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Does today’s church believe in absolute truth? Does today’s church even know what absolute truth is?

There’s no doubt that the culture around us is on a downward spiral as far as morality is concerned. What worries me is that many within the church today can’t discern truth well enough to know where and if that downward spiral is taking place. The problem with deception is that it usually starts out small. Anyone can spot a blatant lie from a long ways away, at least you would hope so. However, when truth becomes blurry and lies begin to blend with truth, the result is a concoction that appears desirable yet actually is deadly.

In order to see this, all you have to do is look at modern media. Eat Pray Love, a movie starring Julia Roberts, is currently at the box office. Here’s what a reviewer at PluggedInOnline.com had to say about the movie and the main character, Liz:

Like so many before her, Liz has turned her back on a godly religious conviction and morality, and sought a less challenging spiritual system instead. A system that requires only vaguely sending “light and love” to others rather than buckling down and fighting for a covenant relationship’s survival and growth when things are emotionally difficult. A system that encourages sweetly masked self-indulgence over real self-sacrifice, and salvation without real repentance. Instead of God and His majesty, Ms. Gilbert wants cheap grace to help her get through her needlessly miserable days.

While people may be quick to discount this as only a “movie” or “mere entertainment,” the reality is many women have taken her advice and have attempted to find “themselves” through the same means as the character in the book/film. While there may be elements to the story that are uplifting, encouraging, and positive, there are also elements to the story that are self-indulgent and potentially dangerous. Is today’s society, especially today’s church, able to filter the good from the bad?

While some have blended elements of truth with elements other sources, many have attempted to ignore truth altogether and present sinful behavior as desirable. Take a TV show like Pretty Little Liars for example. The show has been rising in fame, most notable among teenage girls. It actually won the 2010 Teen Choice Award for “Choice Summer TV Show.” Teen show. Award winner. On ABC Family. Should be an acceptable show for teenage girls to watch, right? Not quite. The show has included storylines involving the main female characters “experimenting” with lesbianism. While some may say that they’re just portraying life how it actually is, I would beg to differ. I don’t believe that’s where we are yet. (Sadly, the keyword might be “yet”) Rather, I think that is where the producers and writers want to take our culture. They know they have influence. They know they have ratings. They know they can spread their agenda and people will listen.

Sadly, talk to any youth pastor in this country and there’s a good chance he’ll tell you that many of his teens are influenced by shows and movies like the ones I mentioned above. They get hooked in with the drama, scandals, sex, and provocativeness, and they sit through the agendas, propaganda, and blatant messages that the writers attempt to get across. Before too long, they believe THAT is reality and see nothing wrong with the sinful acts presented on TV because they look quite desirable and fun. To be honest, I think young adults fall into this same trap too.

What influence do these shows, movies, books, music, etc have on us? The truth is we can’t solely watch only for entertainment value because what we watch becomes part of us. It begins to shape our worldview. Don’t believe me? Then why do we get defensive when someone badmouths a show we watch or even objectively disagrees with what the show promotes and endorses?

To be honest, it almost seems like we’ll defend our favorite (trashy) TV show before we’ll defend the truth of Scripture. Sometimes we’ll defend our favorite TV show OVER the truth of Scripture.

My concern is that either we don’t know how to discern truth, or we’re refusing to because it would force us to change our guilty pleasures.

Sadly, I think truth is dying in many churches today. We may say we believe in the truth of Scripture, but in no way do we allow that same Scripture to direct our lives and shape who we are.

It used to be that we had teenagers in the church who had no sense of right or wrong. Now those teenagers have become parents and their skewed view of truth is what is helping shape the lives of their children.

When we don’t have a firm understanding of truth and what we believe and why we believe it, we will be influenced by anything and everything. Every new idea, fad, lifestyle, and “religious idea” will intrigue us. When discernment takes a backseat to intrigue and entertainment, we turn our backs on the truth in which we claim to believe.

