Michael Jackson, Celebrity Worship, and Jesus Christ

We've seen this story play out many times before. Adoring fans. Memorial service watched by millions. Weeping. Platitudes given, speaking of the best of a person while ignoring negative qualities. The past week of tributes to Michael Jackson after his death culminated yesterday in a veritable worship fest for the man known as the "King of Pop." I observed it briefly before quickly losing interest in the coverage.

I was never a fan of Michael Jackson. I just didn't get the appeal. Sure, he was talented, but I didn't see where he was more talented than others. I didn't really like his music, even as a kid in the 80's when he was so popular. So, needless to say, his death did not affect me that much.  As a Christian, however, I should not be so quick to look down my nose at the swooning multitudes who adored the man and are now pouring out so much grief and adulation over his death. How often have I done the same thing, just in different ways?

We really shouldn't be too critical of what we are seeing happen over Jackson's death, because celebrity worship has been around for a VERY long time. It is not just a product of the shallowness of this generation. It is a product of our lostness and spiritual emptiness, but it is as endimic to humanity as the air we breathe out of our lungs. Sure, we express our worship for people in different ways and maybe we aren't screaming and crying over a celebrity, but we still do it.

Some examples:

• Elvis is the first one that comes to mind. People still make annual pilgrimages to Graceland on the anniversaries of his birth and death. You know exactly what I'm talking about.
• The Beatles: how many clips have we seen of woman screaming and crying when John, Paul, George, and Ringo came to the U.S. in 1964?
• Princess Diana: grief poured out over her death in dramatic ways. It was as though people lost a person that they actually knew.
• Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy, Douglas MacArthur, etc: Political and military leaders have long held a place of extremely high honor in our world, far exceeding their actual accomplishments. The mythos that builds up around people that we think embody our ideals can be staggering to the point that our worship of them wipes out any sins that they may have committed. We only see the sparkling white persona that we've created in our minds.  This goes back to the times of the Ceasar's and even the Bible: Saul has killed his thousands and David his ten thousands. The Israelites wanted a king to rule over them.

We flock to these people because they have touched us in some significant way and they become a rallying point for our collective human experience. Christians even do something similar. Who can deny the Christian celebrity circuit of pastors, evangelists, and singers and musicians? People flock to hear them and be near them. Churches follow pastors who have magnetic personas and cults of personality form around certain people. The whole "fanboy" epidemic for people like Mark Driscoll, John Piper, and others even affects Calvinists whose whole message is the unmatched supremacy of Christ in all things (not picking on them because this happens in all branches of Christianity - I just find it most ironic among Calvinists). I heard a story of a conference recently where the evangelist Paul Washer was being asked to sign the Bibles of adoring fans, er, young preachers who were crowding around him. He was horrified and later an announcement had to be made to ask people to stop.

Our elevation of certain people knows no limit.

But, it is always a mistake. We know that deep down. We condemn celebrity worship in others but we don't see it in ourselves. It is easy to condemn the crowds who are fawning over Michael Jackson without recognizing the crowds that often fill auditoriums to hear preachers that they consider to be a great personality. Is it Christ they want or is it the preacher that they follow? You can't judge hearts, so I would never say that a preacher's popularity is all about celebrity worship, but I am no fool - that is certainly a part of it in many cases. We want to be around "winners" and those that have risen to the top. We live vicariously through their success and those that we assign a high place make us feel better about our lives if we can partake of their's. We get to see them at their best, not when they are taking out the garbage, cleaning the house, fretting over the bills, disciplining children, or arguing with their spouse. Those moments aren't on display. We see them when they are roaming across a stage, mesmerizing us with their oratory or musical performances or when they are saying something deep and profound. We see them when they are doing something great and their greatness speaks to our own dreams of uniqueness, and causes us to bow before them. It is all very human.  And, very, very wrong.

Churches are often built on personalities. People judge whether or not someone will be a good church planter by how charismatic they are. Are you a dynamic preacher? Can you hold the attention of a crowd? Are you a strong leader? Can you motivate people to follow you by sheer force of your personality? No one wants to follow a "loser" or a "common" man.  If he is too much like me, why should I listen to him? Humility is not a virtue when it comes to popular Christianity - well, faux humility is, but the real thing is often overlooked or seen as weakness or ordinariness. No, we want strong leaders that will inspire us to do our best and to grasp for glory for our own lives. We want someone who calls out the best in us (this is not a bad thing, per se, but it can be an issue if we end up looking to people for what only God can do). 

