The Circus That is Jon and Kate Gosselin

Kate yells at Jon. Kate yells at her children. Jon cheats on Kate with a school teacher. Kate cheats on Jon with her bodyguard. Kate wears a bikini to the beach. Kate had a tummy tuck.

These are a small snippet of the headlines from the world of Jon and Kate Gosselin (of TLC's Jon and Kate Plus Eight) over the last couple weeks. I do not watch their show and absolutely LOATHE gossip magazine babble so I have kept mum on this subject/topic (despite several requests for me to chime in on the matter) so as not to add to this already out of control circus. Then I saw these headlines today and couldn't keep silent any more:

"First Look: Kate Caught Spanking Kids" (popeater.com)

"EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Caught Hitting Her Daughter" (InTouch Weekly)

Not only are these headlines absurd (one being an absolute distortion of the truth and slanderous), but some paparazzi photographer actually had the nerve to snap pictures of the incident AND PUBLISH THEM! The subtitle to the incident (this caption actually accompanies the pictures on the popeater.com website): "Kate Lays the Smack Down". ARE YOU SERIOUS??

Granted, Jon and Kate semi-agreed to a public life by airing their lives before the world on national television in exchange for money, but at what point does such "coverage" (sorry, tabloid babble is not coverage - it's spreading trash) become inhumane? At what point do people who follow their lives (Jon and Kate) religiously actually become bottom-feeders and lifeless sycophants that feed their own joy on the life (and misery) of others? At what point does someone stop the madness and say "I think what is good and decent is beyond gone in this situation and we've actually contributed to the degradation of our society by continuing to follow it with such intensity." How in the world did it ever become OK to capture a parent disciplining their child on camera and publish those pictures (with captions that detail the apparent horror and helplessness of the other children watching) for the world to see?

Are Jon and Kate perfect? No. Their marriage is not going through anything different that many marriages in America have not gone through (to include the affairs, should those accusations be true). Yes, Jon and Kate bought this life to an extent, but the endless scrutiny, pictures, video (non-TLC video) and "coverage" is not right. Few, if any, American families would ever dare to live out their private moments (such as spanking or disciplining their kids) with a national audience; yet, many Americans will continue to buy in to this debauchery until they are a part of the reason Jon's and Kate's marriage fractures beyond repair. When that happens, its on to another celebrity or couple.
What have we become as a nation? As humans?

PARENTS: Celebrity life and idols is a DANGEROUS world. Our kids often grow up thinking that in order to be someone they need to be one of the glamorized stars in movies, TV or music. As parents, we often times feed that worldview by talking about it, watching it and buying in to it ourselves. We tell our kids with our words that idol worship is bad, but they watch how we live and see lives devoted to movies, music, gossip and entertainment. They hear us talk about how wonderful so-and-so actor/actress is and all about who they are and what they do. They see us read those magazines. Are you, as a parent, part of this very fractured system and culture? If so, maybe it's time to do some serious evaluating and removing of idols in our own lives.

Want to join the conversation? Click here to comment or ask a question!


Image borrowed from TV Week Online.
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Heidi Montag, Spencer Pratt and "Christianity"

Last week I posted a video and commented on Spencer Pratt's "baptism" by Stephen Baldwin. In the clip and in prior interviews Spencer credits his wife Heidi Montag (Pratt) for leading him toward his new found faith/conversion. Since I don't know much about the couple because I don't watch The Hills or follow celebrity gossip (at least intentionally - it's impossible to avoid it all together) I have no idea if her faith in Christ is genuine or his conversion is legit. What I do know is that their behavior (how they treat other people, crave the spotlight, will do almost anything for the right price tag, etc.) and decisions do not reflect those of people whose desire to love God more than anything else. Instead it seems as though their desire is to love themselves and grab as much attention (good or bad) as possible.

The Latest case-in-point: now it appears that the faithful Mrs. Montag-Pratt has posed in a "tasteful" spread in Playboy magazine. *Cue the corporate eye roll and sigh*

I speak up because I am tired of so-called celeb-Christians dragging the name of Christ through the mud. Those who are "lost" and genuinely looking for answers look at Christians who are self-centered and selfishly motivated and think "if that's what the Christian religion is all about, they can keep it." It seems phony to them, as if it is a ploy to get heaven and live like hell (as if Christianity is fire insurance or a "get out of hell free" card). Granted, no one is perfect, but when so-called Christians trivialize heaven, grace, hell, sin and the love of God it degrades the very faith in which they claim to hold dear.

