Did Justin Bieber Gossip Prompt TogetherLA To Start Christian TMZ?
/And if they are on the list, they will learn to be lazy and will spend their time gossiping from house to house, meddling in other people’s business and talking about things they shouldn’t. — 1 Timothy 5:13I have a confession to make.I think a Christian TMZ would be a successful TV show.Can’t you just see the paparazzi-like action of a Christian TMZ reporter waiting at LAX for Pastor Erwin McManus to arrive from a flight from who-knows-where to stuff a microphone in his face while a camera hurriedly edges-in closer before he closes the door on his, uh, limo?“Erwin, what’s your favorite toothpaste? Can you tell me what your relationship with the LA Clippers is all about? Oh, OK, have a good day, sir!”Of course, back in the newsroom, “Harvey” and his reporters would be watching the video clip and discussing Erwin’s motive for being a Clippers fan.Yes, I think it could work, but the “Harvey" (Levin) role, the newsroom editor-in-chief, would have to be awfully discerning. After all, today’s news is gossip-centric. Much of the world views gossip as king.Do Christians really want to engage in this arena? Apparently so.Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. — Romans 1:29Perhaps because of the unprecedented tracking of Justin Bieber, and perhaps because of his professed love for Jesus, we see a perfect illustration of the fact that there has been no other time in history when celebrities’ “faith journeys” have been reported on with such frequency and intensity.
Faithwire, an online news site has chronicled Justin Bieber’s fascinating faith journey, “one that appears to be growing by the day.” And although I belieb (sorry) there may be times when the coverage crosses over the line into unadulterated gossip, I applaud Faithwire for staying on top of the Bieber chronicles."It's fascinating to watch Bieber's faith journey unfold,” Dan Andros, who is the managing editor of Faithwire, told TogetherLA. “Here's a young man with the world at his feet, yet he's discovering that even that isn't enough. He's searching for more — and it sure seems like he's looking in the right direction."Friend and journalist colleague, Billy Hallowell, who is the senior editor at Faithwire, told me this: “Justin Bieber appears to be on a journey — and it’s been fascinating to watch. There are few people in the public eye who are so torn between the secular and spiritual worlds.“Watching him navigate growing up, the pressures of fame and his faith allegiance is intriguing and, on many levels, offers a lens into the struggles that so many of us have as we attempt to reconcile and lead with our faith in a world that doesn’t always value that quest.”Back to my Christian TMZ show.Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops. — Proverbs 26:20I once considered being that “Harvey” in the Christian TMZ newsroom.Today, I think not. I’d prefer to see quarrels disappear.Editor's Note: The headline for this story goes totally against my old-school grain. However, when need be, I can play that SEO (search engine optimization), key words, tugging on emotions, game, too! Please forgive me for initiating anything that may appear to be gossip! Headline used for illustration purposes only. ;-)