I'm still not certain what Michael Jackson called out of people. He was a great entertainer. But, in the memorial service yesterday, their was a sense that he had to have been more than that. So, people talked about what a great man he was. He was a great humanitarian, it was said. He did so much for so many people, they said. Their lives were changed by knowing him, they said. Maybe. I'm not here to dispute someone's personal experience. But, he had to be elevated in his personhood to meet the level of their emotional attachment to his celebrity. He had to be godlike and worth all of that worship, so they brought out the best about his life - even if the whole story of his life was far from glorious.

Of course, we do the same things at Christian funerals and I am not saying that it is wrong to speak about the good in someone's life.  We want to remember them fondly because we loved them. But, what is wrong is to look to a man - whether it be a singer, actor, politician, pastor, or loved one - and assign to them the place that only our Creator God can fill.  Maybe Jackson fans didn't go that far - that would be delusional. But, there is still a touch of god-worship in what has happened this past week. Many have condemned the Jackson spectacle this week as one more example of our culture's celebrity worship fetish without also seeing the same proclivity in our own hearts to worship other people who only bear the image of God. We worship created things instead of the Creator. When we do this, we are exchaning the truth of God for a lie (Romans 1:25). God alone is worthy of our praise. Doing this not only cheapens us (we are to worship God alone), but it also destroys the person that we are looking to. Who can carry such a load? Michael Jackson surely couldn't. He was just a man and ultimately, the constant adoration of his adoring fans was not healthy for him and led to his seclusion and odd behavior.

Give honor where it is due. Respect your leaders. Submit to authorities. But, only worship God - He is the only One worthy and the only One who can handle it. Hero worship and celebrity worship in whatever form always seeks to give glory to man instead of God and thus, is based on a lie. We should seek to emulate no one but Christ. He is our model. And, His life is quite a bit different from the celebrities that we want to be like, because our celebrity worship focuses in on the qualities that are unique to our flesh -  beauty, power, talent, wealth, fame. Jesus took up a towel and washed His disciples feet. He came to serve and not be served. He was murdered on a cross, naked and bleeding between two thieves. Despised and rejected, we esteemed him not. He was humble and took on the very nature of a servant, laying his life down. He is altogether different from us. So, when we engage in worshipping (ascribing great worth and adoration) to other human beings over the characteristics of beauty, power, talent, wealth, and fame, our worship not only settles on the wrong person, but it is inspired by the wrong attributes. The fact that our admiration is drawn by worldly wealth, power, and superficial beauty shows how far our hearts are from God, because Jesus was decidedly different from all of that. He was offered all of that in the Temptation in the desert (Luke 4:1-13) and forsook that path to go the way of the Cross. But, we don't understand the Jesus Way, so we continually try to remake Jesus into our own image so that we will find him worthy of our worship as we understand it. It is exceedingly hard for us to worship the Suffering Savior because he is so different from us. This is why the Jews yelled, "Crucify." He didn't meet their expectations of a political and military leader who would set them free from Roman captivity, so in their anger, they killed him.  How often do we push away the Son of God because He does not meet our expectations?

So, our celebrity worship, wherever we may find it, all comes from our faulty view of God and His own supreme worth and value. Do we ascribe to, as Luther said, a theology of glory, or a theology of the cross? Paul said that he only preached Jesus Christ and him crucified.  Of course, Jesus is risen and He reigns at the right hand of the Father. When He comes again, He will come in glory and we will struggle to behold Him, only able to fall on our faces. But, God was most glorified when Jesus went to the Cross to suffer and die for our sins. We must go through the Cross if we want to see His glory.

How will we worship? Who will we worship? Jesus is nothing like what we see in the world.  Let the Biblical Jesus draw us to worship Him alone.

Comments

[Debbie Kaufman]

Good thing I am not trying to live up to all your expectations of what someone can do, live, and think. I couldn't.

