BY SETH PIERCE

fter a weekend of ministers' meetings, I walked into a Taco Bell to eat lunch with my father-in-law, my wife, and some other pastors I knew. I ordered a spicy bean-and-cheese burrito. Things were pretty much routine until I was suddenly hailed from the back by one of the taco specialists.

"What's up, Clay!"

Before my brain registered what was going on, a burrito director, a nacho supervisor, and a window operator all began clapping and cheering from behind the counter. Soon their friends, who were shoving fast food down their gullets, stopped their gorging and choked out some adulation. My friend Jeff was delighted.

"Oh my word, they think you're Clay Aiken! Right on, man! Wave at them or something--they're all big fans!"

"Be quiet, Jeff."

I was tired, hungry, and totally bewildered. I didn't want to be Clay Aiken, much less have his fan club bowing down to me in the middle of Taco Bell. My wife, true to form when an irritating experience finds me, erupted in laughter. My father-in-law followed suit, letting me know where she gets it from. I had no choice but to give a little wave and flash a smile.

"Why don't you sing something for 'em, Clay?"

"Be quiet, Jeff."

What a weird experience. I had never met these people before, and yet they felt comfortable whooping and hollering for Clay Aiken, even when they found out I wasn't him. What if I had been Clay Aiken? Then what? Total strangers would have lost their minds, forsaken their food, and sat at my feet waiting for just one song to send them into a frenzy.

What's the deal? Is it that people in Topeka don't get out much? Or is it that our people have embraced pop culture and its icons with a rabid intensity? It's probably both, but I'm going to focus on the latter. Oh, and just for your information: I may have spiky hair and be on the slender side, but I do not look like Clay Aiken. Actually I like to think of myself as a young underdeveloped Brad Pitt.

In the past several months news stories ranging from a 48-hour wedding involving pop princess Britney Spears to a raid on Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch have been nearly inescapable. Everyone has heard of Janet Jackson's, 'um, falling out, and people are concerned as to where Martha Stewart should really be doing her "living." These icons seem to be broadcast and cared about more than issues of war, hunger, and terrorism. What gives?

As I think of it, I can come up with three reasons that we get so caught up in the lives of superstars. I'm sure there are more, but these seem to predominate.

1. Superstars Inspire Possibilities for Our Lives: When you take away Britney's dance moves, Michael's fame, and Kobe Bryant's athletic prowess, you are left with normal human beings like you and I . . . well, usually. You are left with people who get frustrated like you and I do, people who eat like you and I eat, and people who dream like you and I dream. Many superstars have overcome obstacles in their lives similar to those you and I struggle with--from bad family situations to poverty to self-esteem issues. The difference, however, is that they rose above them and accomplished their dreams, something you and I haven't done yet.

Watching pop stars triggers thoughts of all those things we would love to do, and it inspires us to try. Don't believe me? Interview the people who stand in line to get on American Idol, America's Top Model, or The Apprentice. We are caught by the notion that even if we never try to accomplish our dreams, at least we can live them out vicariously by watching the lives of people who have paid the dues necessary for their accomplishments.

2. Superstars Provide Escape From Our Lives: Not everyone is happy with his or her life, even Seventh-day Adventists. Big surprise, huh? After we graduate from college, get married, and start our careers, there can be a tendency to drift toward monotony. We get into a routine, and it sure would be nice to have a little adventure or something radical happen to bring a spark back to our existence. The televised antics of celebrities provide that spark. While I might not be able to spend $3 million on a single shopping spree, go on a road trip with a band in a customized tour bus, or go to photo shoots to become the next supermodel (I don't have the legs for it), it sure is fun to watch others do it.

How many individuals do you know who "just can't miss my show"? How many people whittle time away with scandalous soap operas as they iron laundry and enjoy the excitement of sock folding? How many sit at an office and perform marvelous acts of paperwork, organize expansive cubicle space, and drool life away in meetings, wishing they could just strip down to their Skivvies, live on an island, sit around a fire, and decide who is the ultimate survivor?

Our reading even reflects our desire to escape our lives. While there are many fine pieces of fiction literature, a great number of people enjoy the paperback novels sold in the grocery store checkout line. We don't want anything that resembles our lives. We want romance heroes to take us away from our problems. We want to battle the Mafia in a crime thriller. If we could manage to just hop on a broom and fly away from it all, we would. We can't, so we read about it.

In a class I took at Union College, I watched a film documenting the rise of cinema in India. While interviewing one of the impoverished citizens of a large Indian city, the interviewer asked the question "Why do you like cinema so much?" The reply blew me away. I don't remember the exact words, but here is a paraphrase: "I am very poor and will never amount to much. The cinema allows me to escape and get away from my life and live somewhere else for an hour. It is the only thing I have."

I don't think this mind-set is limited to countries overseas, the poor, or even the secular world.

