My Brother's Keeper

There's something on my mind that I'm not entirely sure how to express... though, as per usual, I shall have a go at it, even if it's a "rum go," to borrow a phrase from my British friends. My ruminations of late have been on the subject of what is our responsibility toward those upon whom our culture bestows the title star or celebrity. Or, rather, how are we to relate to the them.
Naturally, I am thinking -and writing - from a devout Christian's perspective.

There are times I just roll my eyes in exasperation when I hear what those professing to be my fellow Christians say and do with regards to the stars. There seems to be two ditches into which we regularly fall: one, mindless idolization, or, two, mindless vilification.

We tumble into the first ditch when we give ourselves up to entertaining ourselves freely with the wares that the various artists provide us. Sometimes I am hard pressed to restrain myself from speaking unadvisedly when I witness some of the movies Christians watch and the music to which they listen, and frequently watch and listen seemingly without critical, intelligent reasoning. I think I've heard every argument about why Christians have the liberty to watch and listen to whatever they want, but those arguments are getting a bit thin... and foolish. I'm not going to go into the whole theological nine yards about why we shouldn't watch movies or listen to music full of cussing, that glorify sinful practices, and/or mock Christian practice. Maybe someday I will, but not now. What I would like to ask, however, is this: do the various musicians and actors, who do not share our faith, ever get weary or annoyed with Christians who entertain themselves with what the artists themselves know to be totally against all that we profess to believe? Do they get fed up with our hypocrisy?

The sight of Christians wallowing in the ditch of mindless vilification nearly gives me apoplexy. Back in the mid nineties, a gospel group published a song that was little more than a rant about all the things that were wrong with America. I admit that at the time I thought it had merit, though down inside it made me decidedly uncomfortable. As I've matured as a Christian, I've discovered why it made me feel the way it did. It was the simple fact that the punkers, musicians, politicians, and actors that they took to task in that song were people - people, who no matter what sins they may have been guilty of committing, still had a basic need for love. You see, there is one thing that we seem to forget in the midst of all our ranting and raving about the great sins of stars: these people can hear what is being said, sung and written about them (one artist made the comment that he didn't know what was with people - "Don't they know I can read [what's being said about me]?"), and, whether we like to think it or not, they know if we truly care about them or not - they aren't fooled by our words... like we seem to be. It's all well and good to say that we love the sinner, but hate the sin. However, I would like to suggest that if the sensational sins of the sinner get more of your attention than the need of the sinner, then you have fallen into the ditch of mindless vilification.

The depth to which we have wallowed in these ditches is revealed when the various stars die. The recent passing of Michael Jackson gave us a good example of it. For my part, I was heartbroken for the loss of this man - not because he was an idol of mine - but because death is a serious matter and should be cause for grief. When a soul - any soul - is plunged into eternity, it should sober us. But when a star, a pop icon, dies, we react like nincompoops. Either we join with the world, and grieve without reason, bowing at their coffins as if they were the shrines of the brightest deities, or we behave like unsanctified jackasses.

I have heard statements about the eternal destiny of Michael Jackson from those professing high religion that have made my cheeks burn with mortification. One gentleman waxed eloquent stating that Michael was dancing with Lucifer and firecrackers - in a very public situation with non-believers to witness the statement, no less. Oh, for shame! For shame! For shame! Whatever happened to Christian charity and a heart that breaks with love for the sinner? This question is not a commentary on the eternal destiny of the late pope icon, but, let me ask, if God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, what right have you shooting your mouth off in such a fashion? We are called to judge righteous judgement, yes, but we are forbidden to enter into the kind of judgement that would decide someone's eternal fate, as clearly as we are forbidden to commit murder, lie or steal. Chew on that thought for awhile, and I hope you have a good appetite for it. We let fly with our mouth, and then we have the audacity to wonder why the world has no use for the Christian. As my dear, old Grandmother used to say, "you can't pull up the sinner over the back of a hypocritical Christian." Amen. And don't even think to suggest that the anti-Christian sentiment that is flooding the world is merely a sign of the times. Christians hang themselves, and then blame the devil and the world at large.

It's at a time like this, when I have to ask, do Christians really care about celebrities? Or are we so wrapped up in our self-righteousness that we never give them a second thought? Do we ever really truly take the time to pray for them? And I mean pray for them - pray for them so that we will have no personal regret when they die? Or are we too caught up in our worship of them to be concerned for their soul? Do we really want them - in good "Christian-ese" - to get saved and have the change of life they so desperately need? Or would that leave us without an idol to adore? Do we care? Or in the words of another, "Am I my brother's keeper?"

'Til next blog, God be with us all,
Pastor Chelle