DAILY BREAD, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2007

** Britney Spears & Anna Nicole Smith Update **
Ryan Roark

I'm joking...although, if we really wanted to boost the Food For Thought ratings, it would behoove us to devote these next few decades to following the sagas of these two "news" stories step by step. Am I the only one who has felt the inability to steer clear of these tabloid-esque reports?

Normally, Kelly and I will turn on one of the major networks' morning shows as we're eating breakfast and getting ready for the day. Lately, I had been partial to Today on NBC. However, once their intentions of saturating their air time with Anna Nicole and Britney became apparent, we decided to try the other networks. No luck there either. "Certainly," we thought, "A station such as FOX News will not drive such frivolous stories into the ground." Wrong again. Seems they too are caught up in the sensationalism surrounding these two women. So much for "fair and balanced."

So, we have finally had enough. This morning we watched an episode of This Old House. As we watched these skilled carpenters and plumbers speak in their heavy New England accents, we just knew Norm Abrams or one of his co-workers was going to begin talking about a similar job he did at Britney Spears' house. Thankfully, though, it never came up.

Ours is a nation that has become obsessed with celebrity. This has been the case for some time. However, recent generations have accelerated this infatuation to new levels. The public wants to know as much as is possible about their favorite actors, sports stars, and musicians. Publications such as The National Enquirer sell millions of copies every week to gossip-hungry fans who clamor to read the latest "dirt" in Hollywood.

It used to be the case that those of us who wished to ignore such "junk food news" were required to do little more than pass these publications by at the grocery check-out line. However, today's mainstream media is filling our pages and airwaves with less real news and more frivolous scandal and innuendo. What (if anything) does the Bible say about this matter?

"They learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not." (1 Timothy 5:13, ESV)

Bearing in mind the context in which these words were written (instructions to the church about widows), there is a principle here that applies to the situation at hand. Does anyone actually believe God is glorified or even pleased when we go about contributing to the longevity of celebrity gossip? Does righteous character include gossipping about someone, regardless of whether we know them personally or not? Some of these celebrities have been known to actually manufacture these scandals (many of which involve gross immorality) to "jump-start" a fledgling career. Regardless of the situation, Christian character demands our abstinence from perpetuating gossip and profitless trifles.

The truth of the matter is, we have too much honest and productive work to do to involve ourselves with idle talk. If I find myself with enough time to know what color socks Anna Nicole Smith's mother wore to the courtroom yesterday, it may be the case that I have become an "idler." God expects us to be good stewards of the resources He has given us -- including time.