Last Call

I promise that this is my final post regarding Miss California, Carrie Prejean. And actually it's not about her at all; it's about us and Christian celebrity.

Let's get these points out of the way:

1. Her answer (to an unfair question in that setting) was courageous. Not real intelligent-sounding, but it is off the cuff and she's not a scholar or public speaker.

2. She was and still is being criticized for her stand which is contrary to that of the mainstream media. Similarly, the release of her semi-nude and topless photos are to embarrass her and her position.

3. She did pose topless for some photos. She told the Miss California organization that none existed. After the first ones came out, she insisted there were no more. When the latest ones surfaced, she blamed the wind. She has not been truthful.

None of this is what really bothers me. What I find difficult to understand is the conservative Christian media completely defending her and making her into a celebrity spokesperson. Are we so desperate to declare our opposition to gay marriage that we will so willingly ignore all the problems with her character and use her to further our message? This is simply wrong.

Let's say she gave a less-than-definitive answer to the gay marriage question. Even though she is a Christian, would James Dobson still have had her on his radio show? Worse, if she said that she was a Christian who supported the right of gays to marry, wouldn't he have attacked her? And then, if the photos came out, he would have questioned her character and integrity and said that this is the kind of supposed Christian who would support gay marriage. Tell me I'm wrong.

Instead, because she gave the right answer, he and others have to downplay the other issues and build her up as much as possible. Not because she is a fellow-believer, but because she said the right thing. And because she is now a celebrity.

How sad. If it were not for her own complicity in seeking out the media (she could have said no), I might start feeling sorry for her. She is being used by people who, once her celebrity fades, will be content to toss her aside and ignore her. I can imagine that 15 years from now, when her star has long faded and she is going back to college to finish the degree she abandoned to chase the celebrity dream promised her, she will look back and realize that she was used.

Had I been her advisor after the pageant, I would have counselled her to make one appearance (Today show, perhaps) and issue a statement like, "Hey, I'm just a colege student and beauty pageant queen. I stand by my answer, but it is up to everyone in this country to search their hearts for the right answer." And then, I would have her go back to school and turn down all media requests.

But, of course, I would have advised her not to take the racy photos that she did in the first place, too.