Thursday, 21 May 2009
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Kris Allen: Did the Christian Vote Carry Him to Win American Idol?
When I switched on the American Idol finale last night, I was convinced that Kris Allen was the underdog and Adam Lambert was going to take home the Idol title. But I was pleasantly surprised to hear that "humble Kris," the all-around American guy, loyal husband, and yes -- devout Christian, was crowned American Idol 2009.
Many media sources that have covered the Idol finale attribute Allen's win to the Christian vote. Allen, a long time worship leader at New Life Church in Arkansas, consciously avoided mentioning his Christian beliefs and values throughout the course of the competition. His church made up for this, however, by engaging in prayer for Allen and linking a Facebook support group for him to their church's Web site. Allen's proud pastor, Rick Bezet, even flew to Los Angeles for the finale, an epochal moment in his active church member's career.
Many believe Allen achieved a surge of support when Danny Gokey, who was extremely open about his faith and involvement in his church, was voted off. Immediately, all of the Christian Gokey supporters turned their eyes to Allen, seeing him as someone with strong moral values who never portrayed himself as a sellout or self-centered.
Would you vote for someone on American Idol, or any other talent-based competition for that matter, simply because that contestant shares your faith and moral values? Or would you vote for someone who you believe is more talented, regardless of their faith background?
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About the Author
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- From: Winds_of_Change
- Name: Winds_of_Change
- About Me: Hi, I'm Amanda. I'm an English major in the Journalism Certificate program at the University at Buffalo. I love to write, and through this Revelife blog, hope to integrate that passion with my other love, my Catholic Christian faith. I'm a big fan of Christian music...Casting Crowns, Mercy Me, Chris Tomlin, Michael W. Smith, Stephen Curtis Chapman..you name it. I sing at my churches both at home and school and am a firm believer in "He who sings prays twice." Most importantly, throughout the last few years, I've deepened in my faith and come to know that God will always be there to guide my steps. I often live by this passage and trust its message: "'For I know the plans I have for you,'" declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."' - Jeremiah 29:11
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Comments (51)
I wouldn't vote but if I did I would vote for the one with the most talent.
I really hope people didn't vote for Kris just because he is a believer. I didn't even realize he was a believer until later in the competition, but I was a fan of his from the first time I heard him sing. I think Adam is amazingly talented, but his sometimes-screaming style of singing is a little harder to take than Kris's more standard vocal style.
I'd vote for the most talented. To vote for someone just because they share the same faith as you doesn't seem right. We should recognize God given talent in everyone, even if they aren't purposely using it to glorify Him.
To do otherwise makes us look like hypocrites.
I guess I don't get how christians participate in something that actually is idolized.... call me crazy.
For contests like American Idol, I would vote for someone who has talent relevant to the show. It's like when people were up in a roar about that Katharine girl (the swimsuit one) throwing an attitude because she was trying to get in by looks. I listened to her last night and she sounded horrible when she sang.
I honestly think that Kris winning had more to do with appealing to a wider fan base of tween girls rather than the fact that he's a Christian. Fans of more classic rock might have preferred Adam, but I'm guessing that Kris was more popular among teenagers who will more often than not choose the pretty, popular contestant over the truly talented one. Not that Kris doesn't have talent, but he is more of the classic "boy next door" type.
It's a shame that these factors play a part in a SINGING competition. It really should be about who has the best voice...but it's impossible to judge someone's overall performance without the slightest hint of bias.
Another thing to keep in mind...just because several million votes were counted doesn't mean that several million people actually voted. You're allowed to vote as many times as you like for as many people as you like. My aunt confessed that she voted for David Cook about 50 times in a row last year. So the tallying of the votes is never 100% accurate.
Regarding the closing question (and not the one in the title), I'd generally vote for someone based on their ability to do the job. So, when it comes to politics for example, I'd vote for a non-Christian over a Christian any day if the former was more competent.
With something like American Idol though, it is more than a singing competition. Their personality is part of it. I don't have a problem with that factoring into the vote, and it seems expected from the judges and the performers.
I don't "vote" for Christian musicians in most of my personal music selections. I listen to music that I enjoy the most.
I wouldn't vote for him just because he's a Christian, but if I like his personality and he is comparably talented to another competitor, then, yes, the humble, quiet spirit is definitely something that would help to earn my vote.