I’m always intrigued by awards shows that cater to teenagers and kids. Seeing the nominees and winners gives you some sort of an idea of where their culture is and where it is headed (or maybe the direction in which corporate American wants their culture to go).

The nominees have been listed for the 2010 Teen Choice Awards, which takes place on August 9. Here are a few things that caught my eye. Feel free to draw your own conclusions about the state of teen culture:

- Eclipse led the way with 17 nominations. 11 of those nominations were for Taylor Lautner

- Katy Perry of “I Kissed a Girl” fame is hosting the Teen Choice Awards

- Here are the shows nominated for Best Teen Drama:
90210
Gossip Girl
Grey’s Anatomy
House
The Secret Life of the American Teenager

- Nominees for Choice TV Show: Comedy include primetime network shows (The Big Bang Theory, Glee, Modern Family) as well as Disney Channel Shows (Sonny With a Chance, Wizards of Waverly Place)

- Here are the nominees for Choice TV: Animated Show: (Looks like the days of SpongeBob SquarePants are long gone)
American Dad
The Cleveland Show
Family Guy
South Park
Star Wars: The Clone Wars

- The awards show includes the following categories:
Choice TV: Reality Show
Choice TV: Reality Competition Show
Choice TV: Male Reality/Variety Star
Choice TV: Female Reality/Variety Star

- Miley Cyrus is nominated for 13 awards

- Presenters include Khloe, Kim and Kourtney Kardashian

- Salt has been nominated for Choice Summer Movie, even though it doesn’t release until July 23 and voting is already underway

- 3 of the 5 nominations for Choice Movie: Comedy carry an R-rating, meaning teenagers 13-16 can’t even see them on their own. 4 of the 5 nominees for Choice Movie: Horror/Thriller carry R-ratings.

- Marmaduke was nominated for Choice Movie: Animated, although it can be argued that it’s not even an animated movie (There’s no point to this statement…other than it looks like the panel had to stretch hard to get 5 nominees)

- Nominees for Choice: Music Rap Artist:
Drake
Eminem
Jay-Z
Ludacris
Pit Bull

Just some things I found interesting. Like I said, whether this depicts teen culture or only the organizations that have the most money within teen culture…I don’t know. But regardless I think we can learn a lot about today’s youth culture thru these award shows.

Jack Bauer’s series of bad days is finally over (at least on the TV screen) as Monday night brought us the series finale of 24. In honor of the series, here are Signs You’re Too Addicted to 24:

- You named your first child Tony, but then kicked him out of the house after he turned on Jack

- Despite believing he was a good guy, you hoped Tony would die in Season 1…because of his Cubs mug

- You refuse to acknowledge Obama as the first black president because David Palmer was first

- You know the scene in which the camera guy becomes visible in Season 1

- You still think Victor Drazen is alive

- You believe The Unit was a prequel to 24

- When you hear the word Cougar, you instantly think of Kim Bauer…and the actual cougar that tried to eat her

- You brag that Daniel Dae Kim had to be killed on 24 before he could die on Lost

- You sat in silence for days when you found out Teri Bauer was actually dead

- You found Chloe to be really annoying, then kind of attractive, but then back to really annoying

- When your neighbors ask if you stole their mail, you tell them you want full immunity before you’ll talk

- You think it’s actually possible to travel across Los Angeles during rush hour in 10 minutes

- You were confident Aaron Pierce would show up in the season finale, and kind of letdown when he didn’t

- You were bothered to see Reiko Aylesworth on Lost and shouted, “We had her first!”

- When someone asks you how your day went, you preface your answer by saying “The following events took place between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM.”