This would not be a major conversation if Heidi and Spencer both were not using the name of Christ so loosely. Since they are, however, now it essential that Christians speak up so as to clarify what being a follower of Christ looks like. Showing off, pimping yourself out, praying to meet Miley Cyrus as a test to prove if God exists, and many of their other antics are not the behaviors of genuine lovers of God.

I pray, however, that in their youth and ignorance God opens their eyes and that one day (hopefully soon) they will see Truth and desire to truly love God with all that they are.

Want to join the conversation? Click here to comment or ask a question!

Image borrowed from People.

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State of the Blog Address

My son is home from school today so I am not updating my blog with a new entry, per se. Stop by tomorrow... I will be doing will be an inter-blog experiment! My Twitter friend Tami (a worship leader from Illinois) and I will be dialoguing about the state of Christian music, taste/musical preference, worship and more. Check that out sometime tomorrow! Until then... here are some blog highlights:

• Since I started tracking page hits and such (around August of 2008 or so) the C2 blog has had over 2,200 visits. 630+ of which are actually returning readers!

• The C2 blog has been visited by at least one reader from 14 countries!! That is mind boggling! (U.S., U.K., India, Pakistan, South Africa, Australia, Ireland, Canada, Belgium, Sweden, Hong Kong, Ukraine, Taiwan, Netherlands)

• The C2 blog got its first award (given by reader Gracie)!

Here are the most popular posts for one reason or another (check them out in case you missed them in the past) - they are still being read even today! Here they are in order of popularity:

High School Musical "Get's Dirty"

Abstinence is Wrong

What Kind of Happy Meals are They Selling?!?!

"WARNING!" "DANGER WILL ROBINSON!" "ALERT! ALERT!" "CODE RED"

Peter Pan, Harold and a Crayon and Heaven

Time to Man Up!

NBC's New Show Steals its Story Straight Outta the Bible

Mom and Dad - Time to Grow Up!

What to Teach Our Children/Teens (About Dating)

Jesus Spinning Vinyl

Interesting Campaign By Skechers


Don't forget to sign up to Follow the C2 Blog on the right (or subscribe to our RSS Feed, also on the right)!!

Again, I created this blog to be a dialogue about culture and our faith, as well as to be a tool for parents in using culture as a conversational point with children and teens regarding their faith. I really had no idea what to expect when I started this ministry, but it has become far bigger than anything I could have imagined! Thanks for stopping by!!!!!

Talk to you tomorrow! :-)

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What Is Dating and When Should It Happen (or Should It?)? (A Guide for Parents and Thoughts for Teens/Singles)

The funny thing about dating is that if you ask people “what is dating?” you’ll hear a variety of answers. I ask this question of teenagers quite regularly and here is a small sample of the answers I’ve received over the years:

• Spending time with someone (I asked what happens when that relationship ends, they usually reply “find someone else”)
• Looking for a husband/wife
• Having fun
• I don’t know – you just like [someone] and hangout with them

So to ask “what is dating” is a rather ambiguous exercise because no one (even adults) really knows – they just do it. It’s pretty much certain, however, that you will see the following present in the majority of dating relationships:

• A title/declaration (my girlfriend/boyfriend/“just dating”/“playing the field”)
• Spend time together in special activities (movies, dinner, carnival, etc.)
• Friendship (often putting other friends second to the bf/gf of the moment)
• Best sides are put forward (typically masking/not disclosing those silly quarks – or real issues)
• Alone time (it’s not a real “date” unless the couple is alone somewhere)
• Emotional intimacy (the sharing of feelings, hopes, dreams, faith and more)
• Physical relationship (hand holding, hugging, kissing, making out, sexual intimacy)

To cut to the chase (since there could be much conversation here), it honestly seems like the only real factor that changes a male/female friendship from friends to “dating” is the physical relationship. Yes, emotional intimacy can be another difference, but it alone is not something exclusive to the dating relationship (friends can be emotionally intimate – often the reason for the “best friend” title). Besides that, when’s the last time you heard someone say “I’d love to share my hopes, feelings and dreams with you – would you be my boyfriend/girlfriend?” It’s more like friends one minute – start holding hands or kissing and “now we’re boyfriend and girlfriend” (or visa versa – change titles from friends to bf/gf, therefore, our new entitlement is physical intimacy).

To illustrate my previous point further (that is, there is no clear understanding of what dating is or parameters for practicing it), I hear the following statement a lot: “I do like him/her but I don’t want to go out with them because I’m afraid it would mess up our friendship.” Really? I thought that was kind of the whole point of marriage – to marry your best friend (so to speak) and grow closer together in that friendship. Besides that, *sarcasm alert* what could possibly happen in a dating relationship that would “mess up” your friendship? Ah, yes… physical intimacy. Once you cross certain lines (expressing love physically) it is kind of hard to go back to “just friends.” Therefore, the “friendship” is, indeed, often times ruined.

