regular critic is Pearl Davis, a notorious female figure in the "manosphere," who has made a number of derogatory and sceptical comments, like, "I rarely drink, don't smoke, don't party, and yet Tradcon [traditional conservative] women tell me I'm 'not a real Christian' while simultaneously defending an ex Only Fans whore."

Nala addressed these attacks recently: "I know that you don't want me to be part of society, clearly you don't want me a part of social media, but that's just wrong, because the Bible is truly talking about the word of your testimony," she said in a video posted on Instagram.

Many Christians took to social media to support her and point out that it takes time for people to grow in the faith and Christians are never perfect.

Solstad has also addressed the accusations. "The truth is, I'm not interested in convincing you, or anyone, of the sincerity of my conversion," she replied on X to a cynical post. "My only purpose is to: Testify to the truth of Jesus Christ. To be used like a tool by Him to call people to repentance & beauty. To show His love & mercy to others."

Many conversions?

Ray and Solstad are not the only sex workers who have publicly turn to faith, but social media perhaps puts new converts in the limelight much quicker than the church has been used to in the past. There are other former porn stars who have had to face the world immediately through social media: Blac Chyna also became a born again Christian and deleted her OnlyFans account last year. Another OnlyFans worker who deleted her account is "Gwen the milkmaid," according to The Sun newspaper. She now posts conservative "trad wife" content that might appeal to a different kind of man. But Gwen has been met with scepticism too with accusations she is seeking popularity rather than God.

No-one knows what is truly in a heart, and only time will show the fruits of a real encounter with Christ. With more and more high profile conversions taking place, perhaps it's time for celebration rather than criticism, along with a little wisdom and discernment.

Heather Tomlinson is a freelance journalist. Find her at www.heathertomlinson.substack.com or on twitter @heathertomli