Perez Hilton (who I never even heard of before this week) was one of the judges of this year’s Miss USA pageant. The event was narrowed down to five finalists when he asked Miss California a question about her views on States authorizing same-sex marriage. Legalizing that type of union has polarized Americans along political parties for years; so the question wasn’t all that profound. Hilton, inspired by Vermont’s recent legislative blunder, obviously asked the question to sabotage Miss California (Carrie Prejean), based on his lambasting her afterward on his blog... By the way, Miss NC Kristen Dalton won the title, but so far no one on the news seems to remember her.
The news industry has interviewed Miss Cal multiple times this week, at length, on her choice to not compromise her values and the subsequent cost she has paid. I personally didn’t see the pageant, but I have seen a few of her news interviews. Miss Cal has consistently made impressive remarks such as: she felt God leading her, God testing her, and she needed to represent the majority of people in America by being Biblically accurate.
The truth is, you and I can’t buy that much time on cable-news to share our faith! Miss Cal has lost the Miss USA title, more than likely, for not compromising her values. Who’s the real winner? God is. There are millions of people, now, who have heard the convictions of a beauty queen, that otherwise wouldn’t have reflected on God’s perspective.
The late Keith Green wrote an incredible song “Make my life a prayer” that begins with these words: “Make my life a prayer to You, I wanna do what You want me to. No empty words and no white lies. No token prayers no compromise…” Whether or not Miss Cal is familiar with that song, she knows the point.
The publicity stunt Mr. Hilton tried to pull off by asking his loaded question reminds of the end of the book of Genesis. Joseph, sold into slavery by his brothers as a youth, eventually becomes 2nd in command of the nation of Egypt. Decades later Joseph is reunited with his family because the sever famine in the land drives them to Egypt to purchase food... After their father Jacob died, Joseph’s brothers feel the need to conspire together once more. They think Joseph will be vindictive and seek retribution. So, they lie. They tell Joseph that Jacob left them with instructions for Joseph, namely don’t hold anything from the past against them….
Joseph weeps. He is visibly hurt by their underhanded deceit. He then reveals that their evil, malicious, selfish intent, was actually used by God. “15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” 16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died, 17 ‘Say to Joseph, Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 21 So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” (Gen 50:15-21, ESV)
So, Mr. Hilton, your plan actually… it worked.