Dating can (and should) happen without physical intimacy. Yes, I know that seems archaic and out-dated considering how many of us as adults included it in our relationships and the fact that this type of thinking is almost laughable today. However, to those who are married I pose one question: do our present spouses feel more loved, valued and cherished because we tested others out (physically) first? Sure, we learn from our mistakes, but I have yet to meet a Godly couple that looks back and says “man, I’m glad we had so many partners (kissing or more) before we got married. It makes me feel so loved to know that I’m not the only one on your lips.” (If you’re like me right now, that last statement actually makes you slightly angry/upset/disturbed, whether it is at yourself or the thought of someone else having had the chance to cherish your spouse as you do now). This is why I wholeheartedly believe that we need to teach our CHILDREN (no matter their age) about the value of marriage as God designed it (not “following their heart”) and guide them to a Godly model of “dating.”

Godly dating (or “courting” as this model is often called) ought to set out with friendship as the goal and foundation, while removing physical intimacy until marriage. It puts the relationship in its proper place and encourages the couple to truly put the other one first. It practices from the beginning everything 1 Corinthians 13:4-9 (the “love chapter”) rejoices in:

• Patience
• Kindness (to the future spouse, future children, etc.)
• Proper practice (“does not act improperly”)
• Selflessness (much harder road than dating’s selfish “what’s in it for me, now?”)
• Rejecting that which could hurt, now or later (namely sin)
• Is excited by Godliness (“no joy in unrighteousness”)
• Living in Truth (versus secrecy or deceit)
• Fighting for real love (“bears, hopes, believes and endures all things” – real love is never easy)

No where does it say that practicing physical intimacy is necessary for this type of love to be experienced. Physical intimacy, instead, seals and expresses in a purely unique way our commitment to our spouse (hence the reason God said the “two become one flesh”). No one else is designed to enjoy such intimacy with our spouse. It is single-handedly the most amazing, unique relationship mankind can enjoy (even above the parent-child relationship because the only two people who can enjoy each other with such intimacy is the husband and wife).

Parents, as I mentioned before, this is not a new methodology. It’s a Biblical approach to a relational system (dating) that has gone way off path, become purely selfish (all about me) and lost its vision (there is very little mention of the future in dating anymore – it’s about the here and now). It places the emphasis back where it was originally designed to be - on marriage (not the here and now)! Yes, this seems like an impossible and unlikely task - like trying to out run a locomotive or leap a tall building in a single bound, without Superman's powers. No one said parenting biblically would be an easy task. But we join together, bathed in prayer, as we work to lead our children to amazing marriages and times of worship (now and later with their own families).

So how do we work AGAINST a system so firmly established in our culture (a confused pattern of dating is in all our movies, music, shows, books, schools, etc.)? We’ll cover that next week when I talk about “What to teach our children.”

Want to join the conversation? Have a question/comment? Click here to begin!! :-)


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Katy Perry "I Kissed a Girl"

There is a new song growing in popularity across the country (radio, facebook, myspace, MTV, etc.) – “I Kissed a Girl” by Katy Perry. This song and its popularity raises many issues (outside of its homosexual content – which is another conversation in-and-of-itself) in need of discussing.

WHO IS KATY PERRY
“The next big thing” (Blender magazine) or “the one to watch” (TEEN People – yes, TEEN, as in “our primary audience is teenagers”), Katy Perry (real name, Katheryn, Katy, Hudson) is the 23-year old daughter of conservative Christian pastors. As a teenager she released her first album, the self-titled mainstream Christian album Katy Hudson (http://www.amazon.com/Katy-Hudson/dp/B00005OW88). Now with her new name and musical style, Katy is taking the pop world by storm.

THE SONG
I have no desire to be one of the millions that have or will share or link her song or video, so instead I will post a link to the song's lyrics. If you wish to hear the song or see the racy video all you need to do is go to your search engine of choice and type in her name and the song name – you’ll have no issues finding it. For the rest of you, here are the lyrics: http://www.moron.nl/lyrics.php?id=122622&artist=Katy+Perry&rated=2

