Ugh. I know that some of you are going to disagree with me. And that’s fine. I’ll probably get called names and such, but somebody has to say this:
SHAME ON THE GOSPEL MUSIC ASSOCIATION!
Why?
Because the not-for-profit association invited Miss California to participate in tonight’s Dove awards ceremony in Nashville.
What were they thinking? Seriously? Did they not put any thought into what this statement says about Gospel music, about Christianity, about Jesus?
Now, I realize that the gay marriage issue is divisive and everybody has very strong opinions on the matter. And that’s fine. But that’s not what this post is about.
My post and frustration is about the Dove Awards. Why in the world would an awards show called the “Dove”–a symbol of peace, hope, prosperity, and unity–Awards invite Miss California to the party?
Because they need the publicity. It’s no secret that the awards are dying. Everybody has been talking about Gospel Music week being a ghost town. The numbers are down like 50/60 percent. It’s sad.
But is controversy the answer? Maybe if you’re Perez Hilton or maybe if you’re another organization/media/non-profit that doesn’t stand for the “Gospel”.
Well, I think it’s going to backfire on them… And quite honestly, I hope it does.
You should have remained out of the controversy and not jumped on the bandwagon, GMA! I think the reporter who I ran into last night was right when he said… “Matthew, I’m pretty much here covering the death of GMA.”
Sad. So sad.
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Well, I generally stay away from stuff like the Dove awards but I clicked on your bloglink on twitter, and I a have to say that I agree with you completely. And that’s regardless of my political opinions.
i posted a link to a story about this on my facebook profile, and one reply said, “maybe they recognize someone’s faithfulness to a holy god and his truth”. it was a sad reminder that some people read the bible so uncritically (re: they believe whatever pat robertson tells them) that they think hating gay people is as essential as believing jesus was god. probably more important, actually…
Agreed. They shouldn’t have invited her, even though, I completely agree with Miss California’s view. We are to hate the sin however, and NOT the sinner.
Gay marriage is wrong, but this hurt the image of the Dove Awards… the media and Perez Hilton will have a FIELD DAY now. So sad.
I just HAVE to say this:
Agree with her or not, Miss California has the right to her opinion, and she has the right to state it. She answered a question that was asked in a truthful way, and there is all this flap. And for Perez Hilton to judge her based on his agreement with her opinion rather than the cogency with which she answered the question posed is flat out wrong.
Why do we always seem to forget that my right to express my opinion means everyone else has the same right.
Now, whether the people who run the Dove Awards were smart to bring that controversy into their realm is another question. From a publicity standpoint it certainly has gotten people talking about the Doves. I question if that is what an awards show is for.
Yes… cause Christians need to look like bigots just a LITTLE bit more.
Lordy. Actually inviting someone in the middle of a controversy like that and the message that sends…
I’d boycott them… but I think most this music is absolute garbage anyway.
If Miss California simply was a non-controversial Christian who finished as First Runner Up in the Miss USA pageant, would it have been OK for the GMA to invite her to participate?
Then again, would the GMA have asked her if there was no current controversy?
Either way, they just walked right into a battlefield – whether they intended to or not.
It’s sad, but not terribly unsurprising.
Would it have been ok to invite her if she hadn’t made the statement? When is it ok to stand up for what you believe and when is it not?
I agree with you that she should not have been there… but lets make it clear that they invited her, so let’s not dump on Miss Cali…
It’s obvious that Miss Cali is bitter about losing… she came very close and is making excuses… she could have answered that much better while standing up for 1man-1woman marriage if she wanted too…
If you really want to do PR for Jesus blog some advice for Miss Cali… she is an archetype now… why worry about the Dove awards?
Don’t get too Christian Stockholm syndromey… Perez was an ass and you don’t know what she’s gone through…
Anonymous,
I would be able to take you seriously if you weren’t anonymous. I didn’t go crazy on Miss California. I didn’t hale Perez Hilton. My point was toward the Dove Awards, and it remained there.
mpt
It was a terrible decision by the GMA! It made me so sad. 🙁 Thankfully the secular world wasn’t watching anyway… unless it gets picked up by the media.
Is it a questionable choice on the part of the GMA? Perhaps. Miss California is a bit of a lightning rod right now and do you really want to be that type of light to the world?
That being said, go back and read what she actually said. Would you have preferred she lied when she answered the question? Our ‘yes’ should be ‘yes’ and our ‘no’ should be ‘no.’ She left the door wide open for people to disagree with how she felt. She answered the question the same way a whole lot of regular American people (not even radical nutjobs on either side of the political spectrum) would have answered the question.
