Laguna Beach and the Schullers
I have this bad habit of channel surfing and getting caught watching reality TV, no matter what kind or on what station. My favorite might be The Apprentice, but I’m an equal opportunity viewer. Yesterday I found myself watching Laguna Beach, a ridiculous MTV reality show of “one of the wealthiest beach communities in the world” with “unlimited access to the tight-knit power clique of eight rich, beautiful teens who live there.” For what it aims to do, the show is very well done. It even took me a while to believe that it was in fact reality TV; it seemed so much like a professionally written teen soap opera.
Yesterday I watched “Episode 108″ and for the first time realized that one of the show’s characters, Christina, is actually the granddaughter of famed minister Dr. Robert H. Schuller and daughter to Dr. Robert H. Schuller II, also a well known minister. The two are ministers at Crystal Cathedral, which has a congregation of over 10,000 members and plays host to the internationally televised “Hour of Power.”
William Bennett, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, Schuller family…*sigh*. Matthew, Chapter 7. By their fruits we know them, I think.
You gotta watch out for them pastor’s kids. They can be really troublemakers!
Steve, the context of Matthew 7 indicates that the “fruit” Jesus speaks of is a person’s deeds, not his/her children.
Also, David (”a man after God’s own heart”) had some pretty wild kids.
I was talking about deeds for each of them (although, given the word “fruit,” I can see the ambiguity). In the Schullers’ case, it appears that money has done for them more or less what Jesus said it would do to people.
I don’t deny that there exist genuine men of God, just that they would live such a lifestyle Laguna Beach.
And David, while a man after God’s own heart, never claimed to be a prophet. In fact, he was specifically denied when he asked to build the Temple. (And don’t even mention Uriah!)
Well, Steve, since Josh’s post concerns Schuller’s granddaughter, I concluded that you were judging him by her.
There’s nothing here about how either Dr. Schuller (Sr. or Jr.) lives his life; I honestly have no idea.
Are you implying that one of the Schullers has claimed to be a prophet? I am unaware of that, too.
Did Schuller ever settle that lawsuit filed against him for sexually harassing a male employee? And no, I am not talking about Paul Crouch, though he had one also.
I guess when we talk about those two, we’re talking about different kinds of “fruits.”
Well, the show and its description of her lifestyle at home gives us (I would argue) a reasonably good idea of her father’s house and lifestyle (not her grandfather’s, about whom I know nothing).
I’m not implying that he claimed to be a prophet. However, the social role that people like him serve today is much like that of some ancient Israelite prophetic guilds, as well as the Pharisees of Jesus’s time. Hmmm…I think there’s a great deal to say for a comparison between the televangelists of today and the Pharisees of yesteryear.
Of course, if you don’t think that line about rich men and needles was meant to be taken literally, you have a strong argument from St. Clement.
Titus 1:6, “An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.” She sounds rather wild and disobedient.
1 Timothy 3, of an overseer:
“He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?”
She sounds rather disrespectful. And as Joshua points out, her disrespect is open.
People sometimes have wild children. But the Bible teaches that such people are not qualified to be pastors, as they have shown they cannot raise their children in the fear of God. So how can they teach a church to fear God?
It’s rather concerning to me, but not surprising. There are so many pastors in this country whose children are wild and make a mockery of Christianity and their parents.
Joshua said, “This sort of thing is not unusual from a high schooler Christina’s age, and certainly not unusual for someone from Laguna Beach.” Maybe so — but it is not the behavior the Bible talks about as typical for a Christian (i.e. children should obey and respect their parents).
Josh, it’s a scripted show — it’s not reality TV. It’s improved by the teen actors based around a predetermined story. It’s not “real.”
Think of it as a political campaign…
Jody, you need to do your homework. It is in fact a reality show and not scripted anymore than other reality shows, which is to say some moments and events are planned by producers, but by and large it’s reality TV. It’s not a political campaign. Here’s one article as primer, and there’s plenty more if you do the research. It’s real.
Some of the most sincerely devout Christians had wild youths (St. Augustine comes to mind). I’m more irritated by the fact that two ministers who are continually begging for money live in a zip code with one of the highest per capita incomes and one of the top 10 property values in the nation. Sickening (though rather easy to have faith in a kind and touchy-feely God when you’re living in multi-million homes provided by his faithful).
I’m not familiar with a sexual harassment suit against Schuller. He was sued for assault a few years ago by a male flight attendant (he grabbed the guy’s shoulders during an argument over his seat and his meal) but it was either thrown out or settled out of court. (Really- how much fear could a male flight attendant [by definition young and in good shape] have from a 70 something minister?)
Scripted or not, she openly disrespected her father, knowing she was on camera, then walked out and used those same lips to praise the Lord. I don’t agree with much of Dr. Schuller’s theology, but he is her father and the Lord is not to be disrespected in that same way. It’s disgraceful, regardless of whether or not she agreed to do this or did it on her own.