[Alan Cross]

Debbie, I am confused by your response. I am simply trying to say that we should be careful to not elevate people beyond their rightful place and we should worship God alone. We get into trouble when we exalt people too highly - it is not good for us and it is not good for them. It is however, a normal, human response to our hunger for God and only He can satisfy so only He should be exalted and worshiped. Admiring, loving, and missing someone when they die is all appropriate, but we need to be careful that we do not ascribe to a human too high a place in our adoration. Not all Michael Jackson fans did that by any means just like not all of those who admire celebrities or Christian leaders cross that line, but the line is there and we need to be careful. That is all that I am saying. If I said it poorly, I apologize, but I have no desire to force you or anyone else to live up to my expectations of what someone can do, live, or think. I am just chronicling my own thoughts and struggles as I work through issues and try to get a handle on how to properly see things and I was very clear up front to say that I have done the same things that I am working through here.

My real motivation in writing this was in reading some comments by people who were being critical of the adulation regarding Jackson by saying that we should worship God only. Yes, that is true, but it is a hypocrital truth if we don't similarily realize that we are all susceptible to this, just in different ways. Paul and Barnabas experienced this in Acts 14:8-18 and tore their clothes and told the people to stop worshiping them by saying that they were only men. He also addressed divisions in the church in 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 and in chapter 3 based on following after mere men. Please read these passages to better understand where I am coming from.

Christ is fully God and we have all been given fullness in Christ (Col. 2:9-10). To look to other men inappropriately is to both fail to worship God rightly, put too much burden on those people we are looking to, and also to fail to see that we ourselves have the Holy Spirit and are priests before the living God. I have nothing against Michael Jackson. He was just a man, just like everyone else. He was honored for his talent but he was not worth more than other people who are never honored. He was not worth more than the people in the crowd.

I am sorry that I offended you somehow. I am not usually this sensitive to criticism, but I feel that your response to my post warranted a fuller explanation and it is clear that I did not communicate well what I was trying to say. There was no malice intended on my part.

[Grady Bauer]

Alan...first of all I totally agree with the hypocrisy you've pointed out. Whether it's a local favorite pastor or a well known worship artist...we have a tendency to idolize them....lifting them up as the world does someone like MJ.

The other thing that bothered me about the whole MJ thing is when I read several Christians write things like "Glad he's dead, now our kids are safe" on Facebook. Regardless of whether we liked his music...and regardless of what I thought of him...he's a human being, made in the image of God. And most likely he's now spending an eternity separated from God....should we really be rejoicing over this. What if all of our mistakes and sins were telecast on Fox and CNN for the world to see....what if our private sins and thoughts found themselves on the front cover of every tabloid....what would the world think of us? It makes me sick...and we wonder why so many in the US want nothing to do with us....

[Alan Cross]

Grady,

You're right about the comments regarding his death. That is ridiculous. Why would we be glad that someone died without a relationship with Christ, as far as we publicly know? That is really sadistic, in my opinion. No, the whole thing just makes me sad because his life demonstrated the very best that the world had to offer and in the end, it doesn't matter if you don't have Jesus. Again, I have no idea about the condition of his soul when he died. I am just going off what we do know about his life.

Again, your last part about our mistakes and sins being broadcast all over the news is spot on. Putting people on a pedestal is not good for them either. They become nothing more than an object of curiosity and criticism as we tear down as fast as we build up.

[Debbie Kaufman]

Alan: I listen to and use John Pipers as a source when applicable and I am a Michael Jackson fan who thought the service yesterday was well done for a non-Christian service for a celebrity. It seems that many think we should just separate from the world in the arts completely. I enjoy them, don't want to stop enjoying them, and in fact have been a participant in the arts. If it brings fame and fortune to someone so be it. If someone dies and goes to hell, it doesn't matter what their life was like. They need Christ who is the only one who can change a life.

Just because John Piper is quoted, read, and listened to frequently doesn't constitute worship and I think it shows your prejudices against Calvinists. I am a Calvinist so it shows prejudices against me.

So given the post, I fall into all the things you believe are wrong. Thus my statement.

I am one who thinks we need to leave the subject of Michael Jackson alone. Grady wrote my thoughts on that.

[Debbie Kaufman]

The lost are simply acting who they are. Christ is the only life changing source. According to the Bible a person cannot change who they are only God can(My Calvinism showing)...Jer 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil.