The Dove Awards jump the shark and barely clear her gigantic earrings in the leap.
Miss California was very gracious in her response. Why were those young women all asked such pointed political questions? What are they, 20? At that age, you aren’t political in a lot of cases. I don’t think there should be any controversy about her. She stated that marriage should be between a man and a woman. Big deal. It should.
Did you read the post, Kirk? This isn’t about Miss CA… it’s about the people who make the choices at the Dove Awards. They should have left the controversy alone. They should have stayed out of it. If I had wanted to give my opinion regarding Miss CA’s thoughts on gay marriage, I would have written that post Sunday night or Monday morning. Just saying.
I thought the exact same thing when I heard on the Today Show that she would be a part of it. I don’t judge peoples ideas, we each have our own, but having the Dove Awards scoop up someone who so quickly caused such controversy is a bad move on the GMA’s part. There are things that some outspoken Christian and Christian Organizations do that make the rest of us look like complete fools. And we wonder why the world views Christians the way it does.
Let’s remember how the GMA was all over Kurt Warner circa 2000, then forgot who he was for about 5 years when he wasn’t lighting it up on the field. They’re all about who’s “so hot right now”, regardless of why, as long as they have some connection to evangelical Christianity, no matter how tenuous. Buzz, ratings, and money are the goal. Oh, and “opposite marriage”, of course
Good lord people. This post isn’t about Miss Cal!!!! It’s about GMA. Sheesh. When politics and opinion fly, ears close, mouths open and ignorance pours out. “Anonymous” pointed that out nicely…
Anyway. Good post Matthew. I agree. The GMA made a poor choice. But then, watch the show and see that tons of poor choices were made.
And, I have to say it. I thought Stephen Curtis Chapman handled the light they placed on him tonight well. I love his spirit and passion. I love his tenderness and care. But let’s just say it. It sure felt like GMA exploited his daughters death for viewership. Even he declared when he won artist of the year, that he won because of special circumstances.
And I will re-clarify, this is not about Stephen, it is about the GMA’s (I am sure that statement will mean nothing).
Another thought. I think there is a tension in all of this between praising God and praising self. The whole “industry” of Christianity is an constant tension. All of this is great publicity. But for what? For who?
“””
When politics and opinion fly, ears close, mouths open and ignorance pours out. “Anonymous” pointed that out nicely…
“””
Oh whatever…
I’m just saying you guys are worrying about the wrong thing… don’t ever use the term “Christian Bubble” ever again…
“I’m just saying you guys are worrying about the wrong thing… don’t ever use the term “Christian Bubble” ever again…”
So what would you feel is the issue. Even thought the one we are discussing is one of them?
And we will continue to discuss a “Christian bubble” as long as there continues to be one.
I don’t think the GMA did a terrible thing here. Miss CA has been getting slammed for her views…people are just having a blast ripping her to shreds simply for believing differently. And yet these same people call for tolerance. Amazingly hypocritical. I think it’s commendable that in the midst of all these attacks coming her way, the GMA rallied behind her and offered her support in the most public way they could. There are a lot of decisions the GMA has made throughout the years that I have definitely disagreed with. But this is not one of them. The people who have ridiculed her need to see Christians who are willing to take a stand and publicly defend biblical views. They did that tonight. They made their voice loud and clear on the biblical views they are willing to defend. Good on them.
gotta be honest, I think Christian music could use more of things like her. K-LOVE and the like never plays music about social situations or contravery, it is Jesus is my boyfriend, at best. I think she is a Esther is this society for what she did, and I say well done.
I am not saying be a bigot, but inviting a contestant that happens to love Jesus is a good thing.
Also,
MPT, kudos for denouncing the classic biting anonymous comment, we get them from time to time on our blog, and i appreciate you not honoring them as well.
And don’t think that I am giving props to the Dove Awards because I am suddenly in love with what they are about or that I suddenly have a hardcore stance on the gay marriage issue, I just want Christian music to be about something more in depth, and if this is what it takes, then so be it.
