Tarnished Idol

The other night Christine and I were getting ready to watch a videotape. While we were setting things up, American Idol was on. Simon and the other judges were mercilessly tearing apart a series of hopefuls, driving one sensitive-looking guy to tears. I’m the last person to say America needs any more “idols,” at least of the performing type. But now I see another reason for the popularity of Idol. It is the attraction of bloodsport, like watching the Romans feed the Christians to the lions.

Of course, many of the contestants have no business performing, being of limited talent at best. But they are baited by promises of fame and fortune into appearing on the show, and Simon and Co. evidently delight in shredding these women and men, made in the image of God, before a national audience.

And it seems no one cares about this heavily hyped brutality. But I do have an ally, one Rosie O’Donnell, who also finds the show disgusting. Normally someone I disagree with 99 percent of the time, today she is right on the mark in decrying the cruelty of Idol. Thank you, Rosie. Keep preaching it.

About Stan Guthrie

Stan Guthrie is an editor at large for Christianity Today magazine and for the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview. His latest book is God's Story in 66 Verses. He also is author of All that Jesus Asks: How His Questions Can Teach and Transform Us, Missions in the Third Millennium: 21 Key Trends for the 21st Century, and A Concise Guide to Bible Prophecy. He is co-author of The Sacrament of Evangelism. Besides authoring, writing, and editing books, Stan is a literary agent, bringing together good authors, good books, and good publishers. Stan writes the monthly Priorities colum for BreakPoint.org. He has appeared on National Public Radio's €œTell Me More,€ WGN's Milt Rosenberg program, and many Christian shows, including The Eric Metaxas Show and Moody Radio'€™s €œNew Day Florida.€ A licensed minister and an inspirational speaker, he served as moderator for the Christian Book Expo panel discussion, Does the God of Christianity Exist, and What Difference Does It Make?
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