Isaiah 29:13
Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,
Limbaugh and O’Reilly never claimed to speak for the Church, fyi. And Bennett’s gambling isn’t off-limits as a Catholic, it was just deemed to be excessive.
No, they intended to speak on morality, and did so with implicitly and occasionally explicitly Christian language.
Personally, I don’t care what kind of gambling or womanizing or drugs they’re doing (at least until it gets to the point that their families are on public assistance). But I will _not_ be lectured by such men who claim to be paragons (literally) of morality and good action. History is replete with public moralists laid low by private debauchery, and I doubt that we shall ever see a public moralist who is truly virtuous. Such men exist, but not on talk radio.
Oh, and I will not treat a wealthy man as a true minister of Christ. Period. End of discussion. He may be a decent and honorable gentleman, but the priesthood requires more than that.
PKs
The antics of Pastor Kids (PKs) are legendary. Imagine the Catholic school girl syndrome, multiplied by 10. There is even a direct relationship between the naughtiness of the PK and the prominence of the pastor. At least, that’s what you’d…
Jody, you need to do your homework.
Actually, I have. One of the benefits of being in film school in Los Angeles is the ability to talk to folks “behind the scenes,” who worked on and around many shows.
LBTROC is at best “improv’d” — in the pilot, the cameras didn’t just “happen” to be hanging around pool side with the young, nubile, scantily clad female sunning herself by the pool the moment yet another scantily clad female, also caught on camera, called from across town to provide much needed information about the hot party happening that night.
You aren’t watching something all that “real” here, despite what the PR department at MTV would like you to think. The only thing “Reality TV” and Reality have in common are seven letters.
From one of the bit players on the show:
The show is meant to play to your familiarity with the look and feel of similar programs (”conventions of the genre” in SchoolSpeak) in order to get you to tune in every week.
Posting blog entries about how reprehensible these kids are is exactly what the programmers and producers want — an emotional reaction from you that generates press for them, increases their ratings numbers, thus allowing them to keep their ad rates up.
You aren’t watching that girl’s real life — you’re watching her reel life. Any relation between the two exists solely to sell you something you probably didn’t know you wanted, needed, or missed.
Sorry, a throw away quote from someone who didn’t make the show in an online story in a college newspaper is not enough to outweigh the mounds of stories, investigations, and stories elsewhere. As I said in my comment, all reality is scripted to some degree (producers planning a yacht vacation, etc.). But the dialogue and plot is, for the most part, real. I’ve talked to too many people “behind the scenes” and read too many investigative stories to support that for a chincy college newspaper quoting a canned student to persuade me otherwise.
In any case, I would argue that my major issue with the Schullers (wealth) exists independently of the show, and Doug and David’s major issue (Christina’s lack of piety) is solely one of perception, anyway. She is actually like that, or intentionally creating that image. Either scenario suffices to question her upbringing, unless there’s some sort of plan for her to undergo some sort of massive St. Augustine-like conversion on camera at some point. Given the audience demographic, I cannot imagine that MTV will do that.
Having wild kids (like David) is not the issue. The issue here is closer to Eli and his sons. The responsibility is not allowing the “wild” (I prefer openly sinful) children participation as leaders in House of God. Whether that is music, as in this case, or as priests, in Eli’s case, the principal is the same.
Judgment came on both the sons and Eli.
She is actually like that, or intentionally creating that image. Either scenario suffices to question her upbringing, unless there’s some sort of plan for her to undergo some sort of massive St. Augustine-like conversion on camera at some point. Given the audience demographic, I cannot imagine that MTV will do that.
Bingo.
MTV’s theologians would probably opt more for a St. Francis of Assisi conversion. (He stripped naked when he left his father’s house- MTV would add some shaving cream and digital blurring and a guest appearance by Sugar Ray, but the effect would be the same.)
I’ve always thought that a theological version of REAL WORLD would be interesting- a Christian Fundamentalist, Buddhist, Muslim, atheist, Catholic and Hindu (or some other mix), ALL OF THEM INTELLIGENT AND WELL SPOKEN (vital), are not just made to share a house but forbidden to leave the grounds and denied access to the I’net, cable or anything other than an excellent religion/philosophy library. They must draft some sort of “things we agree on” charter before leaving, and of course the gay kid and the slut must have a nude hot-tub party.
That show sounds awesome.
Christina’s behavior reinforces my commitment to celibacy.
she never mentioned having sex or anything in the show. she is one of the only virgins out of her group of friends.
Those of you saying that Christina talks about sex on the show are wrong and obviously either don’t watch the show, or don’t pay any attention because not once does she say anything about needing more sex. And just because she makes some comments about her father’s sermon doesn’t mean that she is criticizing the bible or the church..she is simply saying how she feels about the way her father is preaching. Get over it..she is young and should having the right to say what she wants regardless of who her father happens to be. He chose that profession, not her.
