Admit it - you read “Pop-Tarts” and instantly thought “yummy toaster pastry.”  And while that is understandable, it would be wrong.

No, the pop-tart in question is Britney Spears.  You know, America’s one-time underage MTV darling turned “divorced mother of two, fighting with the courts for custody of her kids, and all-around celebrity train-wreck.”  Now please, let it be known that I am not writing to bash the girl, but instead to ask some questions about how we (that would be Jesus following Christians) should view such struggles.  So there.

In a culture obsessed with celebrities, America has taken on Britney’s obvious troubles as their own in a weird mix of voyeurism and concern; a lot like slowing down to see the carnage of a car accident while purposely muttering to those around you, “I hope every one is okay….”  For me, the national obsession hit an all-time low last night when the local news here in Houston, Texas featured the latest update in her custody battle as one of its “top stories.”  For real.

Gossip and slander are massive issues in 21st century American culture, fueled by entertainment shows that try to pass off someone’s personal junk as “news,” blogs (hey!) that allow people to anonymously blast one another without any sense of accountability, and a general ethic in the American psyche that says, “I have a right to any information I desire, as long as I don’t ‘judge’ anyone” - which is total bull because what do you think we’re all doing as we wag our heads in disgust watching Brad Pitt parade around with the chick from Tomb Raider?

The Bible is pretty explicit that gossip and slander are off limits.  Check it out: God even etched them into the 10 Commandments.  Number 8 tells us that we shall not bear ‘false testimony’ - which not only means that we don’t go around dropping false smack about other people, but that we do not indulge in the garbage that others spread.  Martin Luther went so far as to say that the 8th Commandment encourages us not only to speak truthfully but, at all times, to speak well of, defend, and explain everything regarding our neighbors in the kindest way possible.  And yes, in our connected, information saturated world - Britney Spears is your neighbor.  Crazy, isn’t it?

Personally, I think that followers of Jesus should steer clear of all the celebrity gossip garbage that they can.  There is, in the end no edifying, God-pleasing pursuit to be found in it.  And sadly, the reason most people get so wrapped up in it is because they’re disillusioned with their own existence (thinking that life as a ‘normal’ mom or a 9-5 employee is second class in a celeb-obsessed world) and are trying to fill in some void that really needs to be met with Jesus.

With that said, what our neighbor Britney needs is not more people peering over her fence but some people who are willing to pray for her - and that, I believe, is the Jesus loving response to the struggles of others.  Proverbs 31:10-31 talks of the “excellent” woman, a beautiful picture of Godly femininity and the vocations of wife and mother.  Reading through it, it makes a powerful prayer on behalf of a struggling, single mother of two.

“May her children rise up and call her blessed…” - Pr. 31:28.