Thursday, June 3, 2010

Just Thinking Out Loud: Miley Cyrus

Youthful indiscretions notwithstanding, I can't help but to think that the young woman pictured above is on the verge of becoming yet another Christian who ends up compromised and seduced by the trappings of the entertainment industry.  It would be nice to see my fellow Tennessean become a well-balanced adult who clings to that which is most important.  But if history is any indicator -- from Britney all the way to Elvis -- the odds are clearly stacked against her.

4 comments:

Holly said...

I think it's way too late. It was too late the moment her parents started putting her to work at age 9 or 10. Also, I doubt she or her family were ever "Christian" in the way you are thinking, which is really more like "Conservative Southern Christian." Christian is kind of a meaningless word in the sense that everyone has different definitions, anyways.

AMW said...

She's of the Southern Baptist tradition as I understand it, just as Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Jessica Simpson and Elvis Presley before her. Indeed being a Christian does not make one a mindless robot incapable of free though, as some suspect, nor does submission to the faith make the believer impervious to the abounding temptations that hit every one of us on a daily basis.

Additionally, different definitions of Christianity may exist, but there is only one truth.

Holly said...

I grew up in a Southern Baptist church, but there was always a distinction between those who seemed to be very sincerely devout, and those who showed up for the social aspect. Being a Southern Baptist & attending one of the town's mega-churches was very popular in my hometown and I guess I thought some were "Christians" as a label, and some were true believers. But I know it's not for me to judge the matters of anyone's heart, including Ms. Cyrus.

AMW said...

I also grew up in a Southern Baptist "mega-church" and I know of the differences you're talking about only too well. In fact some of the experiences I had during my 17-year run at Bellevue inspired the "What a smile can hide" post from a week or two ago. On this point, I believe we're on the same page.

As for Miley, the warning signs are there already and it seems that she's well on her way to becoming another Britney Spears, for better or worse. Let's hope I'm wrong.