Let’s Start Examining Our “Heroes”
Like many Christians, I was pleased to hear the report the day after the Miss USA pageant about the honest answer of Miss California, Carrie Prejean. She stated a simple belief regarding the institution of marriage being between one man and one woman. Honestly, I didn’t think much more of it than that. It was nice to see a young person state their beliefs very publicly and to seemingly be unashamed of it. However, within a few days there was a bit of Carrie Prejean mania going on. Suddenly she was on the morning talk shows and becoming a voice for the issue of marriage. Pro-family groups were calling, all hoping for an opportunity to get her onboard with their cause. Focus on the Family scheduled a broadcast with her, and even Liberty University had her stop by to talk in front of students. They didn’t know much about her as a person or a Christian (she does go to a Christian college), just that she had given one good answer.
Now people are rethinking all the attention Miss Prejean has gotten because of explicit photos of her that have become available on the internet. While this certainly begins to crack her testimony, my bigger problem is putting her up as an example for our young people after just a few days. Are we going to ask our daughters and sons to admire her during the swimsuit competition as well? We point to her answer in front of millions, but what about her willingness to get up nearly naked in front of millions on TV? Is that really God’s desire for Miss Prejean? I don’t want my daughters to believe that beauty is something to be paraded about and judged. And what about our sons? As Carrie sat onstage at Liberty and they spoke about the swimsuit competition, several male students started throwing out catcalls. They weren’t asked or encouraged by school administrators to think about their attitudes towards their sister in Christ. It was just left alone. Isaiah 53:2 described the future Son of God. He says of Jesus, “…He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.” Let this be a reminder to us as Christians that next time we want a hero, appearances or celebrity doesn’t make someone a prime candidate. Instead of beauty pageant contestants why don’t we hold up the missionaries that make supreme sacrifices to leave friends and family behind to take the gospel to people that may never hear? What about the tireless inner-city ministers that see hope healing hurt everyday? Let’s choose our future heroes very carefully.