Bob WeathersYou probably breezed by it in the news, as with so much celebrity fluff. I almost did. Then I realized that the November announcement by Fox executives that the network would renew the contract of Simon Cowell for five more seasons carted heavy implications.
Cowell, of course, is the judge on “American Idol” who is known for insulting performers, stinging them with British sarcasm and personal jabs, occasionally reducing people to tears.
So what’s the big deal? Five more years. That’s the big deal. Fox executives assume that people will want to be ridiculed, insulted, and embarrassed for five more years, and, worse, that Americans don’t mind. Mind? Are you kidding? They’d like to watch.
Sadly, in American culture, rude is in. And profitable. Last season, Cowell pocketed about $8 million, and more than 27 million people tuned in each Tuesday night to see him degrade and demean contestants.
Am I pining for the day when rude was, well, rude? Yeah. The day when people said thank you and excuse me. When the point of criticism was to build up and not to tear down. When the person mattered more than the performance.
Because behind good manners stands a giant theological truth dressed in biblical armor. Good manners, mutual human respect, is grounded in the belief that all people, even those we do not like, are created in the image of God. When we are nice enough not to be rude, we are appreciating the God who created the person.
True, fallen people who are sinners by nature cannot perform as God intended them to. But that doesn’t get us off the hook with God. Paul told Christians that their new life in Christ now obligated them to always treat people as persons of value. Even when criticizing their performance. We should say, he wrote, “only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Eph. 4:29). And remember, he said, “Love – is not rude” (1 Cor. 13:5).
That means God’s love, of course, which we exemplify when we treat people as persons. So if someone’s performance doesn’t match your expectations, remember that, frankly, you didn’t meet God’s expectations either. Aren’t you glad for God’s grace?