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May 21, 2009 | 7:51 am

Did Christians punish ‘American Idol’ finalist for being gay?

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

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From what I hear, the “American Idol” finale was a bit of a shocker.

Kris Allen, the church worship leader cum rockstar, bested oddsmaker favorite Adam Lambert. As I mentioned yesterday, there were strong differences between the two, and not just in musical style.

Allen was Christian and Southern and more conservative; Lambert was Jewish and liberal and made for Hollywood. And at some point, it appears that Allen became the straight “Idol” and Lambert the gay “Idol.”

“American Idol was like watching Prop 8 win all over again.”

I saw that perspective included in a quick compilation of post-“Idol” chatter on the blog of my old colleague Greg Hernandez, who is gay and was himself wondering how much of the spike in “Idol” voting was “anti-Adam.”

It’s really impossible to know how many Christians, and other socially conservative religious folks, voted for Allen simply because he wasn’t Lambert. But I’m sure at least some.

Here is what one commenter had to say after another complained about Lambert’s defeat:

you people think we’re going to turn the US over to all the deviants that thrive in CA?  You can believe in whatever you want but God makes it clear the what the righteous path is.  We’ve (yes us Christians) have been voting for both Gokey and Kris and when the choice came down to a Christian role model vs Adam and Steve, well there was only one choice.

We might have lost the election but we haven’t given up on America!!!!

I’ve seen similar sentiments all over the Internet. But why, why did some Christians feel they had a moral obligation to vote for the candidate who embodied their values?

We as humans have a dispensation to align with those we consider to be fellow travelers, people who make us proud of people just like us. That much, I think, is apparent when Jews ask, “but is he Jewish?” But a homosexual isn’t exactly an anomaly in the music world, and Lambert was going to get a good record deal regardless of “Idol’s” outcome.

“Adam is Jewish? Big deal. His lifestyle is wrong,” an angry God Blog visitor commented. “Is he talented? Yes. Who cares? You are an idiot. Typical LA bullshit. You folks in California are unbelievable.”

How Lambert’s lifestyle relevant to his talent is beyond me. If it was, the only entertainment I’d be enjoying would be “McGee and Me.” And, besides, this commenter, Susan, doesn’t exactly make a strong case for piety.

As a Christian I am incredibly uncomfortable with—actually, embarrassed by—the pride some are taking in this affair. It’s natural to be happy for Allen, but it’s not righteousness that revels in Lambert’s defeat.

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More morbid curiosity on what goes on between the sheets in American bedrooms.  Bah, humbug!

Comment by GOLDSTEIN, W. on 5/21/09 at 6:46 pm

“why did some Christians feel they had a moral obligation to vote for the candidate who embodied their values?”

For the same reason that Reuben Studdard won over Clay Aiken? Yes, we knew.

Nobody deserves a paid public career. Artists and their art are totally dispensable. It is like a job interview. The likable candidate you can relate to who makes you comfortable in his presence and feel good to have him around will beat the talented weirdo almost every time. It is not enough to make people feel guilty about not liking the weirdo. The right to have a preference is so obvious it does not need to be in the Bill of Rights.

Comment by Ben Plonie on 5/21/09 at 8:58 pm

Hum….,

I’m not sure !

Comment by Parallax on 5/21/09 at 11:10 pm

Yes, of course the right was after Adam Lambert. Didn’t you watch TV? And in SECAUCUS NJ they GAY BASH fags too! An UGLY redneck town!

Comment by Jasper on 5/22/09 at 2:10 am

Its fairly easy to understand why Adam Lambert did not win.

Remember the movie “Quiz Show”, where it tells the true story of the “Twenty One” quiz show game fixing scandal of the 1950s? Sounds very similar here. Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Network pushes a very “right-wing” point of view including extreme Christian values. American Idol is on the Fox Network and to have a “possibly” gay eye-lining rocker represent the “values” of America probably pushed Christian corporate executives at Fox over the edge.

Kris Allen has been working with the worship ministry at his home church, New Life Church in Arkansas, on both the Conway and Little Rock campuses since 2007. He is also involved with Chi Alpha Campus Ministries at the University of Central Arkansas. Danny Gokey is a Christian Music Teacher and a praise and worship leader at both Faith Builders International Ministry locations, in Beloit, WI.

Adam Lambert is Jewish (before “American Idol” he was a rising star on the Jewish stage) and of course the controversy surrounding his lifestyle outside AI was certainly not considered mainstream Americana.

A sudden “buzz” started a few days before the finale asking if people thought the gay vs. Christian thing would be an issue and it hit all the conservative radio and TV. Fox News right wing news nut, Bill O’Reilly, did a whole segment on it, saying he had never seen the show or either performer and wondered if such things should matter. His “expert” warned that Middle America hadn’t paid a whole lot of attention but that the last show would draw people to whom it would matter and Christians would band together because of what kind of man Lambert represents.

And vote they did, with Gokey and Allen’s Christian fan base leading the charge. Its been reported that AT&T says about 38 million (of the 100 million) American Idol votes came from Arkansas last night. Supposedly, most of those came from Kris’ home town of Conway, (but I find it hard to believe that all those votes could come from a town with a total population of 50,000).

The interesting part is that these voting numbers were leaked from local news (FOX16).  Fox! How convenient.

Who knows? And better yet, who cares I suppose.

But it certainly felt like Adam was the clear talent winner of this competition to at least 90% of the people I talked with.

Adam Lambert deserved to win, but he will not be held down long. He’s already an international superstar.

Comment by chickc on 5/22/09 at 5:36 am

That is the second time that I have read that 38 million (though the other story said 37 million) people in Arkansas voted for Allen, their native Arkansasian.  This sounds like voting for one of your own.  That he’s Christian, well down in Arkansas and other small town America, it’s not like you really have a choice.  You’re a Christian or else (Freedom of Religion? LOL).  It sounds like they, in Arkansas, just went all out for their native son.  If Adam’s fans had organized something, that could have countered Chris Allen’s fans.  It sounds like strong organizing more than anything else.  I mean 37 or 38 million from Arkansas?  That explains the results.  Arkansas only has, I believe, about 3-4 million population, if that.

Comment by The Levite Line on 5/23/09 at 7:26 am

well, assuming that the whole game’s not rigged (and i’m told by a professional singer that auditioned in new york that they turn down a lot of talented people), it could be backlash from the miss california thing.  that is, people feel like they are under attack for being who they are just react as a way to stand up for themselves.  as for Clay, he was certainly popular here with christian friends (yes, even knowing).  Ruben generated significant pride among the people here in birmingham.

Comment by Proton Soup on 5/24/09 at 10:15 pm

Given the title of “Did Christians punish ‘American Idol’ finalist for being gay?”, it is more than ironic that heterosexual people and those with biblical values are now questioned for being what they are. BTW, Clay was not ‘loud and proud’, at least not while competing.

Comment by Ben Plonie on 5/25/09 at 8:33 am

Just came across an alternative view. Or maybe the opening assumption here is the alternative one:

http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/realityrocks/233180/why-susan-boyle-lost-britains-got-talent/
Perhaps so much insta-hype is never a good thing for any talent competition voted on by the public, in any country. In America, ubiquitous Lambertmania—the fawning judges’ praise, the premature pre-finale Entertainment Weekly cover story, that Katy Perry “Adam Lambert” cape—may have turned off AmIdol voters who felt their free will was being snatched away and they were being told whom to like and whom to vote for. Or at the very least, Idol viewers just might have suffered Lambert fatigue before the American Idol season was even over.

Comment by Ben Plonie on 6/02/09 at 9:16 pm

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