- You believe Nina took down the Pinta and Santa Maria

- You shot a coworker in the knee to find out who ate your yogurt

- You’re still confused how the gay computer analyst became the evil villain on Heroes

- Shock value is no longer in your vocabulary

- You remember Kyle Singer and how his involvement in Season 3 had absolutely NOTHING to do with the show

- You avoid commitment out of fear that every girl you date will end up being a terrorist

- You stopped taking the show seriously when Freddie Prinze Jr. showed up because no one who starts in She’s All That could ever work for CTU

- You got spit on every time Edgar spoke

- You actually know how to pronounce “Rajskub”

- You realized that Jack killed Curtis on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

- You still want to know what happened to Behrooz

- You hate Russia

- You have the CTU ringtone and always answer a call by saying your last name instead of “hello”

- You view torture as a recreational activity

- You find no need to argue if Jack Bauer could defeat Chuck Norris because Bauer already put Chuck in a sleeper hold before you could finish reading this statement

- You blame Silver Spoons for messing up Season 6

- After getting pulled over for speeding, you told the cop “Get me a direct line to the President!”

- You’ve actually uttered the phrase, “Jack Bauer could find Osama bin Laden”

- You saw The Sentinel…and liked it

- You’ve actually considered chopping off your boss’s finger…just in case the locks in the building get replaced with fingerprint entry

- You try to go 24 straight hours without sleeping, eating, or using the bathroom

- You agree with Arizona’s immigration law because every terrorist on 24 is either middle eastern or Russian

- You have a strong desire to only drive Fords and use Sprint phones

- You bought the 24 game for Playstation 2 just to find out what happens between Seasons 2 and 3

Lost finally has ended. After many years of wondering, fans of the show finally have all of their questions answered…or not. Anyway, it didn’t take long for Lost addicts to come out and eagerly defend or blast the finale. Some of these people seemed crazier than the folks on the island. In honor of those people, Jeremy Crittenden and I have put together a list: Signs You’re Too Addicted to Lost:

(Warning: Spoilers present)

- You change your phone number to (481) 516-2342

- When you see actors from Lost five years from now movies, you still call them by their Lost names

- You call Child Services to make sure Ji Yeon is taken care of

- You actually know who Ji Yeon is

- You cried harder during the final scene than at your grandmother’s funeral

- You’re not at work today because you’re too depressed to leave the house

- You claim to actually understand the show

- You look like Hurley, unintentionally, but now you embrace it

- You ask all Koreans if they know Sun and Jin

- Your ringtone is “You All Everybody”

- When you hear a train you hide in fear it’s the Smoke Monster

- One of your theories involved Richard having a long lost son, Adam Lambert

- You pray for a spin-off comedy about Hurley and Ben’s wacky adventures as Island caretakers but you’d even settle for a show about Nikki and Paulo

- You were actually disappointed when Michael shot Ana Lucia

- You started watching Fringe in hopes that J.J. Abrams would do a time warp crossover

- You replicated the four-toed statue in your backyard out of chicken wire and paper mache

- You won’t shut up about Walt [Guilty!]

- You call every female convict “Freckles”

- You find Hurley attractive

- You became a commercial airline pilot just so you could freak people out saying, “This is Captain Frank Lapidus speaking, welcome to Oceanic Flight 815″

- You felt robbed when you found out Daniel Dae Kim could actually speak English all along

- Before putting away your groceries, you paste Dharma labels over all the can goods

- You have no idea Nestor Carbonell (Richard Alpert) was in The Dark Knight

- You haven’t cried this much since Zack and Kelly’s wedding

- When a promotion comes up and your boss tells you you’re a “candidate” you kill the competition and mark their names off your office wall

- You sleep in a khaki jumpsuit in between Vulcan sheets

- You started a Sawyer’s Book Club in you neighborhood

- You actually waste half a day sitting on Facebook creating a list about Lost addiction

- You can’t wait to re-enact the finale with your cats

- You develop an attraction for all escaped convicts guilty of murder

- You called your airport to see when Lapidus’ plane was arriving

- You accuse William Shakespeare of thievary for using the name Juilet

- You try to summon the Smoke Monster when someone speaks badly of the finale

- Every time you see a Virgin Mary statue you smash it thinking there may be heroin inside

