I was helping a seminary student write a theme paper the other day (the title was really long but I remember the jist) by answering the question she asked as part of the paper. “From a christian perspective, why is American Idol so popular?” There were other people who offered their insight into this pop phenomena and most were pretty much the same.
1. People can connect with the contestants because they do a good job of making you familiar with them during the time they’re on the show.
2. Most people have a desire to be an entertainer themselves.
3. People like to participate in the judging and give their two cents worth (along with others).
It was interesting to note that no one gave an answer in relation to the question she asked which tends to be the case among most Christians. She asked the question “From a CHRISTIAN perspective, not a YOU perspective or a REST of the world perspective, but Christian, which means in relationship to God.
As Christians our perspective should always be based on a position as it relates to God as the starting and ending point. My answer to her was this:
The reason American Idol is so popular is because it best represents how we are in our fallen condition, especially as it relates to God vs idols. Bob Dylan once penned the words,
“Oh it may be the devil the devil or it may be the Lord but you got to serve somebody”.
Man is fashioned, designed and created to worship, there’s no void or vacuum in this area he will always worship something no matter what. From a christian perspective God has determined that those whom He has created shall worship Him alone, and no one or nothing besides Him (which He spelled out more than once in scripture) unfortunately the bent of man is to turn his gaze away from God and serve himself. And note: this is the ideal environment for idolatry; turning your attention, desire and efforts away from God towards other things. No matter which direction he goes away from God man must have something before him, within his reach or gaze that he can and will worship. Man MUST.
This is why God warned men not to whack on rocks or logs in order to fashion things to worship because those things aren’t Him. He knew their hearts were inclined to do just that which really tends to tick God off.
So here’s what happens in the area of idols that fits with American Idol.
A person has to worship something (Dylan) so they take something which is lesser than them, rock, wood, or what ever, and with their own hands fashion it into something that resembles some other created thing (which is also lesser than them). Once man fashions this piece of wood or rock, he then submits himself to IT. Man, who is responsible for the idol’s very existence, a thing which wouldn’t exist if it hadn’t been for the creativity of the man in the first place, now submits and hands over his own authority to the very lesser thing which his hands have made. “I made you and now I will do what ever you say”. This really has to upset God because man has actually handing over the authority given to him by God to a stump of wood. “If you’re going to give up your authority any way you might as well give it back to me!”
American Idol: The contestants on American Idol are just basic folks, like us when they arrive for their auditions. Chris Daughtry worked at a Chevy dealership in their customer service department, David Cook worked as a waiter and Cari Underwood was a farm girl in the midwest. These people were not considered to be important to us or the rest of America, they were people who served us and were part of the background of our lives. Simply put, they were nobodies (figuratively speaking).
Each contestant is at the mercy of the voters, us. All during the competition they are desperate for you and me to help them continue to move forward and not get voted out and have to go home, WE have authority over THEM. but slowly along the way they become formed and fashioned, gaining notoriety, popularity and receiving more and more attention. Finally we arrive at the end and one person is voted (by us) to be the “NEXT American IDOL”.
So there they are a very famous person who we now admire, and wish we were LIKE. We wait in line to pay $45 – $75 to get a ticket to their concerts, wait in line to get into that concert and once inside our hearts pound in expectant adulation that they’ll soon appear on the stage so we can lift our voices and hands in adoring praise. We seek their autographs, shirts, CD’s or a precious quick glance towards us who are buried deep in the sea of humanity pouring out before them.
This is our tendency as a people who are fallen and are turned from God, making something from nothing and then serve that which we have made. It fits perfect with what we read about us in scripture except we’re able to disguise it for what it really is because it’s so far removed from what we do as the church.
It’s interesting to note the increase in the number of “professing” christians who are the contestants on American Idol and the impact the church has a voting block towards their success in the competition. Why? We love our idols. I mean come on, when was the last time you saw people getting as excited in church on a Sunday morning as they do at a professional sporting event or a concert, there’s an overwhelming expectation to actually get to see someone they admire, adore, respect and love, someone who at some point, they believe, impacted their life.
It sucks to arrive 10 – 15 minutes late into the beginning of a concert but it doesn’t suck to arrive late for sunday worship. We love our Idols.
So, this is our tendency as a fallen people who have turned our face from God and have sought to satisfy our selves with the submitted worship of that which we have created with our own hands.
We love our idols.
I was born in Portland and have lived in Oregon all my life and have always thought we have one of the coolest capitol buildings in the country, the marble, the clean cut lines and the really neat looking dome it truly is unique. But the greatest thing has always been the pioneer guy on the top, he has this solid, confident, determined look to him like he knows who he is and what he’s going to do, get something done, plow some land, cut down a tree or build a cabin out of logs with his bare hands. Yeah! Being covered in gold doesn’t hurt either. When I drive through town I can’t help but take a glance towards the building and be impressed with that guy. But these days I’m loosing a little confidence in the leader symbol of this great “pioneer” state; today our guy leaders can be trans-gender, wear women’s dresses, or pack fudge with (barely) eighteen year old interns, which makes me begin to look at the pioneer guy with a little suspicion. Is that really a cloak he has thrown over his shoulder to protect him from the elements or is it material he plans to use for curtains, a couch throw or perhaps a mid length summer dress? Is his westward gaze fixed towards the unsettled land towards the pacific ocean with thoughts of territorial conquest or is he actually fixing his gaze towards the young tanned farm hand he hired a week ago? You know I’m beginning to doubt this guys motives up there, I never used to but I do now, I’m not sure but I think I see sequins on the handle of that axe.





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