Why the Bachelor Was Good For America

I watch The Bachelor.  Unashamedly.  And I get judged because of it for 2 reasons.

1. I am a guy

2. I’m a Christian

The first reason is fair – it is definitely a show that caters more to the ladies, and the audience in the studio is 100% women.  I might lose some man points here, but I know there’s thousands of others that stay in the dark with their Bachelor addiction.

The second reason is actually the one that I feel more often.  When talking with fellow believers about the show, the typical response is one of complete disapproval – and usually they haven’t even watched it.

Don’t get me wrong, as a follower of Jesus, I understand why Christians could be prone to write it off.  The process seems a bit ridiculous, and by the numbers it’s not an effective way for marriages to be made.  Plus, there is all the making out and what about those “overnight” dates.

Before we get into the debate, I want to reflect on what occurred on tonight’s finale before MILLIONS of viewers around the world.

-When Lindsay (the woman that got her heart broken) and Sean reunited for the first time, they both mentioned that their last week on the show was defined by lots of PRAYER to God

-When Lindsay was asked how she handled the heart break, her response was that she prayed a lot, leaned on her family, and ultimately it was her faith that pulled her through

-When Sean was asked by Lindsay what happened, he confessed that he was praying like crazy, and finally God spoke to him and gave him the peace and direction he needed to move forward

-As Sean and Catherine spoke about the future, Sean replied that he’s learned that one can make plans, but sometimes God throws you a curveball and changes your plans.

Now I’m not sure how many of you have a platform of MILLIONS, but through the Bachelor, Sean, Catherine, and Lindsay were all given the opportunity to share their faith in God.

Not only that, but the night ended with an announcement that the next Bachelorette is Desiree, who also happens to be a follower of Jesus. She continually shares Bible verses to her 34k Twitter followers like this one on March 10th…

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding.. #GodisGood #PureWisdom #Amen

So here’s my questions to Christians – are you going to accept that perhaps God is big enough to use a show like the Bachelor for his plan of redemption?  Would it be better if no Christians were on the show?

These are serious questions to wrestle with because they are bigger than one show.  They point toward our own view of how God wants to reveal Himself in the world.

I believe that God wants His glory to fill the earth, and this happens by His followers filling the earth, shining the light of Jesus before all people. I’m not sure about you, but I think that filling the earth includes mainstream channels of culture, even reality T.V.

What do you think? Are Christians too harsh on shows like this? Could God use these for His plan? Should we write them off as stupid and “secular”?  Would love to hear your thoughts below…