Posted on 05/24/2010 10:18:53 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
With many contestants having honed their vocal skills at black churches and suburban megachurches, "Idol" has been embraced by Christian communities across the nation. Congregations have launched enthusiastic viewing parties and vote drives for favorites. Perhaps more important, the contestants' church training has deeply influenced the songs and musical styles viewers hear on "Idol" and helped launch the careers of faith-based singers, such as George Huff and Mandisa, as well as secular pop artists. The show has projected to an audience of tens of millions an image of heartland youth driven by faith and strong family values. That's an important source of appeal for a nation that according to a 2007 Pew Research Center survey identifies itself as 78% Christian.
I’m sorry, perhaps I am old-fashioned...but using the Church as a jumping-off point for fame and fortune under the guise of ‘spreading the Gospel’ is just wrong.
American Idol’s ratings have dropped because they have promote the homosexual lifestyle with Adam Lambert who looks like a woman and Ellen DeGenerate.
I canceled TV about a year ago and will not be going back. All the 5 networks support Obama 100% so if you watch TV you support Obama.
I know a conservative guy who is very involved in churches. He was talking about working with some group and mentioned Rick Warren. I laughed and told hiom Warren was a pro-Islam fraud.
Wise up, producers.
In a way, the old time churches were venues for Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Albonini and for other composers music to be heard. Mozart’s music became more secular though he was religious.
I support “entertainment” in churches with this type of music. This more modern Christian rock praise music is hokie. It is better than Catholic, Protestant and Evangeliclas filling the pews with illegals.
I’ve been to both very poor small churches and very rich mega-churches. It’s hard to find legitimacy and authenticity in mega-churches and the services are productions.
I’ll take a poor country church any-day...
Seems to me that many of these churches are trying to “be in the world and not of it”.
There is a natural connection. Most people don’t sing much in their daily life. Churches produce singers.
Some churches are a capella and people learn to sing harmony rather naturally. A lot of churches these days have increasingly high quality music worship teams. What I notice is that while a few years ago young musicians would have looked outside the church are now willing and even anxious to ply their craft within the church.
The mega-churches kick that to another level. Someone who is leading worship three times a Sunday every Sunday is going to develop strong musical chops, and they do. And they are going to be very much at home on stage. For some of these churches, and some of the musicians serving in these churches, American Idol is almost a step down. And as time goes on and the “praise music” scene comes into its own, secular music increasingly starts to look like a step down.
As Al Pacino as Scarface said about his WASP money laundering banker - “phonies.”
Mega churches become businesses. At that point, I do not need a middleman to talk to God. Small churches usually “get it.”
One of the last churches I went to was a more progressive Catholic church. It was not my choice but someone I was driving to church. I thought it was a business conference center. Where was the crucifix? The cross was invisible like the Holy ghost or something. Nutty.
IN season 7 ( David Cook and David Archuelta’s season ), the idols actually sang the popular church song -— SHOUT TO THE LORD — in one of their group performances.
Ping to the truth about contemporary worship.
Sad and tacky. One of the best churches I attanded was a small dying Lutheran church. The neighborhood was changing. People getting old or moving away. I really got the impression the pastor or reverend really got it. He was a great guy.
“Unfortunately, a lot of people go to church looking for the former.”
Are you sure about that? I think if you check carefully you might find an assumption, perhaps based in prejudice, in there somewhere.
I have been to churches large and small.
The church with the best music was a mega-church... hands down. The church with the worst music was the smaller and more “religious” one.
I for one do not long for the days growing up when I was forced to sing old hymns to an out of tune piano being played by an overweight woman wearing support hose.
Not starting a flame war. To each his own.
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