Justin Bieber and the Fatal Flaw

We’ve all heard the saying, “Same song, second verse” and that’s exactly what we’ve observed in recent days concerning pop-star Justin Bieber.  “The Biebs” has joined the ranks of childhood stars gone awry, following the footsteps of Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Bynes and Miley Cyrus to name a few.  Media “professionals” seek to “psychologize” these child artists turned “bad-boys” and “bad-girls” ad nauseam, meeting with little success in diagnosing the real problems.  So, what are the plausible causes for once squeaky-clean kids turning into rehab residences?  I believe the answer lies in a few fatal flaws that typically begin early in the life of a young star.

The first fatal flaw comes in the form of opportunistic parents.  In the case of Bieber, it is alleged that his father was part of the illegal drag racing entourage that paved the way for his DUI, resisting arrest, expired license and drag racing allegations (all charges which have been suspiciously dropped, save resisting arrest).  The claim of many insiders is that his father, who was basically AWOL for his entire pre-adolescent years, is now a big part of his life.  Rather than a responsible dad, he acts as a partying buddy who lives high off his son’s earnings.  Young Biebs’ mom, Pattie Mallette, is another story.  She gave birth to Justin after being encouraged to abort due to the fact that she was a messed-up 17 year old with no means to support a child.  Mallette chose life for her son.  For this, she is to be greatly commended.  Yet, the opportunism of Bieber’s dad finds its way to his mother as well.  A young Pattie divorced her husband at the ripe old age of 19, took notice of her son’s musical giftedness from early on and helped to launch him into the limelight.  Serving as a sort of manager during the early stages of his career, Mallette has undoubtedly prospered from Biebs astronomical pay.  Parents who seek to live their dreams through their children or even “relive” their adolescent years along side them, are using their offspring in a most immoral way.  Even more deplorable are parents who encourage their famous children to continue “plying their trade” while they physically and spiritually burn down.  And why would parents commit such a heinous act?  Because they are the financial beneficiaries of their children’s success!  Opportunistic parenting is such a far cry from the biblical admonition “do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4), or “Correct your son, and he will give you rest; yes, he will give delight to your soul” (Proverbs 29:17).

The second fatal flaw is revealed in a false theology (the-ology – theos = God, ology = the study of) that claims an individual can have God in one hand and the world in the other, without contradiction.  This deadly belief conveys the idea that one can believe in Jesus Christ and receive Him, all the while continuing to clutch tightly the fleshly desires of the world.  The results of this “cheap” Christianity are clearly evident.  The adherent to this flawed doctrine usually makes public, verbal admissions such as “I believe in God”, “I love Jesus”, “I am a Christian”, “I have been blessed”, among many other such confessions.  Soon after these statements are recorded, the person in question engages in very “unchristian” behavior such as drunkenness, drug abuse, sexually immoral living, crude language like dropping the “F – bomb” and using the Lord’s name in vain, mockery of the law, showing disregard for others and various other questionable acts.  Justin Bieber’s fatally flawed theology is revealed in a statement by him some months ago.  It reads, "I love God, and I'm grateful for the blessings he has given me….at the same time, I'm young and I want to have fun. I don't think there is anything wrong with that."  Do you see the problem?  In essence, the young pop-star is saying, “I want to have God as some part of my life, but I am going to do what I want to do.”  This fails the test of biblical Christianity.  What did Jesus say to the rich young ruler?  “Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (Luke 18:22).  He did not say… “get someone to oversee your assets, take a vacation to Hawaii, get your stocks and bonds secured and come follow me (between your business trips).  Jesus also said to a group of “would-be” disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?”  The Christian life is not Jesus plus the world, it is Jesus minus the world.  The cross we bear is, in part, releasing the world from our grip when our flesh wants to hold on, but this cross, I must bear to be a genuine Christian.  Or, maybe a better way to put it is...I WILL bear this cross if I am a genuine Christian.  Anything less is not real.

Fatal Flaw number three comes from a misunderstanding of the purpose and nature of our talents and abilities.  Any talent or ability given to an individual is the product of our creator…the very God of Heaven.  Whether it be making music, doing business, teaching a class of students, rebuilding a motor or catching passes in the NFL, every giftedness we possess comes from our Maker and was placed in us for a reason.  One might argue that our talents and abilities were given us so that we could make a living and care for our families.  And the answer is….WRONG!  That is a byproduct of our gifts, but not the primary purpose.  Another might chime in and add “we are given gifts to be a blessing to the world!”  And the answer is…WRONG!  Again, that is a possible byproduct in some cases, but still misses the main purpose.  “Talents are given by God to provide people with healthy entertainment!”  WRONG!  “Abilities are given to make the world a better place!”  WRONG!  In each case, the answer is wrong.  The byproduct of a person exercising his or her talent or ability might be to make a living or bless someone or to provide good entertainment or to help the world improve…but none of these are the primary purpose.  Are you ready???  The primary purpose of talents and abilities is to bring glory to God by serving others.  Listen to this statement: Talents are not for making stars, but making servants.  This is the fatal flaw that befalls so many professing Christian artists.  They see their talent or ability as a means to stardom.  In their notoriety, they “do God a favor” by claiming to believe in Him or acknowledge His blessings on their lives, yet the flaw is still very much present.  The giftedness with which they have been blessed is a means to fame and fortune, not bringing glory to God by serving His people.  And what seems to be the all-to-often outcome?  Allow me to share a few examples: Joe Jonas who has recently recorded a “not so innocent” album and questions why he submitted to wearing a purity ring early on in his career.  Randy Travis, a country super-star who was arrested more than once last year for public intoxication.  Katy Perry, who started her career as Katy Hudson singing Christian music, now records godless lyrics while dressed in the attire of a porn star and claims to still believe in Jesus as the Son of God, along with extraterrestrials.  Miley Cyrus, the “bring home to momma” star of Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana, now a pot smoking, lose living twerker who appears to have adopted the belief that evolution brought about our world while tweeting “forget Jesus.”  Need I go on?  We are to employ everything, including our talents and abilities, for the glory of God by serving.  Isn’t that the message of Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”  “Reasonable service” can be interpreted as “reasonable service of worship.”  We actually worship God, thus bringing Him glory, when we serve.  I say it again, talents and abilities are not for making stars, but making servants.  If stardom comes as a byproduct, so be it…but the point is to serve.

Justin Bieber is not the only person susceptible to the three fatal flaws mentioned, all of us are.  The goal of parenting is to raise Godly children first and foremost.  Fame, fortune, success are all fleeting desires that do not impress God.  Dads and Moms must resist the urge to promote their children toward earthly glory.  Errant theology that claims God and the world at the same time is attractive to the unredeemed flesh, but nonetheless, is still error.  Man cannot serve two masters, Jesus tells us…because only one is actually in charge.  Finally, whatever giftedness we have been given is to be used for God’s glory, even if it limits our “earning power” or recognition.  In the end, the glory of God is all that truly matters!