Are Christians rigging Idol?

An interesting article in The Age today looking at the number of Christian contestants doing well in Australian Idol.

The writer asks if there is a large group of Christians voting the faithful through to the next round. I guess if that was the case they failed dismally with the very talented Guy ‘Mutto’ Mutton who left the programme some weeks ago. Dean Geyer’s still in there but I reckon that’s got more to do with teenage girl voting power than any higher power.

The article seems to suggest that it’s not so much vote rigging as the opportunity that many gospel singers get to hone their skills.

But (Russell) Evans also believes that musically, “church is a great place to develop … You have a go. People aren’t pointing the finger at you and saying that’s terrible. You have a community that values you, which enables you to be confident in who you are.”

A similar perspective is provided by (Wes) Jay. Asked to comment on the prominence of church-based singers on Australian Idol, he says: “I’m not surprised by this. We live in a world where live performance isn’t really encouraged.” But if you sing in church you have a regular gig, and the weekly practice “allows people to learn their craft”.

Looking at the mixture of performers I reckon there’s a fair balance between those who have developed their performances in pubs and those who have developed in churches. Both venues give the contestants the edge of being able to practice singing live before a group of people. (The merit or otherwise of people ‘performing’ in church is probably a subject for another day.)

The article’s an interesting read but I did cringe as I got towards the end and read a quote attributed to Russell Evans, founder of Planetshakers City Church in Melbourne. “We want to empower people to follow their dream. Having a relationship with God helps us to do that.” I’m sure that there was a lot more surrounding that comment but it’s an unfortunate quote that suggests that God is only a step along the way towards achieving our dreams.

Is that all there is? Is the ultimate goal to help people follow their dream? Is God only a means to an end? As long as God helps us get what we want we’ll stick with him? Have our churches really bought that far into the ‘It’s all about ME’ culture?

Knowing how quotes can be taken out of context I’m going to have to give Evans the benefit of the doubt. I only hope that what he’s quoted as saying wasn’t what he meant.

Posted by Rodney Olsen

Technorati Tags: Australian Idol – Church – God

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