Still the best blog on the net, and sorry i missed you in Chillicothe,
Matt
1. Jesus caused a stir when he spoke truth (and it killed him)
2. He wouldn’t have showed up if the GMA’s invited him (if he did he would have flipped some tables the lobby)
3. Why do we give awards for selling the Gospel? (Why do the GMA’s exist? Treasures in heaven?))
4. By the looks of the number of comments on this post maybe your inviting controversy is helping boost your ratings. (or maybe I’m just posting so people will come to visit my blog)
5. Maybe us we are all wasting our time “discussing” this (including me)
6. I shouldn’t even have commented. Who am I? (James 4:12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?)
Is it really a surprise? Didn’t you expect to see at least one inarticulate pretty face up there? It is the Dove Awards, after all.
My issues is that the Christian community is so quick to embrace people before they show any evidence of new life! Just because she says she believes in God, doesn’t make her a Christian.
GMA and other organizations and churches will be held accountable for affirming salvation in people that are still in need of salvation.
I personally am very frustrated with organizations like the GMA. It all just seems like such a show to me, instead of making it about Jesus.
i get what you’re saying. my husband & i are both ministers, from california, living in IOWA. When people say we are liberal, we say thank you. we are grateful that god allows us to keep an open heart and an open mind so that we can minister to as many people as possible. who cares if people bash what you’re saying. god gets you and thats enough, right?
It is fascinating to me how many people equate Matthew’s post here with bashing Miss California. Matthew did no such thing…anywhere…at all. What Matthew is criticizing is Christian “industry”, and its pattern of jumping on whatever can get them press…without properly thinking through the ramifications. If the church is charged with communicating the Gospel to the world…shouldn’t we think about the unintentional messages we are sending, and how they obscure the gospel? In communication, the responsibility lies with the communicator…that is if they actually want to be understood. I have trouble imagining the Jesus I see revealed in Scripture endorsing actions like this. I see him spending time cultivating relationships with society’s (and religion’s) outcasts. If he were walking around today, it doesn’t take a huge leap of the imagination to guess who some of those outcasts would be. This is not an endorsement of any behavior and/or choices…it is an apologetic of character and genuine relationship. Until Christians are standing up for the basic human rights of ALL people, they will have neither the ability, nor the credibility to speak into their lives.
And, as a sidenote, I really thing the “gay marriage” question is framed wrong anyway. It astounds me that Christians are in favor of governments regulating marriage at all, as this has historically been considered a sacrament or ministry of the church. Governments regulate unions (this is true in many countries), and churches bless marriages, as is consistent with their theology and practice.
AE
I challenge everyone on here to see the documentary “For The Bible Tells Me So” and try to educate yourselves further on the “Sunday School” notion of Biblical meaning. It would be nice if some of us educated ourselves fully on an issue instead of allowing ourselves to be our own personal media blurb.
By the way, Miss California (loving that we don’t ever refer to her by her Christian name) has every right to her opinion. I disagree with it completely, but I did not feel she was disrespectful.
However, I liked it better when GMA’s attempts at publicity meant having Coke-loving Whitney Houston perform!
Man, all I know is that in 1991 I got to see the 77s play at the 328 Club in Nashville for GMA week because Mike Roe wrote me a note on the back of a lyric sheet for “Sticks and Stones” to let me know about the show (This was pre-internet popularity; confusing, I know. The letter even came in the MAIL.). Over the course of a 45-minute set my life was transformed.
So I guess if the GMAs/Dove Awards need to exist to allow me that experience, I’m fine with whatever controversy may come. Though I think the main thing hurting the Dove Awards is that they’re limited to Christian music. How many notches between the top of that bar and the ground can there possibly be?
Here is what I see in all this, and I remind you: this is my opinion.
1. Miss CA was right in what she said. She answered the question and she should be honored for that.
2. GMA probably shouldn’t have invited her to be on the show. I think that was capitalizing on a situation that is based on controversy instead of a message.
If the media hadn’t made a huge fart about Miss CA’s statement I would bet you she wouldn’t have been asked on that show. Unfortunately, I believe it was a media stunt on GMA’s part.
Matt Kelley: your top comment makes no sense: in no way did Miss California express hatred toward anybody.
And there’s no way to read the Bible critically and NOT come to the conclusion that homosexuality is, according to the Bible, sinful. And if you believe the Bible is the Word of God …
So what was your point?
Cheers.
I just read a lot of these comments. It’s interesting how some of them have absolutely nothing to do with the main point. Lol.
Quote from blog: “What were they thinking? Seriously? Did they not put any thought into what this statement says about Gospel music, about Christianity, about Jesus?”
