Well, if you haven’t seen it yet, ‘Glee’ has gone religious… at least for one week. If you can remember, I wrote a little bit ago here about why I do and don’t like the show ‘Glee.’ I stand by what I have written and stand by what I’m about to write. (As always, if you would like to share your opinions feel free to comment on the blog. The only reason I won;t publish it is if you curse and are totally disrespectful).
Grilled Cheesus. Praying for second base. Supporting pluralism. The natural question is, “Michael, why would you still like the show after this?” Well, I obviously don’t support these types of things, but I still like the show ‘Glee.’ How is that possible? Read on.
In my previous post, I told you that one of the main reasons I like the show is its freshness. I like the fact that people can make a show that is funny, has good characters, and has something to say about issues in high school. For the most part, the show has stayed away from really controversial issues. For instances, the writers let the pregnant cheerleader who was the president of the Abstinence club have her baby instead of aborting it.
Unfortunately, the latest episode goes to some places that I wish it didn’t go. It starts out as the main character makes a grilled cheeses and sees the face of Jesus in his grilled cheese. Thus, the grilled “cheezus”. Come on, now… Really? Pretty sacreligious. That cheapens the Christian faith, and it would cheapen any faith. Even if they were mocking Islam or Buddhism, or atheism, I’d say the same thing. You can have valid arguments against religious faiths without resorting to childish jokes and bad puns.
Secondly, the one who made the grilled cheese that came out looking like Jesus’ face prays to the grilled cheese. (Idolatry, although I suppose that this is taken from the Catholic/Orthodox tradition of iconography. What he prays for is unreal. He prays to the grilled cheese in hopes that he will be able to get to second base with his girlfriend. Now I don’t care what religious faith you might believe, but this is certainly beyond the bounds of common sense (and decency). Why would he need to pray for that if it wasn’t wrong? In other words, just do it, especially if there aren’t any repercussions, morally. Yet, Finn finds the need to pray for the ability to commit sexual immorality.
Of course, the whole episode is the same thing. The writers make the Christians look like fundamentalist whack jobs with no brain to rationally think through tough issues. The episode glorifies homosexuality and makes political statements galore as if high schoolers can really think through those things with that much poise and thoughtfulness.
But here is why I still like the show. It is still all of the above, all of the things that first drew me to the show. But the other reason I watch the show is that it reminds of the need that is still out there to speak truth into people’s messy lives. It reminds me that people are still out there looking for hope and purpose. It reminds me of the hurt, pain, and lostness that I too once lived in, not knowing what I was here for or where I was going when it was all over.
It also reminds me of where people are in their lives that don’t know Jesus. I’m sure some people out there are probably saing about this show (or others like it), “But Michael, why give credance to this nonsense. This is pure filth. This show celebrates sin. Etc…” My answer is, and will always be, “Umm, yeah, it does. It is sometimes filthy. It sometimes does go into places that it shouldn’t. BUT WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?”
Why would you expect anything differently from people who don’t know Jesus? It’s like expecting a three year old to pick up his room, or a thief not to steal if he isn’t being watched. They are simply living the life that they are supposed to live, a life that is for themselves. Unless, Jesus steps in, they will continue to live like that, unless someone tells them about a life better than the one they think they have, they will continue to live like they do, unknowingly continuing on a path set for destruction. That is why we need to step into people’s lives, meet them where they are, and give them the only hope that will save them.
People need the Lord.
Excellence in Everything, and All to the Glory of God 