American Idols?

So, in case you didn't notice, the San Diego Chargers lost to the New York Jets on Sunday. I was a little shocked and very disappointed since my Chargers definitely gave the game away. But I will say, that this morning as I went out to shovel my driveway I still put on my Chargers hat and even went out with it and got donuts later on. Maybe they will never make the Super Bowl, but they are still my team. For now, Go Saints!

While watching my team lose I was amazed at how much the game influenced my attitude and spirit. I had struggled with this in the past, even swearing off of sports altogether at different times. I have seen many people get angry and irritated because their team was losing. Christians throwing things around their house, yelling at the TV, etc. as their team lost the game. I had always determined I would not be like this. So, I was a little surprised last night when I heard one of my kids timidly ask my wife, "Why is Daddy so mad?" At that point I realized that no football game should have the control over me that I was experiencing. I decided that it would be better if I didn't watch the last few minutes, so I left and did something else. This raises some interesting thoughts and comments about our American culture and people in general.

Paul warns us in 1 Corinthians 6:12. "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any" (NKJV). The lesson here is very clear. Although we may have the freedom to participate in many different hobbies, activities, or venues we must always be wary of being brought under the power of something else. What does it mean to be "brought under the power" of something? Well, this seems to be a good description of what the Bible usually calls "idolatry." But do we really struggle with idolatry in 21st Century America? I would argue that the answer is an unequivocal, "Yes."

There are many idols that could be discussed, but the first that comes to mind is sports (I wonder why). Sports can be an excellent character-building and team-building experience that can teach children and adults how to work hard, persevere, work as a team, and never give up. On the other hand, sports can also tear down relationships and create an almost vicious must-win mentality (just look at the number of pro players using HGH and other steroids). How do we know when we have gone to far? Going back to 1 Corinthians 6:12 we can ask the simple question. "Who is in control?" This leads to the following questions. Am I enjoying the sport and able to control my emotions and temper when my team is losing or winning? Or does the condition of my team determine my attitude? Do I get depressed when my team loses? Does the sport control me to the point that it impacts my relationships with others? We must take the time to analyze our own lives so that we can control sports rather than sports controlling us.

Another common idol in America is money or materialism. I doubt many of us would argue this one, but how often do we fall into the trap as well. Once again we all know that we need money and money can be used to do help others and the Church. God even commands us to give cheerfully to Him. So having money, in and of itself, is not wrong. But once again we must ask ourselves the question, "Who is in control?" Am I able to control my money and my desire for "things" or are money and "things" controlling me? By the way, just because someone doesn't have much money doesn't mean they don't struggle with this. I have found that while I would not be characterized as being "rich" by most Americans I still struggle quite often with the desire for money or more "stuff." God warns us in Matt 6:24, "You cannot serve God and money."

The idol of popularity may seem like something a Youth Group should focus on, but I would argue that most adults struggle with this idol just as much as their teenage sons and daughters. I am constantly amazed at what makes the news these days. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie having children? Jenniffer Aniston breaking up with someone again? Barak Obama's family choosing a dog? Tiger Woods committing adultery? Why do these events make the news? Although you may wonder why they make the news, I don't. Don't ever forget that the news media exists not out of the benevolence of their kind hearts, but in order to make money. They print and televise news that they know viewers are interested in. So why do all of these celebrities make the news? Because people watch them and love learning about them. People magazine doesn't print juicy stories on their magazine covers because no one buys them. So let's think through this idol of popularity a little bit more.

The history of man has been the history of man trying to be like God. The ancient Greek and Roman gods were basically people with supernatural powers. They were powerful, but they were also full of human weaknesses - immoral, lying, power-hungry, moody, greedy. Man has been good at lowering God down to his own standards. We would much rather have a god that looks and acts like us with some cool powers thrown in, than an all-powerful God who is truly just and righteous. If God is like us then we can work him a little, and we can even become like him. But if God is truly like the God of the Bible then we can only respond to Him with worship and obedience. So man has constantly created little gods rather than worshipping the true God. In many ways the gods of America are no longer Zeus or Diana, but Harrison Ford and the Jonas Brothers. These gods are much more like us but still have some cool powers. In many ways they are worshipped by their fans and we all know this - after all, they call the show "American Idol" for a reason. And just like the gods of old, the greatest story of all time is the story of a common man or woman being lifted up from the drudgery of normalness into the sphere of the gods. We love stories like this.

We have created a hideous and grotesque idol called "popularity." Not only do teenagers strive to be the most popular kid at school, but adults quickly be-friend everyone they possibly knew in the last 30 years on Facebook in order to feel a little cooler and brag about how many "friends" they have. We view the lives of celebrities (even unconsciously) with wistful glances, and wish our lives weren't so ordinary. Unlike New Testament Christians who were ashamed to share the Gospel because they might be sent to prison or killed we are ashamed to share the Gospel because we might lose a friend (and therefore popularity). We have offered sacrifices at the idol of popularity for far too long. The solution is to realize who really matters in life. Are we trying to be popular with people or please God.

May we all join the Apostle Paul in saying, "I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ" Php 3:8 (NKJV).