-Why Christianity Needs Simon Cowell-

So last night Season 8 of American Idol premiered.  Even if you don't watch the show there is a 96.78% chance that you have a general understanding of how it works.  People get up and sing in front of some judges who critique their performance.  Sometimes they have positive feedback and other times they tear the contestant a new one.  In either case, the feedback they give is generally honest with different degrees of "bluntness" from each judge. But the judge that always gets the reaction is Simon Cowell.

Watching Simon give feedback to people for the first 3 or 4 weeks of each season is the whole reason I enjoy the show.  Is that wrong?  Every freaking year there is a veritable parade of tone-deaf people who are absolutely convinced that their vocal chords have been endowed with the voices of the angels.  Simon sees it as his personal mission to bring them back down to earth.  What strikes me is that just about all of these utterly hideous singers have people in their lives telling them that they are supremely talented.  Who are these people?  Why would you let your friend or kid or sibling embarrass him or herself on public television?  Some people think Simon is cruel for being so blunt with them.  I think it's their friends and family who are cruel for NOT being so blunt with them.  Isn't it better to know what we can and, especially, cannot do?

I think the same rules apply to someones area of involvement in a church.  I think the church would run better, more efficiently, and ultimately closer to God's design for it if 2 things happened.  (1) Christian quit being so stinking hypersensitive and (2) we Christians got ourselves a Simon Cowell.  One of my former pastors was absolutely right when he told me, "It's easier to get a person into a ministry than it is getting them out."  The fact that it's so true is what is so sad to me.  If you can't sing, you shouldn't be singing on the worship team.  If you have leather eardrums you shouldn't be doing sound.  If you have no patience and are annoyed with kids you should stay out of children's ministry.  If you can't remember lines get off the drama team.  But pastors and other church leaders can't say that to people because they'll freak out.

I think as a whole, Christians have become too self-involved with their service to their church. Too many people think that simply handing out a program or setting up chairs or even cleaning up after an event is beneath them.  People try to find a way to get stage time too much.  But what if that isn't what God called you to do?  What if that's what you're not made for?  There are lots of people in my church that LOVE to sing but that couldn't find a key in an empty room with a metal detector.  I hear them every week.  But just because you enjoy something doesn't mean it's what you're MADE to do.  Peter enjoyed fishing but he sucked at it and Jesus told him as much.  I think we need more of that.  I think we should be able to tell someone that they're just not operating in their God-given skill-set and that they need to try something else.  This will only be better for the church as a whole.  The problem is, just like those contestants on American Idol, too many Christians are convinced that they are supposed to be doing what they're doing and will actually leave the church if you tell them otherwise.  This is so sad.

That's the attitude that hamstrings church leaders.  they want to build a better, more effective church in order to make a larger eternal impact but the people in the church are so self-absorbed in doing what they want to do that they don't get it.  they don't see the bigger picture because their tunnel vision is pointed directly at themselves rather than the church as a whole.  The vast majority of these people undoubtedly love God and want to serve Him with all they have.  Their intentions are good, but nearsighted.  We need to be able to accept guidance from our spiritual leaders.  We need to trust that they are trying to build the best most effective ministries for the whole church.  If that means that we, as individuals, need to sacrifice some pride then that's the way is should be.  Jesus made a lot of sacrifices as did many of the first Christians.  They understood that they couldn't be so nearsighted and self-involved because there was something much bigger than them at stake.  In the book of Acts, it was an honor to be chosen to serve widows.  I think if our attitudes were the same, there would be beautiful and wondrous  results. But until then, I think Christianity needs Simon Cowell.