Waiting For A Star

Joelle screams.

Gripping the barricade in front of her, Joelle screams again.

A man in a black suit and sunglasses steps towards her. Holding his arm in front of her, he says,

“Excuse me, miss. Please keep back from the barrier.”

A shiny black limousine pulls up. The door opens, revealing a foot decked in a sequined kitten heel.

Joelle pushes forward.

“She’s coming. She’s coming,” Joelle shrieks.

“Miss,” the man in the black suit says, “Please get back from the barrier.”

Joelle bounces up and down.

“Britney. Britney,” she screeches, as the sequined foot becomes a leg and then a woman clothed in a beautiful, long, black sheath gown.

A Fascinating Read

Although I’ve never bought any CDs recorded by Britney Spears, attended any of her concerts or ever had much of an interest in her, her music or her dancing at all, when Britney released her autobiographical book, The Woman In Me, I decided I should read it. Well written and engaging, I felt pleased when I learned that, as a child, Britney’s social life had revolved around her church, that she had sung in the church choir and that she had even attended Parklane Academy, a Christian school. Her memoir doesn’t state which denomination her childhood church aligned with but a quick Google search describes her Christian upbringing as Southern Baptist and Parklane Academy’s website states its primary function is “the Christian development of the child” and “fostering Christ-like attitudes” within them.

Hopefully, back when Britney went there, they had those same goals, but if they did, it saddens me that Britney’s life since then hasn’t displayed a belief in or obedience toward the Christian God described in the tried-and-true pages of the Bible. The Bible condemns impure speech and blasphemy but Britney’s book contains the occasional casual use of God’s name and it contains cussing. It says Christians should obey the government, if government laws don’t contradict the Bible’s, but Britney admits she has participated in underage drinking and smoking and the use of illicit substances as an adult. That’s illegal and breaking America’s laws. The Bible says only married couples should enjoy sexual relations and that romantic relationships, even if you’re not yet married, should display faithfulness and fidelity. Unfortunately, neither Britney nor her male partners have always adhered to those commands. Scripture clearly says there’s only one God and all other gods are idols, mere figments of our imagination, but Britney states that, before she became famous, she didn’t care which god could make her dream of becoming a popstar come true, so long as one of them did. She also admits she had a reluctant abortion, has promoted homosexuality and married men who showed no interest in following Jesus.

Walking Away

How did someone with such a Christian upbringing end up with a life story like that? As I have never known Britney personally, or met her family or any of the people that influenced her as she grew up, I can only presume, but in her book, Britney describes a home and family life that didn’t always reflect the behaviour that a Christian family should. Perhaps, when Britney saw members of her own family bending the rules, she believed that if her family members could break the rules, she could also.

Britney grew up in a small town called Kentwood which, in the 80s, had a population of around 30,400 people. Britney says, for most people living in that town, their social lives revolved around their church. That sounds great, but I once lived in a town of a slightly bigger size. I died of boredom while living there, and I believe many people in that town, had that same experience because the church I worshipped at had a large attendance as well but I don’t believe all of its congregants came because they had an overwhelming desire to learn about Jesus. Rather, based on some behaviour I saw, I think some only came because that town had not much else on and if you didn’t go, life felt even more lonely and even more monotonous. Their behaviour gave me the impression that they believed God would still love and accept them even if they lived life their own way. I hope that’s not why the community of Kentwood attended their local church and that that’s not the impression they left Britney with. Instead, I hope she saw much better behaviour from her congregation than I did.

There’s another possibility for why Britney’s life hasn’t reflected the values found in the Bible she would have learnt from. Having attended church my whole life, I know not all churches teach the Bible accurately. I also know that, in their endeavour to love everyone, they sometimes beat around the bush, for years, always talking about God’s love, grace, mercy and forgiveness without ever getting around to speaking about sin, God’s wrath, God’s justice, Hell or repentance. I’m also aware that some parents want their kids attending Christian schools not because they want their children becoming Christians but because they enjoy the status of telling family and friends that their kids attend a private school, not a tax-payer-funded government school. They pressure principals and teachers into dropping the teaching of the Bible and sometimes Christian schools succumb and water down their message, only giving children colouring-in pictures of Jesus, Paul and John instead of actually teaching the Bible.

Coming Home

Perhaps, that’s why Britney Spears has so far lived a life that rejects the values taught by Jesus and the prophets rather than a life that promotes them, but very likely I’m wrong about all this because later in her autobiography, Britney mentions that she has read a series of books written by Neale Donald Walsch called Conversations With God. In this series, Neale states that he doesn’t believe in the presence of judgement, punishment, sin or Hell. As Britney has given her attention to such speculation, I believe, somewhere along the way, she must have received instruction which teaches the opposite, that judgement, punishment, sin and Hell well and truly do exist.

But, perhaps, Neale Walsh didn’t succeed in completely selling Britney on his way of thinking because she writes that she has never claimed that she’s a role model, that while pregnant she behaved in a mean and hateful manner, that she’s no saint but she knows God and that, while held captive under a conservatorship, she missed “sin[ning]” with her old friends. Britney also expresses pain and sorrow she feels because of wrongs people in her life have committed towards her. All of these statements acknowledge that she knows right and wrong exist and that the option of sinning and obeying lies within the hands of every person.

In her memoir, Britney mentions five near-death experiences either she or people around her have had, so more than most of us, perhaps Britney Spears should know the truth of the Bible, which says that our lives, like vapour, appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Britney says she once took stock of her spiritual life, hoping she could get it in order. I hope she makes another concerted effort in doing that and that, this time, she doesn’t stop until she has returned to the durable and creditworthy teaching of the Bible she hopefully learned as a child. I pray this for her and for everyone else in her situation.

James 4:14 NKJV

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