People will not change based on our likes or dislikes, or even convictions. We are not going to be comfortable in this world...only the Gospel changes lives and thinking. We can't expect others to think and live like we do. They can't. We shouldn't expect them to measure up to anything.

If you tell a new convert how to study scripture, give them a Bible, and let them be, the Holy Spirit does work, in his way and in his time according to Philippians 1:6. They can't measure up to what most want(as in this post)and they will leave the church or be so worn out that they are beating their heads against the wall.

For too many years we have been preaching on the wrong things.

I hope this clarifies.

[Charles]

Alan,

I agree completely with your statements about MJ. If a person who does not know a celebrity weeps over their death that is a form of idolatry, the same way if a grown man weeps over a football game. (not that I know anyone that has done that ) We all have been guilty of giving too much importance to celebrities, possessions, sports, etc. We should recognize this and see it for what it is.

As for MJ, it is truly a sad story. Coming from someone who literally grew up watching him. We are the same age. I was a fan of his until he went off the deep end. I remember watching the Jackson 5 on American Bandstand in the 60's & 70's. The were fresh and very talented. I saw the Jackson's in concert at the Garrett Coliseum in 1978. During the early 80's we were all dancing to his music at the discos. Then came the face lifts, monkeys, skin transformation and child molestation allegations. It is truly a sad story of self destruction. We should mourn his death and the fact that he may have been lost and that many are glorifying him rather than using his death as a lesson of a tragic tortured life.

[Alan Cross]

Debbie,

I am not anti-Calvinist. You are starting a fight where none exists. I love John Piper, have a good number of his books, read his articles, listen to his sermons, and think the world of him and his ministry. I also love listening to Paul Washer. So, I was not criticizing those men in the least. My point was just that sometimes we look to people TOO much, when we should really look to the Lord. If using the adulation that those men receive bothers you, I apologize for doing so. If I had used Paige Patterson or Jerry Vines as an example, would you have been offended? If not, please insert them into my illustration because the same thing applies. As far as where I am theologically, I am MUCH closer to Piper than I am to Vines, as far as I can tell.

As far as the arts go, I am a huge proponent and agree with you completely. I was a worship leader for 5 years and have played in bands for most of my adult life. I was not speaking against the arts.

As far as Michael Jackson was concerned, I was not critical of him. I was also taking up for those who idolized him and was saying that we should not be too hard on them because they are doing something that is common to man, which is exalting one person above the rest for whatever reason. My point was that even Christians do that in different ways. I wasn't trying to slam anyone. I was using the Romans 1 AND Romans 2 argument that those who judge on this should look first at themselves. I included myself in the group of those who sometimes do this.

Basically, Debbie, it doesn't seem as if you are reading me correctly. I am endeavoring to explain myself to you because when I read your response to me, I keep thinking that what you are responding to is not what I was trying to say. I take full blame for the miscommunication and apologize for giving offense.

I am not trying to put something unattainable or legalistic on people. I am simply encouraging us to not exalt people beyond their rightful place and to give our full worship to God. That is a Biblical message full of life and grace. It doesn't mean that we can't appreciate people's talent, love them, or miss them when they are gone. We just should not take it to extremes.

And yes, Charles makes GREAT points about sports teams. We need to keep that in perspective as well and not give it undue attention in our lives. I am a HUGE college football fan, so this is something I struggle with myself. Christ is supreme, and yes, I got that from Piper.

[Debbie Kaufman]

Alan: Try reading your post with my viewpoint and I think you would come to the same reaction I did after reading it. I enjoy music and entertainers. Entertainers who are really good I appreciate. Some I do cry when they die. I took John Lennon's death hard. I admit I cried when Michael Jackson died. I cried when my father n'law died. When my son n'law died. I cried. I cry when someone dies that I know is without Christ. It's who I am. I don't apologize for it. It's not a sin, it's not idolatry. It's feeling something in this life. Yet, I have read posts over and over again that condemn this written by Christians. Let's think about this.

There are people I admire. John Piper is one. Wade Burleson is one. You are one. Art Rogers, Ben Cole, King David, Solomon, Paul, Deborah, Rahab, I could go on and on. I don't idolize anyone on this list. I do admire them.

