No Audition Required
03-09-2006
by Johann Snyder

The search is on for the next great musical superstar. The American Idol phenomenon is in its fifth season, filled as usual with biting sarcasm and brilliant talent. Also joining the fray this season is a new show called Gifted, which is searching the nation for next great vocalist of the Christian music industry. Two shows that promise to the make the dreams of a talented nobody come true. Personally, I've never really understood the American Idol craze, but it does make me very appreciative of one very important thing; at least I don't have to audition for God.

I don't know if you've ever had to audition for anything, but it can be a pretty nerve wracking experience. I took some theatre when I was in school, and I always hated auditions. No matter how often I practiced my lines, when it was time to audition, my brain suddenly flashed the blue screen of death that shows up when a computer crashes. Every file was corrupted and there was no hope of recovering any of the information (which, I'm convinced, is why I can't remember important dates such as birthdays, anniversaries and dentist appointments). My stomach would get all knotted up and I felt like one the Budweiser Clydesdales had just kicked me in the gut. My heart raced so fast that I often felt sure that I was having a heart attack…and all of this took place the week before the audition, so you can imagine what kind of nervous wreck I would be the day of. The reason I mention all of this is because I can't imagine what it must be like to audition for something that you know is going to be on TV for millions of viewers to see and in front of celebrity judges, one of whom is notorious for having one of the sharpest tongues on TV. It once again makes me glad that I don't ever have to audition for God because no matter how harsh the judges on American Idol may be, I'm sure that their critiques would seem like profuse praise compared to what the ultimate Judge would have to say about my constantly falling short of the mark of perfection He has set.

The other thing I'm not so sure about when it comes to this whole American Idol thing is whether or not it's necessary for Christians to copy the show. I don't know if you've heard much about Gifted yet, which is currently holding auditions around the nation, but it's basically a Christian American Idol rip-off. The show is currently touring mega-churches in America where hopefuls will audition by singing acappella versions of popular hymns. Judges will select the best of the best to move on and compete on the show which will air on TBN. Celebrity judges will pick a winner and that lucky winner will get a chance to become the newest Christian artist with a recording contract, career management and more. Does all of this sound familiar? It should, because you see it every week on Fox. Do we really need a Christian version of American Idol? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to recall several Christian artists doing quite well on the show. Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard, George Huff, Carrie Underwood; didn't all these find success through American Idol? Should we create yet another Christian bubble for ourselves with our own version of the American Idol show? Is there any particular benefit in being isolationist? These, perhaps, are questions for another article. I think it's great that the producers of Gifted want to give young Christian musicians a chance to shine, I'm just not entirely sure it's necessary to do that completely separate and yet imitating the world. Besides, the show is still judged based on performance, and I'm sure part of the drama will be the crushing emotion someone feels when they're eliminated from the show because they weren't quite good enough. Certainly the critiques will most likely be kinder and more encouraging than its mainstream counterpart, but people are still going to be eliminated based on their performances. Christian show or not, once again let me say I'm so glad that I never have to go through an audition process to God.

The real reason I mentioned these shows is because they remind us of something very important, something that I've already repeated several times during this article: we never have to audition for God. Think about that. Think about how amazing God's grace is. When you watch these shows where contestants give their very best to strive for approval, doesn't it just make you so thankful that you've never had to do that to get God's attention. Aren't you amazed at the fact that "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us"? (Romans 5:8) We didn't have to get our "act" together, pun intended, in order to gain God's favor. Not only that, but if everything was based on our performance, we'd be in big trouble because we can never be good enough to meet God's standard. We would be voted off His show before we ever wailed our first creaky note. But then, He's not asking us to audition for Him. He's not checking to see if we've got what it takes to make it in His kingdom. All He's asking us to do is to accept His invitation to join His "label" through Jesus Christ and He'll give us the contract, the talent, and the opportunity to shine if we'll only follow Him. He'll begin a good work in us, and He won't quit until it's done. Just think, no snarky comments from celebrity judges like Michael or Gabriel telling us that we're a wannabe or a joke, no devastating emotional moment when we realize we aren't good enough to make it to the next level, no nervous butterfly knots turning our tummy into something that feels like a block of concrete while hoping that we don't mess our big chance up; just love, grace and acceptance for who we are. I may not be a big American Idol fan, and I may not think that Gifted is the best idea, but I am grateful that these shows exist for one major reason; they help me appreciate and cherish the grace that God has given me. Who knew that watching TV could actually be good for soul?