American Bandstand, American Idol, or American Idolatry?

American Bandstand was a great show to watch when I was a kid. If was the cool kids dancing around then they would come up and tell you what made the song cool. It had a good beat, you cold dance to it... I give it a 91! Well that's the music business and pleasing the consumer is what it's all about. American Idol has taken the evaluation of talent to a whole other level. It seems like people love to watch the auditions to see who can make the biggest fool out of themselves, and if that wasn't enough... to hear the pearls of encouragement come from no other than Simon Cowell! Now the fun begins to see contestants cry as their efforts get ripped to shreds for the sake of entertainment and a chance at a record contract. Now granted there are people who lack talent and have absolutely no business being there... sure, they asked for it. Yes I fully understand that they are putting themselves out there and taking a risk and that involves criticism, I mean after all it's TV right. You sign a contract and you get you fifteen minutes of fame.

Unfortunately we have no bounds when it comes to church. I have heard the innocent comments like bandstand... "It’s got good worship, stuff for my kids"... it's a 92; to the Simon Cowell level of... "The spirit is not here" or "I am not fed". As if it was just about the ministry I am involved with, no, this is being said about the house church movement, the emergent/ emerging movement, the mega-church, anything that your can think to have an opinion on, the gathering is never good enough. No. This is not going where you think! I believe in constructive feedback, no group or gathering of people is perfect and people need to speak out in constructive and clear ways to communicate the issues of heart and practice... I agree and invite that. Furthermore am in a great place of dialogue and interaction with people so this is not a rant, more like a narrated observation overheard in coffee shops and market lines. That being said my question is this. When did we become Simon Cowell judging an entity established by God? Why would I want to be that person? Worship was great this week but the message was a little off, last week the message was OK but the announcements... oh, too long, thereby quenching the Holy Spirit and releasing the spirit of entertainment. Really... is that what happens?

Did you ever notice Simon says, but never sings? He is like the trainer who never works out but knows how to get you in shape. I wonder how it would be different if those who weren't fed were feeding? Those who wanted deeper worship, simply worshipped? Maybe, John Wimber was right the meat is in the streets. Perhaps we should mind our attitudes and garden our hearts and look beyond the surface with some good questions, like.

If God is ever present, why am I not seeing what He is doing?

If God's word promises to not be void... why is it empty to me?

Why do I need to be right, better or know more than this other person?

It just seems that in our criticism we show the true problem, our insecurity, and lack of love and comittment.
Sure, Simon is often right, Paula just glosses over the truth and Randy, well, he's just cool... that's entertainment.
We are a people of love, hope and grace. Our world needs to see it radically lived out; that's transformation.

Shalom