I would like to preface this entry by saying that I know it will tick some of you off. And I’m sorry. Kind of. I’m still working out why this bothers me so much and maybe by the end of my entry I’ll know the answer… feedback is welcome.
A couple weeks ago I watched somewhat disinterestedly as 2 very different styles of singers waited to find out which of them was the next American Idol. I liked both Adam and Kris, along with several other contestants, and didn’t care who won as long as it wasn’t Gokey. Leading up to the finale, all the articles I read in entertainment magazines or online were drawing the final showdown as if it would be between Adam and Gokey, and staging it as Gay America vs. Bible Thumpers. Apparently there are pictures online of Adam kissing boys… who knows, I didn’t look. Because I don’t care. And Danny Gokey was a music minister or something. I read one article that was incredibly pretentious about how Adam should come out of the closet and win the culture war for the gay community and how all their hopes and dreams are pinned on him winning American Idol and he’s doing such a disservice by not owning the fact that he’s gay. And if he didn’t come out, then even if he was the next American Idol, those bigoted Bible thumpers WIN. And if you’re gay, and not voting for Adam, then you are betraying all your gay friends, even if you like the other guy’s singing voice better. Danny got voted out, to my delight, during the semi finals and it was Adam vs. Kris. After Kris won, I found out that Kris was a Christian too. I had no idea until someone I know was horrified that a friend of mine and I liked Adam Lambert, when the other guy was a Christian and that’s who I should have been supporting, just because he was a Christian. Now the other side (my team, if you will) was putting this in terms of this being a victory for Christianity in America. I read an interview with Kris post-win asking him about this cultural war and how it affected him and Adam. His response was to point out that it’s stupid to act like they can’t be friends or genuinely happy for each other. They’re both going to have recording contracts and make lots of money.
So here’s the deal. I get that it’s exciting when fellow Christians meet with some level of success. But it’s really stupid for either side to act like this is some kind of reflection of the moral state of America, or that somehow Jesus is more in control because a Christian won a singing contest. Or that it’s a failure for gay rights that Adam didn’t come out publicly OR win the show. I think that both sides are misguided for thinking that a vote for their guy was somehow doing something to take a stand for their side. Does either side really think that the gay community ISN’T involved in the entertainment industry already? Do gays not have the right to live in peace since Adam lost? Was Jesus really up in heaven sweating the outcome of this season’s American Idol? I think so many people want to think that Kris winning is somehow a moral victory for Christianity because by voting they had a part in it, without actually having to take a stand. It’s lazy and it feels good. They just get to sit in their living room, call Adam a queer, and feel like they’re standing up for the Kingdom by not voting for him. It’s much easier than actually getting to know someone who is desperately lost, learning the balance between loving a sinner and hating their sin, respecting their right as an American to do pretty much whatever they want, while holding fast to the fact that as a creation of God, they should not do whatever they want (and neither should we.) I hope Adam and Kris are both successful. They’re both talented. They both worked hard. While homosexuality is very clearly a condemned behavior scripturally, loving your enemies is very clearly commanded. I hate to even use that word, but both sides have drawn those lines over a stupid TV show. So, if you were anti Adam because he may or may not have kissed a boy… pray for him. Do something. Let’s not be like the world, pretending like voting on a reality show means anything.
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