Ministries:
Adult | Teens | Children

Pastor's Pen's:
2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004
2003 | 2002 | 2001

Sermon Series:
Apostles Creed
Dealing with Feelings
Jonah
Get Real
Promised Land Living

Grace Church
257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105

(262) 763-3021

Email:
Pastor Scott Carson
carson@gracechurchwi.org

Secretary Patti Hall
pattihall@gracechurchwi.org

PASTOR'S PENS 2007

Grace Church of Burlington March 11, 2007 “The most insidious influence on the young is not violence, drugs, tobacco, drink or sexual perversion, but our pursuit of the trivial.”    Eric Anderson             Have you heard the news? The Associated Press recently ended a week long ban on news about Paris Hilton. They finally succumbed and did an article on her when she was ticketed for driving with a suspended license. While there are many indications that American society is seriously ill, one of the most compelling symptoms has to be popular culture’s obsession with tawdry trivia. The most recent example of this morbid interest in the insignificant is in Americans' fixation with the sordid story of Anna Nicole Smith, the continuing misadventures of Britney Spears, and the fascination with trivia about Paris Hilton.             For the past few weeks Anna Nicole Smith and Britney Spears have dominated not only the news cycle, but they have also been the topic of discussion on radio and television talk shows. And, unless you’ve been snowshoeing in Outer Mongolia, you know by now that Smith took center stage because she died suddenly. Britney Spears is continually in the news because of irrational and erratic behavior.             So why are so many interested in Anna Nicole and Britney Spears? What is it about them that has commanded so much attention? I have to be honest and admit, I don’t have a clue...I really don’t get it. I couldn’t care less. I really don’t understand celebrity worship and I just can’t comprehend how anyone can find meaning and/or pleasure in following the lives of the rich and famous. I find that most of them are pretty shallow. Do an Internet search and you’ll find that many of them never even finished high school. Their contributions to world betterment or the common good are zilch. And it’s obvious that there is only one reason that Fox News, CNN, MSNBC and other news organizations are providing so much coverage to Anna Nicole  and Britney Spears – ratings. That the news networks will so completely cater to audience preference is a sad commentary on what passes for news these days.             Just consider why Anna Nicole and Britney Spears are famous. Anna Nicole began her “career” as a stripper in Houston. After plastic surgery enhanced her popularity, she caught the eye of an elderly dirty old man who was also a patron named J. Harold Marshall. He was a billionaire. “Love” was in the air and some time later the pair married. Later Anna Nicole hit it "big" by appearing in Playboy and being named the publication’s Playmate of the year. She also became the lead model for Guess jeans and appeared in a few films. Recently, Anna Nicole was featured in her own reality show and was the spokesmodel for diet aid TrimSpa. Just months before her death, Smith gave birth to a daughter. Currently, no less than five men are claiming to be the father.             Britney Spears began innocently enough as a regular on “The Mickey Mouse Club.” Later she became famous as a pop singer. As time progressed, innocence gave way to raunchiness, as her performances featured fewer clothes and more sexually suggestive gyrations. She made headlines when she “married” a childhood friend, only to have it annulled hours later. Later, she hooked up with one of her show’s dancers. Kevin Federline left his girlfriend -- with whom he fathered two children (the second one was on the way at the time) -- to marry Britney. She has had two children with Federline, but in the past year the pair split up. In recent months, Britney has made headlines by partying hardy with the likes of Paris Hilton. And, thanks to the ever-diligent media, it was reported she did so a few times without undergarments. And recently, Britney has been in the news for having shaved her head and for checking herself in and out of rehab facilities like they have a revolving door.             So let me ask, why are these women considered famous? In another era Anna Nicole and Britney would be nothing more than fodder for gossip, personalities fit only for the most titillating of tabloids. Today, they're considered subjects of serious news. Sadly, in present day America, these two women enjoy an almost ubiquitous presence in the media.             The only contributions to society these two (three if you add Paris) have made are vivid illustrations of how NOT to live life. They’re also prime examples of the universal truth of sowing and reaping. What a person sows is what a person will reap. If you want to know one reason why radical Islamists hate us, just look at the news cycle for the past week. The media has given constant attention to women most Muslim societies would, at least, shun. But instead, a significant number of Americans find Anna Nicole, Paris and Britney newsworthy and entertaining. And the media, incredibly, is ready, willing and able to give them what they want.             “Culture is not just an ornament,” observed American author Somerset Maugham, “it is the expression of a nation's character.” If Maugham is correct, America’s current character is in very serious trouble.