- You call your friends Boss, Doc, Chief, Mr. Miyagi, Lardo, Staypuff, Deep Dish, Jungle Boy, French Chick, Sweetcheeks, Puddin’, Shortcake, the Hero, Cowboy, Mr. Clean, Moonbeam, Freckles, Jumbo Tron, and Chachi

- Instead of a Bible, you carry a large stick engraved with Scripture to church

- You’re convinced the Man in Black also won the 1st season of Survivor

- You still sport a jheri curl hairdo with mutton chops just in case time travel does exist

- You think the Lord of the Rings trilogy is just Charlie’s flashback

- You tattooed Not Penny’s Boat on your hand

- Every time you and your roommates have an argument you boldly remind them “If we can’t live together, then we’re going to die alone”

The following is an excerpt from Shannon Primicerio’s article “Bold Is Beautiful: Learning to Stand Out in a Fit-In World” from the Fall 2010 editions of Horizon and Direction magazines:

Choosing Your Celebrity Friends Wisely

I used to believe that what I watched wasn’t a big deal, but most of us could probably quote more movie lines than Bible verses, a talent that doesn’t exactly come in handy in the middle of temptation.

When I was in college my friends and I were into a popular sitcom. Every week we piled into one dorm room just in time to watch the unfolding events in the lives of our favorite characters. From the very beginning my friend Jen was opposed to the show. She thought the characters led immoral lives. Many times she chose to sit out in the hall and do homework while we used her roommate’s TV.

Over time, Jen lost her willpower and began watching the show with us. When some of the storylines got old to the rest of us, Jen found them fascinating because they were new to her. She was hooked. About a year later she started making poor choices. It was like she became a different person.

Our friend Jill decided to talk to her about the drastic change. Immediately Jen was defensive. “Wait a second,” she said. “For years you watched the characters on our show do things like this and you didn’t have a problem with it. So, don’t tell me you have a problem when I do it.”

Although Jen’s actions weren’t justified, she had a point. Inviting similar behaviors into our dorm rooms each week (via our favorite show) was hypocritical. If we wouldn’t live like those characters, we shouldn’t have been willing to watch them make poor choices week after week.

First Corinthians 15:33 tells us evil company corrupts good habits. That’s just as true with the company we keep through our television sets and movie screens. Choose the TV shows and movies you watch the same way you choose your friends—wisely and with godly discernment. They really do matter more than you think.

Check out the rest of the article in the Fall 2010 editions of Horizon and Direction magazines.

Wednesday I posted a random question on Facebook and asked people which Office character they most closely associate themselves with. The answers were all over the board, with the notable exceptions of Michael and Dwight.

Today I started thinking about a similar, yet different question. I started wondering which Office character represents your work ethic. That may sound like a crazy question (and it is) but if you had to describe your work ethic, which character would you most resemble? Which character would you most want to resemble?

If people could be represented by their ideal character, most people would probably hope for Jim or Pam, depending on your gender. However, as far as work ethnic goes, I’m not so sure those are desirable options.

Jokes have been made throughout the show that Jim doesn’t work very hard because he’s bored with his job. He gets his work done, but he just doesn’t put much effort into it. In the episode entitled “Business Ethics,” Jim spends the entire day trying to prove that Dwight wastes time. At the end of the episode, Jim admits that he spent so much time watching to see if Dwight wasted time that he got absolutely nothing done that day.

It seems that the more likable characters on the show are the biggest time wasters (Michael, Jim, and even Pam). The hardest working characters are the ones that seem to be the least noticed (Phyllis, Stanley, Toby). Perhaps the reason they are not noticed as much is because they’re actually doing their jobs.

Now please don’t take me too seriously with this. Obviously this is a fictional show and if everyone was doing their job like they were supposed to, there would be no comedy nor would there be a show.

I just find it interesting that the most likable characters on the show are also the ones that seem to have the poorest work ethic.

