There is Hope...

Last night Clay Aiken won the Fan's Choice Award on the American Music Awards. So much can change in one year and what I witnessed last night was very encouraging. Although I couldn't bring myself to watch the entire mind-numbing display of egotism and attempts to appear musically talented, I forced myself to watch enough of the show to see Clay and Ruben perform. It was well worth the agony of watching Britney Spears writhe around on stage.

Last year, the degenerate Osbourne Family hosted the AMAs and managed to keep the sensors on their toes for the entire 3 hours of vile language and coarse humor. In an heroic display of standing up for decency, actress Patricia Heaton actually left the awards before she was scheduled to present an award. She later explained that she could not associate herself with such filth.

Although the entertainment industry does seem to be falling further into debauchery on a daily basis, it is refreshing to see that there are some rays of hope shining through the cloud of muck. Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard are two rays of hope currently shining the brightest.

Not only did Clay beat out Justin Timberlake for the Fan Choice award, he is breaking all sorts of records with the amazing sales of his debut album. As a Conservative Christian, I'm almost in shock that a fellow believer is actually recognized and honored during an award ceremony that usually honors the most depraved of entertainers. It's also shocking to turn on a music award ceremony and witness true talent. True, Britney opened the show and was followed by another grotesque entertainer, Kid Rock, but the fact that two truly gifted Christians were allowed to perform a song entitled, Jesus is Love, is a remarkable accomplishment and a breakthrough. Those 5 shining minutes during an otherwise vapid evening prove that there is hope for the entertainment industry. And the entertainment industry would be wise to pay attention to the result of the Fan's Choice Award voting. America craves truly talented performers who don't rely on the amount of skin they reveal to sell records. Instead, they seek performers who will encourage and uplift, not shock and defile.

Clay and Ruben are role models for every young Christian who seeks to make a difference in any profession, especially those that will subject them to public scrutiny. Stand up for what you believe in, don't compromise on the essentials, and carry your beliefs with pride and dignity.

Congratulations, Clay. : -)