I don't know you nor your family, yet I hurt when you and your family hurt. I cried. Not because I idolized you, but because I care. It's not wrong.

Sports is something that can be in the same category. I'm sure the world does idolize or have a hero in both entertainment and sports. Christians may idolize ministers, but could it be that it is far less idolization and more just simply caring? It's not wrong. By reading your post, it occurred to me that if you really knew me, really knew me...I would not be acceptable to you. It seems that separation from the world is being promoted whether knowingly or not, and I just won't do that.

[Alan Cross]

To further the discussion, I found an article on U.S. News and World Report's website that almost completely mirrors my thoughts here. I was really surprised:

http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2009/06/26/the-psychology-of-celebrity-worship.html

Some quotes:

"Looking at the legions of fans mourning the loss of Michael Jackson, one might think celebrity worship is a modern phenomenon. But from the gods on Olympus in ancient Greece to the bobby-soxers swooning over Frank Sinatra in the 1950s to Brad and Angelina today, adulation of the stars is an age-old pursuit, psychologists say."

"Celebrities tap into the public's primal fantasies and basic emotions, lifting people from their everyday lives and making them believe anything is possible, said Dr. John Lucas, a clinical assistant professor of psychology at Weill Cornell Medical College and an assistant attending psychiatrist at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City."

"In the case of Jackson, with what appeared to be numerous plastic surgeries and skin bleaching, "the weirdness resonates with our own internal suppressed hidden wishes -- for immortality, gratification of sexual impulses and our wish for ageless beauty," Lucas said."

Lucas added, however, that while worshipping the rich and famous is harmless in itself, it could be perceived as symptomatic of a rootless culture in which many people feel a sense of isolation.

"What we know of them [celebrities] through People magazine and other media sources fills a gaping and painful void in our lives," Lucas said. The dwindling influence of religion adds to that sense of yearning in people, he added, making the stars' exploits and eccentricities, their loves and losses, more than a form of entertainment.

"Religion is faltering, and in the process people are grappling with infantile wishes, with magical thinking," he said.

For the most part, star status conveys a sense of immortality and invincibility -- and "we are shocked when they die," Lucas added.

________________________________________

I wish I would have found that before I wrote my post. I would have definitely linked to it. An admiration for someone is okay and normal, but sometimes we take it too far. Secular psychologists actually see this and are calling it Celebrity Worship Syndrome. They are trying to give people ways to cope with it. Wikipedia has an entry on it. The Bible calls it idolatry and it is something that all of us need to be aware of so that we can make sure that we look to God instead of other people to get legitimate needs met.

[Alan Cross]

Debbie,

You are acceptable to me because you are my sister in Christ and because you are acceptable to Christ. I could never reject what Jesus accepts. You don't have to be perfect in any way. I was writing generally about not exalting people above their rightful place. I was actually trying to be gracious in my approach. It is something that we all need to be aware of, just like any other struggle that we might have. If you do not cross the line into idolatry in this area, then I am not at all talking about you. I am not trying to condemn anyone. If the Holy Spirit brings conviction in this area, then we should listen to Him. If not, then please do not let this post put any condemnation on you because there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Entrust yourself to God and let Him speak to your heart.

Again, I am sorry if I gave any offense. I was speaking generally about something that plagues many of us. As a pastor, I have seen this in people's lives, even Christians who unduly idolize other believers and measure themselves against them instead of just looking to Christ. It is not healthy. If you are not doing that, but are instead keeping things in a proper perspective, then I am in no way talking about you. The Holy Spirit will speak to you about where you are on this if you ask Him to. I cannot judge your heart nor will I. I will, however, pint out things that might be a danger for some and point us to the Lord as our Source of Life.

[Lisa]

Very interesting thoughts Alan. I think sometimes God really uses you to make us all step back and contemplate what we really believe about things. Sometimes as Christians, we go with the flow and don't ever think about why we do what we do. I think your post makes us all stop and think about why and how we do what we do. It reminds me that we have to really always examine why we "like" someones status....we can admire others gifts and talents but to idolize them gets our priorities mixed up.