Never thought I’d say this, but as far as work ethic goes, maybe it should be more desirable to be like Dwight rather than Jim.

Not to get too spiritual, but I’m reminded of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 10:31: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

I sometimes think this verse is the most compartmentalized verse in the Bible. It’s easy to give our all when doing things we enjoy. It’s easy to give our best in a few selected areas of our lives. It’s a lot more difficult to give our best at everything we do.

Apparently Tiger Woods made his return to professional golf today by teeing off at the Masters. If you didn’t know this, you’re either from another planet or somehow managed to evade all forms of media for the last 2 months (If you didn’t know, please contact me and tell me how to do that sort of thing).

From ESPN to USA Today, every news outlet has been covering this story nonstop like the whole world revolves around it. In fact, ESPN.com used the headline “The Wait of the World” to describe this occasion.

I’ve been trying to find out if people really care about this as much as the media makes it seem like we should care. Does the average Joe really care about all of this…or is all this hype relegated for the TMZ crowd?

Let me ask this 2 questions and hopefully I’ll get some feedback:

1) Do you care that Tiger Woods is returning to golf today?

2) Has the media overhyped this entire story, or are they on par with what the average sports fan is thinking/feeling?

This post might offend some people. If it does, just try to hear me out before you get angry and vow to never read my blog again. I have this theory that there are a lot of things that are popular in this culture simply because we think we’re supposed to like those things. For instance, when I was in high school, some friends and I made up a fake band and started raving about them to some of our other friends. Within a short time, some of our oblivious friends were raving about how awesome that band was. They even claimed to have all their albums and songs. Unfortunately, that band was made up. They simply liked them because some of their friends did.

Just because something makes this list does not mean that you’re a poser and only like it because your friends do. In fact, most things in life are “liked” because of a chain reaction. I truly believe that there are genuine fans of these shows, movies, products, etc. The following list (in no particular order) contains things that I think our society has overrated, simply because people think they’re supposed to like those things.

1. Coldplay
And here come the hateful comments. I do think a lot of people like Coldplay for their music. However, I think a lot of people buy into Coldplay because “everyone” thinks Coldplay is “cool” and let’s face it, we all want to be cool.

2. Dane Cook
He’s not funny! But somewhere along the way, someone really popular said he liked Dane Cook. And the snowball effect has taken place.

3. Lost
Too soon? I will admit that I’m a fan of Lost. However, sometimes I think Lost gets overhyped because people think they are supposed to be obsessed with it. It’s a great show…but some go just a little bit overboard with it.

4. The New York Yankees
You either love them or hate them…and a lot of people that love them came to love them by jumping on the bandwagon. They’ve almost become more of a fashion accessory than a baseball team. If you see someone wearing a flat-billed cap turned sideways, chances are it’s a Yankees hat.

5. Avatar
It was in 3D. It featured blue people. But is it really a “great” movie? Is it Golden Globe worthy? Academy Award worthy? I think the media made a lot of us buy into this one.

6. Lady Gaga
People call her a freak, yet her music sells. Someone must be buying it. I guess she could be the very opposite of this last and everyone buying her music is a closet fan afraid to admit it.

7. The North Carolina Tar Heels
This one is tough to put on here because I’d like to think of myself as one of the biggest Tar Heel fans on the planet. (I even came home from the hospital wrapped in a Tar Heel blanket when I was born.) However, much like the Yankees, the Heels have become a bandwagon-ridden team. This is mostly in part to Michael Jordan. Nonetheless, there’s a lot of Heels fans out there who are Heels fans simply because they want to fit in with their peers and culture.

8. Kim Kardashian
I’m pretty sure she’s only popular for being popular. Yet Kim, as well as any other “reality-TV” celeb on the E! channel have become overnight sensations. Their shows and stories are pitiful, materialistic, and vain, yet their popular keeps growing. Do we really like this people, or do we simply like them because our friends like them?