POINTS OF INTEREST IN THE SONG (NOTE: read lyrics before continuing)
I’m not a big fan of lists, but it certainly beats reading (or glancing at) long chunks of unorganized dialogue. So, without further ado, here is my list:
1. For something so “natural,” it seems pretty difficult to do. She states in the song that girls kissing girls is just a part of human nature, yet she seems to contradict this throughout most of the song. First, in order to do the deed she needed to get her bravery on by downing some drinks (“I got so brave, drink in hand”). Second, the drink allowed her judgment to be impaired enough to “[lose her] discretion”. Third, she admits “it felt so wrong” (before telling her self it felt so right). Fourth, she states that girls kissing girls is “not how good girls behave” (implying that the right decision would be NOT kissing girls); however, the bad/cool/rebel girls test the limits and live on the edge.
2 .No big deal? Is it really "innocent"? That’s what Katy seems to lead listeners to think (or maybe she’s just trying to make herself feel better). Unfortunately, this is just a reflection of the world we live in – as long as you don’t kill someone and you do not hurt someone (“victimless crime”) it’s “innocent.” I bet her Christian pastor parents would beg to differ about the innocence and “big deal” nature of the song (as I’m sure they LOVE fielding questions about their daughter and her new song). I wonder if it will be just as “innocent” when her daughter desires taste cherry Chapstick, too? What if her boyfriend DOES mind (meaning, he’s not a big fan of sharing his girlfriend with other girls – or guys)? Is it still “innocent”? What if the girl she kissed minds and doesn’t like just being a nameless, “experimental game”? Is it still “innocent”? And if it really is so innocent, why feel bad/wrong about it (or feel the need to defend it)?
3. Hook-ups are cool!!! Friends with benefits rock!!!! This is the dominant opinion of the day and the obvious view of this song. If it looks too good to deny it, then don’t! Translation: “let’s just use as many people as we can to fulfill our own desires. We’ll act now, ask questions later… hopefully no one gets hurt in the process, but let’s not think about that now – on to the fun!” Hmmmm...
4. The loss of the big picture. The lifestyle promoted in this song leaves many victims and has left out the rest of the story. What consequences resulted from that night? How about the consequences in the years to come? What about living for others (putting their needs and ideals before your own)? What about enjoying relationships with people, not just using them? When our own satisfaction is the tool we use to determine what’s right and wrong it is very slippery slope! Pringles’ slogan (“once you pop you can’t stop”) is a pretty accurate description of what our desires look like (seen also in James 1:15) – they are rarely satisfied. As soon as what used to satisfy us lets us down, we need more to make us feel good again… until it is too late and we’ve crossed the line. Many times we’ve been over the line a long time before we see the consequences of those decisions.

WRAPPING IT UP
I like Katy’s voice – and the song is somewhat catchy (unfortunately - hence the reason many love it). There is no doubt that Ms. Hudson/Perry is talented; however, it also appears to me that she seems to be a confused young lady (as she even admits in the song). I believe we would be wise to follow the advice of Scripture (Jude 21-23) – love and pray for Katy, all the while keeping our own “discretion” while learning from the mistaken philosophy of this song and promoting a right/godly philosophy of life.

And that’s what Katy Perry’s song is all about Charlie Brown…

Be sure to leave your own feedback/comments on the COMMENTS section (click the link below)...

My Take on "Juno"

Over the last several weeks I've had several conversations with teens and adults alike about the movie "Juno" (starring Ellen Page). As one would expect, opinions about the movie have varied greatly. So I figured, why not one more. Here's my take on the movie (originally posted on netflix.com as a part of my movie community reviews):

**SPOILER** First off, I'm a sucker for wit and sarcasm - both of which are packaged very well in the tiny character of Juno. Wit and sarcasm aside, however, this movie is nothing more than a film celebrating a teen's search for self-identity, only to find it through a consequence-free pregnancy. Sure, she's not like the "other" high school kids and mom and dad are disappointed, but it's amazing that a film that attempted to pride itself on some emotionally-charged sequences somehow manages to conclude with very little emotional baggage for Juno (considering what she had been through and the choice(s) she made). Matter of fact, it's the opposite - she is now able to go on about life happy and in love with the boy that was always there but she didn't really notice (or at least notice her true feelings for). So note for my daughter: pregnant is cute and a good path for self discovery. Check.

Ok, so this may be jumping the shark a wee-bit, but not an all-together illogical conclusion: Teen has sex with a convenient friend to cure boredom - teen unexpectantly gets pregnant – decides to have the baby (very good choice) – gives the baby up for adoption to a woman (Jennifer Garner) who is made out to be a hero for wanting a baby, but is actually self-absorbed and newly single (that’s a wholly different conversation) – teen falls “in love” with the baby’s teen daddy and they live on happily ever after playing their music.
It’s a bummer because I really wanted to enjoy this movie. Until next time… that’s what Juno is all about Charlie Brown…