I really don’t watch all that much television.
However, I have found – not from heroine, coffee or crack cocaine, but from television that I have an incredibly addictive personality.
I find myself religiously glued to the screen for select shows that conveniently come steaming across my living room on the regular. The addiction comes without rhyme, reason or pattern, and has included everything from Groomer Has It to American Idol. One could do an abnormal psychology case study on my obsession of LOST – and it doesn’t stop there. After watching an episode, I will then Google every YouTube video, fan site, webisode, news story and IMDB page I can find on the show. Ridiculous, I know.
My latest addiction has been TLC’s Jon and Kate Plus 8.
If you aren’t familiar with it, Jon and Kate Gosselin are parents of twins and sextuplets. It’s a reality show based on how two normal parents cope with raising 8 crazy kids, showing how everyday situations become monstrous tasks when you have 6 two year-olds to look after. And despite the craziness of their lives, America has fallen in love with little Aaden, Joel, Collin, Hannah, Leah, Alexis, Maddy and Kara. The family’s commitment to faith, love, family and commitment is incredibly rare and inspiring in a world of dysfunction and divorce.
And, as the show has grown, so has the celebrity for this family. Bigger home, more magazine covers, frequent trips and talk show appearances, book deals leading into book tours leading into best sellers and more money – all for the kids, of course.
Over the past few weeks it would be near impossible to miss all television and tabloid drama surrounding the family. Jon has been accused of cheating on Kate, Kate has been accused of cheating with the body guard – a mess in general. And to top things off, last night’s season premiere featured an awkward and distant Jon and Kate talking about how they have gone separate ways and are not too sure what the future holds. A simple twitter search of the word Kate reveals how sad and disgusted America is after watching all of this happen.
The crazy thing is, they are signed up for another 39 episodes, come hell or high water.
What a situation we have here…
• A family is born, centered around the values of faith, family, love and commitment.
• Family creates empire around the values of faith, family, love and commitment.
• Empire grows out of control and attack the very values it was built upon
• Empire cannot be destroyed, because it now financially fuels the “value driven” family.
• Family continues to tirelessly build the empire while faith, family, love and commitment dissolve all around them.
The future has yet to be seen, but one can feel the ugly tidal wave that is rumbling in the distance. Rather than watching little Joel go on his first date, or Hannah attend the senior prom – we will probably only hear rumors of the resentment and dysfunction of the once beautiful Gosselin family that died trying to keep the empire alive.
As I look at the religious institutions of our day, I wonder if this narrative is happening all around us? They cling to their empires – once great movements connected to worthy values. They read of days past filled with beauty, wonder, the miraculous and personal wholeness. But they found themselves on more magazine covers, buying bigger buildings, frequent trips and television appearances, book deals leading into book tours leading into best sellers and more money – for the sake of the gospel, of course. And as the empire grew, they could no longer control it – it controlled them. And since it made them comfortable, filled their mouths with rich food and made pockets wealthy, they couldn’t destroy it.
So, here they are. Tirelessly building an empire while we watch faith, hope and love dissipating all around them. We probably won’t watch humanity move towards wholeness or see creativity abounding within their castle walls – we will probably only hear rumors of the resentment and dysfunction of the once beautiful community of faith that died trying to keep the empire alive. The great thing about reality is that it is change with every choice made. And where there is freedom to choose, there is always hope.
choose wisely Jon and Kate.
