The Glee Agenda

I have to admit, I love the show Glee. Not sure I'd be labelled a "Gleek", but of all that's on TV, it's the show I'm most enthusiastic to watch. Last year I watched a televised contest called The Glee Project, which selected two winners for a role in the current season of Glee. In the most recent episode of Glee, aired on Valentines Day, winner Samuel Larson appeared for the first time in what I would certainly call a controversial episode. For those who never saw The Glee Project, here's some background which I think is of interest.

One of the contestants on The Glee Project identified himself very early on as a Christian. His name was Cameron Mitchell. And as the competition went on, Cameron began to struggle with the fact that, as an actor on Glee, he might be asked to enact some sexually provocative or intimate scenes which he felt that, as a Christian, would compromise his faith. And so, choosing Christ first, he actually quit the competition. As he announced that he was quitting, and told writer Ryan Murphy why he was quitting, Murphy pleaded with him to stay. Ryan Murphy told him that he'd really love to portray a Christian character on his show, and that's why he had a particular interest in Cameron. But Cameron quit none the less, and I for one was pleased that he did. In the first place, you don't need a genuine Christian to act as a Christian. Ryan had said to Cameron, (along these lines), "Imagine the influence you could have on the lives of so many people!" But of course, the actor has no influence whatsoever, really. They simply do what the writer, Ryan Murphy, tells them to. And I said to myself, as though I were giving advise to Cameron, "You will portray a Christian, but it won't be you're faith... it will be Ryan Murphy's version of a Christian, and what do you suppose that looks like?" Ryan Murphy's agenda is clear... for those who don't know, Ryan Murphy is both openly gay and a Church-going "Christian" at the same time. But before we get into that controversy, we can at least see that the kind of Christian who leaves a show because he might have to kiss a girl he doesn't love probably isn't going to be the kind of Christian who sees being gay as compatible with Christianity.

It was at this point, after Cameron quit, that Samuel Larson "suddenly" (you might say) identified himself as a Christian, too. Which to me just seemed like a ploy once he'd become aware of what Ryan Murphy was after for a new role. Whether he's a genuine Christian or not, I don't know, but of course, all that I suspected and would have, myself, warned Cameron to avoid has come upon Samuel. In Samuel's first appearance on the show, he is presented as a new kid in school and a Christian, attending a meeting of the "God Squad", a club for students who want to discuss religion. Very quickly the topic turns to the fact that a few of the members of "Glee Club" are gay, and what Samuel's character will think about that. In particular, would he sing a love song for one of these gay characters if asked to? And in typical modern style, a very rapid stream of arguments, without any counter reply at all, was given to justify why Samuel's character, Joe, shouldn't have any issues with it at all. And these arguments certainly sounded wise, but I'll be happy to point out their faults directly. But before we look at that, I want to deal with the question; "Should Samuel/Joe, being a Christian, have had a problem singing to a gay person?"

Let's first consider how a Christian's attitude should be towards a gay person. In one respect, it should be no different to their attitude towards anyone else, in so far as we are all sinners in need of Jesus Christ. We all need to feel the love of Christ toward us which is expressed through the kindness of Christians! A gay man or woman is just as worthy of our friendship, our compassion, our favour, our love. This should go without saying, and it's sad that it needs to be said at all. However, homosexuality is a sin according to the Bible, and sin only leads to unhappiness. Our attitude towards gay people should be no different to any other person, but we all have different weaknesses, and are subject to different sins. And so just as I would not approve of a friend's alcoholism, or a friend's promiscuity, or even just an arrogant friend's pride... my best friend in the whole world could be a gay man, but I would not condone his sexual desires. And so, to answer the question "Should Joe sing a love song for a gay person..." There is no problem in singing for any person; a Christian should happily even sing a duet with a gay person. But to sing a love song in the context of Valentine's Day is precisely to condone their lifestyle, which from a Christian perspective is not doing them any favours at all.

Now to quickly cover the arguments to justify homosexuality in this episode of Glee, there were basically three (from memory.)
1. To be Christian is to love, and it is therefore "more Christian" to promote homosexuality.
I think we've dealt with that one already.
2. Jesus never said anything about homosexuality.
This, to me, reveals much about one's view of Christ. We need to remember that Jesus Christ is God, and that God wrote the Bible! He wrote all of it. And so if Moses said it, Christ said it. If Moses condemns it, Christ condemns it. And if Paul said it, Christ said it. If Paul condemns it, Christ condemns it.
3. The Bible calls homosexuality an abomination, but it also calls eating shellfish an abomination, so...
Well, an abomination is "something to be abhorred", but we can abhor things for different reasons. I would say that God, through Moses, wrote to the Israelites that they should abhor shellfish for one reason, and that they should abhor homosexuality for a different reason altogether; namely that it is sin. Eating shellfish was not a problem because it was sinful. You could read my post on "The Purpose of Old Testament Purity Laws" for more about that.

So after all this, if there's one thing I would want to stress more than anything, it's that true Christianity doesn't hate homosexuals, it hates homosexuality; in much the same way that we don't hate people suffering from cancer, but we hate cancer. The difference there is that people suffering cancer also hate cancer, but gay people love their condition. While that makes it more difficult to understand, it doesn't make the Christian view invalid.


Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:19)