Christians, performing arts, and American Idol

It seems that many Christians end up on American Idol, the long-running talent competition on Fox.

I think it’s a natural outworking of our music-infected worship. Each Sunday, we give thousands of musicians the chance to sing and  play while they lead worship. There’s plentyof God-given talent out there and the church helps it grow.

Jonathan Acuff, the seriously funny genius behind “Stuff Christians Like,” asked the question, “How do you know if that contestant on American Idol is a Christian?”

There’s plenty of sarcasm in the responses and you’ll see mine. It’s number 27.

“After they make the final cut they ‘thank the Holy Spirit,’ because no one but a real Christian gives a shout out to the Holy Spirit. If they’re a Pentecostal, they’ll thank the ‘Holy Ghost.'”       (= + 3 points)

We can laugh about this, but it leads to a deeper question. Should we use our gifts to bring attention to ourselves?

Of course — all of who are serious about the infusion of faith into the workplace walk that line every day. When the boss says, “well done,” do we beam with pride, or do we deflect in humility? We love positive reviews and evalutations. We all want to ‘earn the prize’ of a pay increase.

When I write something, I admit a wellspring of pride when others comment or give praise.

On the church platform, the pastor gives his best. What do you say to him afterwards? And the performance arts always cause me to be a little uncomfortable. When someone sings a rousing song in church and people burst into applause, is it right?

More questions than answers today.