Poor Michael. I heard once out of his mouth that he was a Christian and had rejected the family JW religion. Even Christians can go down a path that is bad for them. I'm sad it seems no one helped him back up. Maybe they tried, I don't know. I just know I grieved over his death because I did like his music and his talent. I grieved because he chose the life he did. I grieve because his death has been made a circus. I grieve for his kids...whether he was "freaky" or not, his kids don't have their dad. Here are 3 more kids, who will live a life without the main parent and are all of the sudden being swept into the limelight.I do admire the man(MJ) for working very hard to keep his kids out of the limelight).

I do appreciate Debbie's thoughts because it really reminds me as a believer why it so important to be as compassionate as we can be toward others. We have not walked in their shoes. It is nice to have people to admire and emulate in our lives but even those(my favorites are Mother Theresa and Henri Nouwen)folks are imperfect and I have to keep that in mind. We need leaders who are examples and teachers to us. My former boss in NYC(who I admire so much) is emulated sometimes to idol status. He and his wife are very humble and would never admit it(I'm sure they were uncomfortable at times). I felt uncomfortable for them when people would visit our ministry and treat him as a god!! He is who he is BECAUSE Christ is in him as He is in all of us who are believers.

Thanks Alan for giving us all a platform to express our thoughts. Hang in there and keep doing what you are doing bro!

[Alan Cross]

As I was thinking about this post today, I also want to make it clear that I am not demeaning the practice of grief, even grieving over the death of those we don't know. We can grieve over someone's death and shed tears - absolutely. Grief is natural and normal. We can grieve for what could have been and should have been. We can grieve for what was lost. Lisa explained this quite well. As Christians, we grieve death because it was never meant to be - we weren't supposed to die. Death is not what we were made for. We were made to live in relationship with God. Since death comes from sin it should be grieved wherever we find it. I am not talking about Godly grief over the death of anyone.

My point simply is that we need to make sure that we are not giving too much weight to people. This is done all the time in relation to celebrities and Christians should not put people down who do this because we do it too. Our primary focus should be God. People will always disappoint us in some way and they were not made to carry the weight of our adulation. God never will disappoint and He is worthy and able to handle our praise.

[Debbie Kaufman]

My point is this Alan. I can't perform what you write in this post. I enjoy secular music, I was a fan of Michael Jackson. I mourned his death. I mourned his private life. It's who I am. I can't change it. I don't want to change it. I am a follower and in love with Jesus Christ. I attend church, I teach at times, I raised my children in Christ and wasn't perfect at that. So yes, this post did offend me, it is another post I can't live up to. Therefore I as a person am unacceptable even though I am not an idolater. I listen and quote John Piper. I am Calvinist. According to what I read in this post, I am unacceptable. Even if I am not a worshiper of John Piper. I am accused of being one as I fit the description in your post except that I do not nor do I know of any Calvinist who worships John Piper. His message however is what I think needs to be quoted and gotten out there as I believe it is even more Biblical than what you believe in this area to be honest. But if you notice I have not said you were a worshiper of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who you have written numerous posts about. I think he also has a message that needs to get out there.

You are correct in that celebrities both in the SB and in the world are a lie, but I also admire those who speak better than I do, teach better than I do, sing well, dance well, or actors who can act well. I just found it interesting that you would zero in on Calvinists who I do think you are uncomfortable with or you wouldn't have mentioned them. I may be over sensitive in your opinion, but realize that this is one reason there is such a divide between Calvinists and non-Calvinists.

[Alan Cross]

Debbie,

This blog is simply the workshop of my mind. In other words, I work through ideas and concepts here and present them for people to read and refine. I take your words seriously and will think further about this issue in the future. For what it's worth, I do not think that admiring someone for their talents or contribution to the world, quoting them, or mourning their passing appropriately is out of bounds. But, sometimes people do cross that line. When a celebrity becomes too big a part of the life of someone who doesn't actually know them, that can become a problem. When a Christian thinks that whatever a celebrity pastor says is right and they obey and defend them no matter what, that is a problem. Our authority should be what the Word says. Jesus is the Head of the Church, not people. At the same time, people can be admired and respected, listened to and emulated if they are promoting the right things.