I don't vote, and I didn't know Kris was a believer. He seemed like a genuine, really nice, humble guy though and I preferred him over Adam any day! Adam was too dramatic and screamed in every song. Someone called him more "classic rock", but he is "glam rock" not classic. Anyway, I was very pleased that Kris won, especially after Danny was voted off who was my fav. and not because of his faith. I just think he is awesome! His faith to me is an added bonus :)
i would vote 4 my fave in this case was adam but to know that we hav kris as an american idol winner could reach out to alot of christion nd encurage them to go out there nd do their dreams no matter how many people hate them nd what they believe in
revelife ...
i didn't know he was a christian, nor did i hear about christians voting for him, but i did hear about a group of people (not necessarily christians) who voted for him just because Adam was gay - which I think is quite wrong. It's a singing competition, not a lifestyle competition. From the little I saw of the show, I thought Kris was adorable and Jason-Mrazly talented, but I think that Adam had more vocal ability/range/talent and a great stage presence. The only thing that sucks about winning, is that now he has to have that gay (not literally) song on his album, and most of his songs taken in the direction of whatever american idol wants.
As a Christian AND an Adam fan, I think that Kris' victory had more to do with America's general taste in music. Most people prefer music that's smooth, safe and non-threatening (I know I'm generalizing here). Adam's performances were wild, edgy and vividly different every week, and I think that scared some people who weren't quite sure how to label him. American Idol's platform is geared more for someone acoustic and "normal" like Kris.
I don't think Adam's loss can be attributed to homophobia or that American "wasn't ready" for him, but simply that more people liked Kris and his music.
Also, Arkansas casted 38 million votes for Kris, so that had to factor in!
I'm a christian and I would have voted for Adam because even though I hardly watch Idol and dont participate on the voting process. Call me old fashion but I love the classic rock, to some people it seems that he screams a lot but at least he hits them on the right note. As oppose to say Christina Aguilera who tries so hard to sing like a black woman, if anyone remembers her rendition of one of Aretha Franklin songs, terrible.
I watched some of Adams video before he was in AI and I am telling you the guy has a beautiful voice and has a great talent in re-arranging the notes without losing the beautiful melodies of the song. He was actually singing more classical stuff then than the new glam rock that he has done on AI. I think that is a hella of a talent to go from Standard classical music to Classical Rock. So yea I would have voted for Adam and my faith has nothing to do with it. I can see why Kris has won because just like what someone said up there, teens voted for him because he is cuter, and younger generation this days dont really care for singing talent, not that Kris wasnt a great singer.
@deepestrecesses - Good one :).. no you are not crazy.
@jmisener@thepopsite - You're one of the most sensible Adam fans. Very nice to read your comment :)
I wonder if the votes really count that much? Can it be rigged? Could this have been a publicity stunt on American Idol's part? I mean seriously, I have seen this covered a lot just because that dude won.
Or could it be, that he won because he was BETTER, not because of his faith, and the media is just trying to find another way to make Christians look silly?
(just some thoughts...I actually liked the one that won, but I wouldn't participate in voting on that or watching the show regularly..i just happened to see the next to last episode at a friends house)
he won because of the arkansas vote. 38 million.
I honestly don't care about American idol at all.
I don't really care why Kris won, but I sure hope that people didn't vote or cheer for him because he is a Christian. Â This is a singing competition, not a "who has the same worldview as you" competition. Â Sigh.
Side note: isn't it ironic that now, instead of attempting to not have idols Christians are attempting to become idols? Â
As a Christian, I'm pleased that Kris won...although I believe Adam was the better singer, and I would have voted for him...if I had voted. The problem about voting for a person, because of a factor outside the competition (their faith, gender, skin colour) is that this could be levelled against them later. e.g. 'You only won because you're a woman, 'gay', an ethnic minority...', which is unfair, and could take some of the 'shine' or 'sparkle' off the winning.
Thad
Though I do appreciate Kris's values, and it's cool he's a Christian-- I don't think it's right to vote for him based on that. It's about talent, not morals. Luckily he does have some killer talent so I believe he deserved the title.
Once in a while, I'm very glad that I'm a classically trained musician who doesn't take an interest in the hysteria of popular marketing hype. This is one of those days. Tomorrow is looking pretty good, too.
Yes -- I would vote for someone who shares my faith values over someone who does not. I still find it ironic that a Christian won a show called American Idol.
@xthexTruthxisxoutxtherex@xanga - Is that 38 million total votes or 38 million votes from Arkansas? The population of Arkansas isn't a tenth of that.
Adam screams too much. Kris I feel is just as, if not more talented. If he's Christian, it'll definitely affect his personality. For example, as talented as someone is, if they're arrogant, I'll vote for the humble one anyday. I think that's what they found in Kris Allen... The fact he was the underdog, may have appealed to people. It's like the tortoise and the hare, Adam was the hare, but the gentle, quiet, humble spirit triumphs.