I don’t understand why inviting Miss California to the Dove Awards would send a negative statement about Gospel music, Christianity and Jesus. Had she responded in hatred that would make sense, but she was asked a question to which she respectfully responded with Biblical truth.
So I say, good job Dove Awards! Give someone who stood up for truth a bit more notoriety to show believers that we should be proud of someone who takes a stand for BIBLICAL truth…not just their own personal truth. If the Doves did it to get good PR, what’s wrong with that?? Use it to point more people to Jesus!
also, not fighting on a blog at all, but mjg, lol, dude i’ve seen that documentary, it’s rubbish.
they rehash old biblical heresy over and over again, and the interpretation it does when discussing the words of Paul are loony. C,mon.
I don’t know why it’s so hard to admit homosexuality is a sin, it just is, by God’s word, there is zero doubt. With that said, it is jus tanother sexual sin, equally as bad a a man lusting after a woman that isn’t his wife, so I don’t even get the contraversy. Porn is a a bigger problem in the church that homosexuality, and Satan enjoys that, I am sure.
With that said, sorry MTP, I know that you didn’t intend to make this blog about this, and I apologize, just making a point that was brought up by another reader.
Biblical truth? That’s an interesting perspective. I hope you are not eating shrimp either. There some more BIBLICAL truth for you.
this scandal/controversy/argument/whatever you want to call it is so ridiculous. she was asked for her opinion! should she have been fake and dishonest? she wasn’t even hateful about it. people are acting like she said “gay people are condemned to a fiery, flaming hell and i hate each and every one.” all she said was she’s glad Americans can vote about it and that SHE believes marriage should be between a man and a woman.
so this makes her a bad representation of Jesus how exactly?
he is all about mercy, but he also has guidelines for our life.
and AGAIN, she was incredibly non-judgmental with her comment.
also, no one uses Leviticus as a proof text outside of Pat Robertson. We all know about how those laws were only intended to be rules for that tribe and all were culturally objective. Most scholars only use the New Testament when discussing the subject. I understand you have your way of interpreting things, and I am glad you are searching, just like we all are. keep serving Jesus dude, we can agree to disagree and be civil about it.
Romans 1 quite clearly says that homosexuality is an abomination. It’s not about Leviticus.
I don’t even know why y’all even expend any undue energy on this…it’s arguing in a comment section for Heaven sakes and you’ll spend the rest of your lives going around in circles on this subject.
Apart from that, great post, Matthew. As always, I love your commentary on Christian culture at large. It’s refreshing.
Okay… I read what Miss California said, and I thought she was woefully inarticulate and confused (and when she pointed out that same-sex or “opposite” marriage was legal, but she didn’t believe it should be in her country, her family – “no offense”. Tacking “no offense” on something like that does not, in fact, remove the chance of offending people) – could that have cost her the win? (I didn’t read the other contestants’ responses – maybe they are all poorly spoken.)
However, I get that the blog was about the GMA inviting her, and whether that, er, dovetailed with peace & dovieness. Let me sk this: if she had said, “I am a Christian, and I believe that same-sex marriage is a righteous thing”, would they still have invited her? I am not familiar with the group, but were they inviting her only for the controversy and PR, or because of her stance? (Did she ever say these views were based on her religion, by the way? The answer I read from the pageant didn’t see to suggest so.)
Oops… my comment should have continued, after, “because of her stance”, “or because she is a good representation of Christ-like doveishness?”
(Not that it makes much never-mind to me: someone at a church supper Thursday told me that I, and my sister and her partner, are all going to Hell. And not in a *nice* way. Woo!)
I’m with Matthew.
Adam Ellis,
Your comment above is by far the most eloquent, well thought out response to Matthew’s post. Nice.
T
The topic of Gay marriage didn’t belong on the Dove Awards anymore than it belonged in a beauty pageant. She was obviously invited to bring more attention to the Doves, but, not the kind they need.
I’ve been hearing about the demise of GMA week, also, I hear attendance will be down even more next year. Sad, when it was good it was good. Some of my favorite memories in the business were during GMA week.
And as for “GMA and other organizations and churches will be held accountable for affirming salvation in people that are still in need of salvation.”…. well GMA doesn’t affirm salvation, only one does that, and He doesn’t live in Nashville, despite persistent rumors to the contrary.
And now she’s speaking at Liberty. Great.
http://www.wsls.com/sls/news/local/lynchburg/article/miss_california_usa_defends_traditional_marriage_at_liberty_univ._speech/34192/