I am talking here about making sure that we don't cross the line in our hearts and give undue attention (attention that belongs to God) to a person. You say that you don't do that. I accept your statement. I am not the Holy Spirit. I do not judge you or anyone else. Sports fans can do it just like music fans can. Arminians can do it just like Calvinists can. I already explained to you that my example of Calvinists should not be taken as a slam on Calvinists. I find it ironic that those who promote a theology that looks to God alone are also open to celebrity worship. That just shows you that no one is immune. I found it ironic. I am not, nor have I ever been anti-Calvinist and just because I'm not a 5-point Calvinist doesn't mean that I'm trying to persecute people. Arminians do the same thing as does every single branch of Christianity. You have judged me to say that I mentioned Calvinists because I am "uncomfortable" with them. This is the one statement of yours that I really take exception to because you have no idea what is going on in my heart. So, I will simply tell you that you are wrong there and leave it at that.

Debbie, again, I apologize if I offended you. You believe that I am wrong about this. That is fine. I accept that. I do not need you to agree with me here. I very well could be wrong and will give it some more thought. Not too much though, because honestly, I have been wrong before and this is just a blog post. I respect you, so I endeavored to explain myself to you, but it has not caused us to see eye to eye. I am sorry for that but I know that that is how it goes sometimes. Again, I am not picking on you. I am not trying to pick on anyone. My whole point was to help people have a different perspective on the unbelievable outpouring of grief and emotion regarding Jackson's death by saying that we are all prone to idolize people and we should not judge people harshly for doing so because we have likely done the same thing. The remedy for all of us to is look to God and worship Him, then everything else will fit in its proper perspective. If you are doing that as you say you are (and I believe you), then wonderful. Know that I am talking about other people who are not at that point.

[Debbie Kaufman]

Alan: I do understand what you were trying to say, and I was simply opening myself up to you because I respect you as well and I do thank you for the dialogue. I know that you don't always have the time to do this, and you took the time with me.

[Debbie]

I agree about our desire to elevate others. It's something we all struggle with. Especially with people we admire. It's a human tendency to appreciate and admire someone who we see a quality in them that we look up to and maybe wish we had ourselves. We do have to be careful though not to take that too far.

I did want to comment on a few things. First, the comments that Grady mentioned on Facebook. I saw many of the same thing and it's one of the things that inspired the project I have now spent 2 months working on. I think truth needs to get out in regards to Michael Jackson. Too many of us have spent our time believing the lies that the media has put out there about him. I have worked in media, so I am very familiar with the slanting that is used to increase ratings and subscriptions. I also, due to all of the research I've done on Michael and also speaking with those who knew him, know that much of what we were spoon fed by the media, is inaccurate and false.

I also wanted to point out that several people have posted that Michael Jackson most likely is spending eternity separated from God and I think we have to be really careful about those types of judgements. What would give any of us the right to say something like that? Why would you say that? If you are going by what you heard in the media constantly, I urge you to take a second look and look much deeper. I know I would not want someone judging me that way. Would you? (I say this in love).

I have done extensive research on Michael these past several months and, much to probably many people's surprise, Michael spoke about God and Jesus and his faith, OFTEN! In many interviews, in his books, etc. He was quoted many times (in print interviews and in televised interviews, talking about his love for God).

One quote from him is "I will never stop loving and caring for people the way Jesus said to." Another...."I believe in God.....I gain strength from God. I believe in Jehovah, God, very much.....I believe in God and love God."

His vocal teacher mentioned that both before and after each vocal lesson, that Michael would spend time in prayer and reading the Bible. He lived his life giving to others and I believe, trying to do God's will.

If you want to know the truth about Michael and about who he really was, the truth about the accusations and the trial, etc. then I urge you to seek.

If you are interested, you can also go to http://www.mjsite.homestead.com and sign up on the mailing list to be notified when the website goes live. There will be tons of information on there and it may just answer many people's questions on the accusations about child molestation, Michael's character, the truth about all of the rumors and a lot more.

Thanks and God Bless,
Debbie

[Jiggy Jiggy Juddin]

I would never submit to authority unless it were given by the Pope in Jesus name, and never respect world leaders, because they're all Herods and Caesars. Would Jesus say, "Hail Caesar?" Not on your life!! it's the same as celeb worship, for we're to worship God and Jesus alone, and no one else, not even a celeb, earthly autority nor world leader.