9. Hot Wings
This probably applies to guys more than anyone. Wings are a “guy’s” food. And to be honest, they’re good. But there’s a level of pride in guys that says they have to eat the hottest wings possible to keep their standing as “one of the guys.” Anything mild makes them a wuss. So even though they’re mouth is on fire, they’ll swallow their pride (literally) and pretend like everything is fine.

10. Rap music
A lot of people truly enjoy rap music. But a lot of people only listen to it because their friends are listening to it. You know who I’m talking about too. They’re very easy to spot.

11. Alcohol
If none of your friends drank alcohol, would you? Even more, if all of your friends thought alcohol was disgusting and detestable, would you touch it? Probably not. You’d have no need to.

12. The Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is much more than a game these days. It’s 2 weeks of media coverage, and a 3 hour social gathering for most people. There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s fun for people to get together for the game, even if they care nothing about the game. But since a lot of people show interest in it just to blend in with the crowd, it makes this list.

13. MMA
UFC has a huge following, as well as the rest of MMA. It’s a sport that’s on the rise. But in a sport that’s becoming so popular, you know there has to be a large chunk of the audience that only watch because it’s the “cool” and “manly” thing to do. Also, wearing Tapout and Affliction t-shirts fits in here too.

14. Abercrombie & Fitch
Why do people buy overpriced clothing? Because they’re friends are buying overpriced clothing and because the media says that is what we need to wear to be cool.

15. Dave Matthews Band
See Coldplay

16. American Idol
For many of us, we watch because our friends and co-workers watch. After all, we don’t want to be left without a word during the talk around the water cooler.

17. Political Activism
Whether it’s a fight for social justice or politics, a lot of people take a side they know nothing about and march, protest, complain, etc because that’s what everyone else is doing. This really seems to spring up around election time. If you really want to see it in action, wait until October 2012. Whether people love Obama or hate Obama, they will be out in full force…with absolute ignorance as their guide. Any guesses on how many of those people actually read the newspaper or watch Fox News and/or CNN regularly?

18. President Barack Obama
I’m not bashing or endorsing the president here. However, in many circles, it’s fairly obvious that people make up their opinions about the president based on the opinions of their friends or others in their “social group.” Very few people actually know how to think politically for themselves. Instead, they either hate or love the president based on what they think they are supposed to do to be accepted in certain circles.

19. Twilight
Need I say more?

20. Michael Jackson
It’s sad that Michael Jackson died at an early age. It’s amazing how many people became fans after he died. Some people just couldn’t stand to fall behind a trend.

Thanks for those that contributed. I want to give you credit, but I don’t want to put your name down if you wished to remain anonymous. So, feel free to claim your submission. If there’s anything to add, feel free. If you disagree, I would love to hear about it.

The Bachelor makes me feel insecure. As a bachelor myself, it seems like it shouldn’t or wouldn’t, but it does. Is it crazy that some reality-TV show could make me feel this way? Maybe. But I think the power that lies behind it is deeper than we actually think.

Although I’m not a fan of The Bachelor and do not watch it regularly, I’ve seen and read enough about it to know the premise, the controversies, the proposals, the fighting, the breakups, etc. And no matter how ridiculous I think the show can be, it still makes me feel insecure.

You see, the guys they get for The Bachelor aren’t anything like me. In fact, the guys they find aren’t like most of us. Through their ultra-selective profiling and filtering, ABC finds the most attractive, charming, and financially secure (aka rich) men to headline the show.

While the the “bachelors” not only have looks and money, they’re also given an inexhaustible budget for their dates. If they want to fly a girl to an exotic island for the weekend, they can do it. If they want to take a girl hiking in the Grand Canyon, they can do it. If they want to sent up a romantic dinner on the beach with champagne and expensive food, they can do it. Why? Because when the cameras are off, ABC sets it all up for them. In fact, I doubt the people on the show have to do much thinking at all. Everything is already laid out for them.

