what christians can learn from glee

OK, so i admit it. i watch glee.




most weeks, i'm horrified at the show's glorification of sexuality and am basically scared to ever raise teenagers. but i like the songs and think the show actually has some musical talent and artistry going for it. suffice it to say, though, i never would have coined the show to do an episode that was even remotely thoughtful about religion.

and then, last week's episode surprised me.

were there some sacreligious parts? sure. when you have a teenager praying to a grilled cheese sandwich that resembles jesus, it's bound to offend any great number of religious folk, including catholics who are infamous for spotting images of the virgin mary in all sorts of weird places.

but when you put religious questions -- hard religious questions -- at the front and center of a show, and you have the characters deal with those questions in real and honest ways, i have to applaud you. surprisingly, the show did an excellent job of balancing the religious characters with the non-religious characters, especially considering that our culture has increasingly portrayed religious people in a negative light.

now, some of you may have seen this episode and be wondering why i say christians can learn from this show. i think there is value in paying attention to the media -- to "secular" television, music, art, etc. because it helps us know what our culture thinks about things, including religion. last week's glee focused overwhelmingly on questions concerning prayer -- why God doesn't answer prayers, especially when the prayer seems to be in line with something God would want -- and also on whether we can have a personal relationship with God -- a "direct line" as one character called it.

i wept as one character had to deal with her doubts about God's existence after facing years of unanswered prayers that people would stop teasing her sister with down syndrome. i wept as another character rejected God even in the face of terrible tragedy because he couldn't understand why God had allowed his followers to hate him [the character] for being gay.

honestly, i wept because i saw myself in those characters. i struggle all the time with questions about my faith. i don't understand a lot about God. and i really hate that so many christians are dismissive of people with faith struggles. so many times in my life, i have feared being honest about my thoughts or feelings about God because i thought someone wouldn't like me anymore or wouldn't think i was a good christian if they knew just how deep my struggles run or how many questions i ask.

i've been in a presbyterian church long enough to be convinced that belief has little to do with man's will or choice and more to do with God's pursuit of man. i think God infuses us with the holy spirit and empowers us to believe. it is only by his grace that any of us believe at all, which is certainly the crux of the often-quoted ephesians 2:8-9. so that no man can boast. certainly, this brings up a whole host of questions about God that i will probably deal with the rest of my life (like why God can't just empower everyone to believe), but i prefer this way of thinking because it should humble those of us who are believers and call us to prayer and action of behalf of others.

i'm hopeful that christians can take a lesson from this [often ridiculous] television show and realize that there are real human beings with hearts and souls that struggle every day of their lives with questions about God. and what they don't need from us is an attitude of "well, can't you just get it together and believe?" because for, many people, believing just isn't that easy. what they do need from us is compassion, love, and the gospel (and please note, this is where i differ from the show because the show's answer is tolerance which, in my opinion, still leaves people hopeless). they need people who will sincerely bear the burdens of their questions with them [without judgment] and not just give them pat answers simply because they sound like the right thing to say. they need people who will tell them that the gospel will not answer every, single question...but who will assure them that it is enough.