Right?
Well, there are a couple of things to consider. Bob Kauflin explains:
- In the positive column, someone watching "Shout to the Lord" on American Idol might be led by God's Spirit to download the song, or even to start going to church again. They might hear the Gospel and be gloriously converted, all due to hearing "Shout to the Lord" in one of the most unlikely places. For that potential, I praise and thank God. ...
... But there’s a dark side. There's something paradoxical about worship songs being sung on prime time TV by people who don't know why Jesus came. Does the world see any difference between what’s taking place on American Idol and what we do on Sunday mornings? Has worship become part of the entertainment culture? It's unsettling when Christian songs or worship leaders are acclaimed by the masses. Jesus said in Luke 6:26, "Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets." He also said, "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me" (Matt. 15:8). Both verses temper my unbridled enthusiasm.
American Idol, for all the good the show is seeking to do, will never be a platform for worshiping a crucified Messiah. The Gospel has to be gutted of a bloody cross to find a place on prime time TV.
My sentiment exactly. What part does darkness have with light?
ReplyDeleteMy pastor put it well the other night. If we can't be Sony or Hollywood, why try to draw people with sub-standard imitations? We must draw people with Christ-likeness.
I understand the concern. I understand that not all (if any) of the singers were believers. I understand that Fox had no intention of spreading the Gospel. I understand that it was likely simply a money-making scheme intended to get Christians to watch. But, in the end, I have to agree with Paul. "What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice" (Phil. 1:18).
ReplyDeleteAmen!
ReplyDelete