3. We Tend to Follow People Stronger Than Ourselves: John Maxwell says, "People naturally follow leaders stronger than themselves."¹ Let's face it. Athletes, actors, and musicians appear to have more influence over the general population than do political leaders, religious leaders, or scholastic leaders. They are the ones larger than life. They are the ones who are portrayed as warriors on-screen and on the court. They are the ones who live with a power we want. They are the ones we follow.

When was the last time someone got their fashion sense and wardrobe ideas from Billy Graham? Have you ever bought a presidential address on DVD over the latest blockbuster? Do you read Sports Illustrated or educational journals? Even though it seems backward, the majority of influence in how we live our lives comes from the pop culture observed in the media.

You might be aghast at my seemingly negative view of athletics, movies, music, and pop culture in general. Or perhaps you think I've given it too much credit. But hear me out. I personally enjoy sports, movies, music, and pop culture. I watch just as much as you do, and I think there are some positives.

Certainly there is something admirable about a single mother, living on a waitress's salary, who writes her novel on scraps of napkin while at work. Certainly there is nothing wrong with being reminded of more important things in life besides work, chores, and the daily routine by zany people willing to push themselves to the limit to achieve their dreams, brave their fears, and make us laugh at the absurdities that occur in everyday life. And certainly there is nothing wrong with seeking someone greater than yourself to provide answers to life's confusions.

But, the question posed to me before writing this article was "Is there any danger in spending time watching the lives of others, keeping up-to-date on who does what in the realm of the stars, and listening to everything MTV puts out?" The answer is--certainly.

THREE WARNING SIGNS
1. What Are We Being Inspired to Do? There has always been the great "I'm not a role model" debate among stars. And while they can claim that as much as they wish, people are still affected by pop culture influence. As I've watched 10-year-olds dress like 22-year-old pop stars, and fourth graders talk more trash than sports players or rap artists, it makes me think of 1 Peter 2:9. "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (RSV). I am the first person who will stand up and declare the need to pursue your dreams, achieve the impossible, go for the gold, and other inspirational phrases, but I believe it is dangerous when we fill our heads with what the world esteems as high callings more than what God has deemed our high calling.

In 2 Corinthians 3:18 Paul points out that by beholding we become changed. No doubt many people have been inspired by watching superstars, but God has called us to be inspired by Jesus Christ and to follow Him. And as far as I know, He is the only one whose inspiration lasts longer than 15 minutes of fame.

2. Dissatisfaction With Life: Life can become as boring as watching PBS at 2:00 a.m. There are menial tasks that need to be done in order for our lives to flow properly. However, if you feel as though life has become dull, especially because everything happens on a day when you as an Adventist can't participate, you need to reevaluate how you live your calling in Christ, not how you live compared to Shaquille O'Neal or Bennifer. When you live in a smaller house than you'd like, wish your paycheck represented a week's wages rather than a month's, and when you'd give anything to have smarter or more coordinated children, it's easy to think your life must be defective in light of those with more stuff and talent. But remember what Paul says: "Don't be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, 'I'll never let you down, never walk off and leave you'" (Heb. 13:5, Message).

It's not that the pursuit of a better life is bad in itself; on the contrary, seeking to better yourself is good. But not when it makes you unhappy, unsatisfied, and unwilling to acknowledge the many blessings you do have. God promises not to let you down. The world can't make that promise (just watch Simon on American Idol). Matthew 6:33 says to seek God rather than the world, and your dreams, provisions, and calling will follow.

3. Following Others Before Following God: In Exodus 32 we can read the disturbing story of some people worshipping a golden calf over God. God is atop a mountain, and because the people get bored waiting on God, they create for themselves an idol. It's beautiful, makes no demands on their lives, and simply enthralls them by its loveliness. So they do what anyone does when confronted with a lovely golden calf. They worship it. They lend their support to it. If the calf had T-shirts, they would buy them. If the calf had concerts, those would be sold out. If the calf had Web sites, they would have millions of hits. And if that calf was on television, we would . . . whoops, I mean, they would watch it.

There is a reason God gave us a commandment about idols. Given the right circumstance, we are all too willing to abandon God and worship anything we perceive is closer and more accessible. Ellen White says, "Almost the whole world is following after idols."² In Acts 14 Paul performs a miracle with God's power, and the people flock to Paul, unwilling to relent in their worship of him.

The point in all these observations is simple. While there are attractive ideals and inspirational attainments broadcast in the media, there is a danger of becoming so absorbed in the lives of worldly stars that we forget to live the life the Morning Star has called us to live. We would do well to remember a line from Corrie ten Boom: "If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you'll be at rest!"³

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¹ The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, p. 67.
² Prophets and Kings, p. 186.
³ In Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life.

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Pastor Seth Pierce serves the Wichita South Seventh-day Adventist Church in Wichita, Kansas. He is happily married to his wife, Angela, and enjoys speaking, traveling, youth, reading, and writing.