I’m not surprised how the MTV program distorts reality in their so-called reality show, but, I’m surprised how many folks fall for it. The real Laguna Beach is hardly home of the “elite rich” as it is painted, and the Schullers are hardly the folks that the show gives the impression of. I should know, I live there, and I do so on a 60k a year salary. Christina’s family only recently moved to Laguna, and the house they bought was, shall we say, a real eyesore, a fixer-upper of the worst kind, though it had a decent view. They put a lot of sweat equity into the house, doing a lot of the work themselves. But of course, people will think what they want to think. Yet the show portrays them as financial moguls. They’re not poor, but they’re not rich either. The family is pleasant, polite, and genuine, whenever we neighbors run into them. They’re not flashy, not artificial, and caring. We need more neighbors like them. And we need shows like the MTV fare to portray the folks on reality shows in a more realistic manner. Then again, if they didn’t edit the show in a certain fashion, the show would probably be boring, and fail. So what to do? make it interesting via editing, regardless of whether it’s an accurate portrayal or not.
At least Laguna Beach high school had the sense to ban the MTV crew from filming on their campus.
boo hoo…she sang a rap song and said something about her father…waaaah-waaaah…people pleease let a 17 yr old act like a 17yr old….shes not some angel that she has to act a certain way…wow…people you really need and i stress this NEED TO GET LIVES!!!
First of all if you actually watched that scene, it’s Christina’s older sister who pokes fun at a small PORTION of her father’s sermon in which he makes a reference to the movie The Karate Kid, a very silly reference by the way, not scripture. Also when she says she’s “glad that’s over” she’s refering to singing in front of the congregation, in the episode she expresses nervousness about singing at the Cathedral that day. I think people are reading too much into the behavior of a teenager in a so-called reality show. Christina Schuller has not done anything on Laguna Beach that her parents should be ashamed of. Plenty of Christian teenagers are able to be faithful and good people even though they listen to rap music and mock their parents every once in a while, which is extremly normal. Also if you have actually been watching the series you would know that Christina has made it a point to extricate herself not only from the more inappropriate activities her peers participate in, but also from them as well.
I find it very interesting that so called “christians” are passing judgement about Christina and her family. That is no ones place but God’s to do. So I suggest that all of you remember that.
You people are so judgemental! I mean, it’s just a show and she wasn’t exactly the “wild child” of the series anyway. Instead of going to Cabo she went to audition for a job. Instead of getting a new car for her graduation she got a bible! Give me a break. She wasn’t exactly dancing on tables! Some of you are a bit prudish!
I live in Asia, do a lot of traveling throughout third world countries, and return to California about once a year for a short visit. While watching a few “reality t.v.” shows with my niece and nephew, I happened to watch the episode with Christina Schuller being discussed here. She seemed like a perfectly normal, nice girl. Her parents gave her a Bible, and offered words of sound advice before she left on an outdoor adventure trip or something with her friends. I don’t think the big deal is any sort of problem or inconsistency on behalf of ministers and in the message they offer, but there is a much larger issue I would question: What are “reality shows” supposed to be, anyway? It’s a strange and confusing concept, and seems to be representative of a new culture in America that is totally desperate for something meaningful to do. Why are intelligent and well-educated people so glued to a mechanical box, watching the lives of other people that obviously subsitute for living a real life of their own? It just doesn’t seem all that interesting to me, frankly, and while I understand how it could become addictive and might be occasionally entertaining, it is amazing to think that people really take it that seriously. Does watching a “real life” somehow make wasting one’s own life more acceptable?There’s a whole world out here…and it has nothing to do with a television show, scripted or unscripted. It’s sad to me to see the way the T.V. shows have literally stepped in to take the place of living a real life. And, what’s more…the whole world is trying to model itself on these shows. It’s a bit scary to think that these boring, unrealistic “reality shows” are one of the main messages America presents to a world that is very much aware and watching.
What a sad statement it all makes for ourselves. The question doesn’t revolve around the Schullers’ ministry or personal bank accounts: it revolves around a culture that has allowed itself to get to this point.
I think it would be better to simply boycott ridiculous “reality shows” like this and to find ways to teach or reteach our culture to get out and experience their own lives, to create and maintain their own ideals and dreams, to start learning about the world and what is really happening to the majority of the worlds’ people. Life in this world is NOTHING like Laguna Beach!!!! And my guess is that most of the people living in Laguna Beach don’t spend a lot of their time sitting around in darkened rooms, staring at a T.V. If people who waste time watching these useless shows knew how most of the worlds’ population lives, what their daily lives are truly like…they would be surprised, embarrassed, and ~ hopefully, motivated to spend their time and energies a bit differently.
My hunch is that the average Laguna Beach citizen would strongly agree with me.