So maybe you can start to see where my insecurities come in. This picture that we paint as “reality,” features a rich GQ model who can make any girl’s dream come true, simply because he has a budget that has been given to him by a network. Sadly, we look at this and call it “romance.”

Some women may read this and argue that their love for the show has nothing to do with the good looks of the bachelor, his charm (how much of a factor is ABC’s editing in this factor?), or his money. Maybe. But I’ve heard men put up similar arguments and say they only go to Hooters because of the wings, or only watch Baywatch because they love David Hasselhoff’s acting.

Do you remember the show Average Joe? Probably not because it was canceled after a short time on TV. It was a show much like The Bachelor, only it featured one beautiful person to be “won,” and all of the “competitors” were average people. Like I said, it didn’t last. Even so, at the end of the first 2 seasons, the “beautiful” person had their choice of an “average joe” or a model…and the shallow models won out both times.

Still, some might argue that romance is the key factor. However, how real is the romance? After all, most of the men on the show kiss several women within hours of each other. And then you have the hot tub visits, the overnight stays, and yada yada yada. If you want a taste of reality, consider this: Out of the 13 seasons, only 1 couple from the show is still together…and they even broke up for about a year.

So maybe now you can see my insecurity. I’m not good looking like the guys on the show. I don’t have a successful career and lots of money. I don’t have a network paying for exotic expensive dates or paying for roses that I can give out each week. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that that is what so many women are craving. They’re craving that false sense of romance they see on TV for 1 hour a week. They’re craving a good-looking guy who has charm and lots of money. They’re craving romance that seems perfected and utopian through the screen of their TV. They’re craving something that really isn’t reality at all.

Let me offer this apology to women on behalf of men. I’m sorry if we’ve ever made you feel inadequate when we see a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition on the shelves. I’m sorry if we’ve lied and spent time at restaurants simply because of the waitresses and not the food. I’m sorry if we’ve stared at the opposite sex in a way that has made you feel uncomfortable or insecure. We’re guilty of this too. And we’re without excuse.

Now I seem to know how you feel. And maybe that’s why The Bachelor makes me feel so insecure.

Like many guys, I enjoy sitting in front of the TV and watching Sportscenter. It’s great seeing highlights of your favorite team win and keeping track of your fantasy football players without having to change the channel.

But lately I’ve been getting pretty sick of Sportscenter, ESPN, and most sports coverage. It’s seems as though the Worldwide Leader in Sports has turned into TMZ rather than a highlight real.

Case in point: Tiger Woods

Since Friday, all of sports coverage has been dedicated to Tiger Woods. If he just won a major, a Grand Slam, broke a record, etc I could understand. But no. Coverage has been dedicated to him because of his minor car accident that has resulted in information about an affair or affairs.

Sadly, our media can’t get enough of it probably because we can’t get enough of it. We love the coverage. We love the rumors. We love the allegations. We love seeing a falling star. Gossip feels great because it’s fueled by speculation and up-to-the-minute updates.

But let’s be honest: IT’S NONE OF OUR BUSINESS!

Are extramarital affairs wrong? Yes. There’s no doubt about it. But would you want your dirty laundry aired on cable TV 24/7, discussed by radio hosts across the country, written about in every paper and online site, and a trending topic on Twitter. No way. We need to get out of it. It’s not our battle. It’s not our fight. This is between Tiger Woods and his wife.

The solution to stop the nonsense is easy: Quit talking about it. But that doesn’t happen in our society. Some may even argue that I’m fueling the fire by writing this. But my point is simple: this is none of our business. It doesn’t need to be talked about on TV, radio, the newspaper, etc.

Let’s pray for these people; not broadcast their personal lives across the wire.

It’s time for ESPN to get back to what it does best: Sports. For some reason, the network seems to think we all deeply care about are Tiger Woods, Derek Jeter, the Lakers, and Tom Brady. Sadly they may be right.

But when it comes to tabloid mania, it still remains none of our business.