Overexposed

I'll admit I'm a little late posting on this one. It's yesterday's news for many people and maybe it's just as well. Was anyone else bothered by the whole Carrie Prejean/Miss California/Gay Marriage/Semi-nude photos debacle? Here are my "two cents":

First, I applaud Miss California's show of integrity in deciding to speak up and/or speak out against gay marriage. The acceptance of a "marriage" consisting of anything other than the union of one man and one woman has no basis in NT scripture. It caused quite a stir. Some said she abused the platform and spoke out of turn. People were calling for her to step down as Miss California.

However, what happened next was also noteworthy. All of a sudden, semi-nude pictures of this young lady began to surface. Coincidence? Perhaps. An attempt to discredit someone whose opinions were not popular with a certain percentage of the population. Plausible.

However, let's examine why semi-nude pictures of Carrie Prejean ever existed in the first place. Miss Prejean claims that they are the product of an unscrupulous photographer who snapped pictures of her when she was unaware he was doing so. She didn't appear to be unaware she was being photographed. She also claims that some of the pictures could be attributed to a "wardrobe malfunction" (a'la Janet Jackson) when wind swept across the site of the photo shoot and blew her clothing open, exposing parts of her body she didn't intend to expose. Hmmmm. Possible, but (pardon me) let's have a closer look.

Carrie Prejean wants the world to believe that when you're model, sometimes you have to wear things like, oh... a vest with nothing under it. I don't think it's absolutely necessary to wear nothing at all on your torso, and give the camera a "come hither" look while covering your breasts with only your arms, but she would probably have us believe it is a job requirement. Is this the picture of a Christian woman? In an attempt to defend her reputation, Miss Prejean went on TV to say that she is a model and a Christian. Which begs the question, why not try a little harder to be a model Christian? If being a model means having to take off your clothes for the camera, and therefore the entire world, then maybe it's time for a career change.

Enter The Donald. I can see both sides of this story. Donald Trump, who "owns" the pageant (a concept curious in and of itself,) had the final say in whether Carrie Prejean got to keep her crown as Miss California. He didn't say "You're fired." He gave her a second chance. I can respect that. People make mistakes. If they own up to them, repent and apologize, and get back on the right path, then that is as it should be. God's mercies are new each morning. If we could lose our salvation through one little lapse of reason, we'd all be in trouble. Still, the motivation for Mr. Trump's decision is unknown to most of us. Who is Donald Trump anyway? Is he the pinnacle of human morality? The example by which we all should live? Not exactly. That position is filled, and will only ever be filled by one Jesus Christ.

I can forgive Carrie Prejean for her poor judgment in the past. I have made more than my fair share of bad decisions. For her sake, I hope she has learned her lesson. I hope she won't slide back into the muck. The enemy would love to see Jesus' name dragged through the mud. It happened before as He Himself dragged His cross through the dirt on His way to Golgotha. Yet He was on His way to washing all of us clean in His blood. When those who call themselves Christians fall, their failings are their own. Christ cannot fail us, we can only fail Him.

When we expose ourselves to the fallen world, it's a wonder we don't fail more often. So, keep it buttoned up, brothers and sisters. Be modest, model Christians, or at least give it your best shot and smile...you're on candid camera.


UPDATE 6/11/09:

"You're fired!" According to the AP, Donald Trump has decided that Carrie Prejean wasn't holding up her end of the deal as Miss California and has decided to depose her after all. So much for second chances in the world of men. I am thankful God is more merciful (and less subject to public opinion) than Trump.

Vulture Culture

Is anyone else tired of seeing and hearing about Jon and Kate Gosselin? Boy am I ever. I think we have become a culture of vultures. We can't wait to swarm around some dead or dying thing. We feel like we have to know everything about everything.

This problem has its roots in the Fall. Man wanted to know everything, to be like God, as Satan wanted to be like God. In Eden, man had no concept of evil. They ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and everything went downhill from there. I think one of the primary reasons for the proliferation of so-called "reality" shows is the same root cause of gossip, something the Scripture condemns. It's a "need to know" feeling. It's a sense of entitlement. I have a right to know, and even if I don't, I want to know, so I feel better about me. When we can see the wreckage of another person's life, we can examine ourselves and say: "Whew. At least I'm not THAT guy!"

Jon and Kate Plus 8 was a train wreck waiting to happen. The producers knew it. That's why the cameras started rolling. It makes for "good TV" or more accurately "good ratings." Why would anyone agree to do this to their family? Money and fame. Notoriety. They want people to know them. Here they are, a couple of average looking people (reference tabloid cover pictures of Kate pre-TV makeover) with nothing particularly interesting to offer other than the fact that they had two kids and then went after - and got- sextuplets. It's not a whole lot different than the McCauley family from about ten years ago, except that they didn't get their own show. Don't even get me started on the Octomom, Nadya Suleiman. Here's a woman who says she just wants everyone to leave her alone, but she grabbed her 15 minutes of fame and is hanging on for dear life, reportedly agreeing to appear on her own reality show.


It's like NASCAR or any car racing for that matter. Why do people watch? To see who wins? Maybe. To see a spectacular crash? More likely.

These people do not realize, nor do we as a culture realize that our worth comes not from getting attention to others, but from God and turning our attention to our relationship with Him. I think most of us know evil when we see it - festering, stinking evil - but we like to watch. We circle in for a closer look and we feast on the rotting flesh of the dead carcass when we should be partaking of The Bread of Life.

Vulture culture rears its ugly, wrinkled, featherless head again.