Crowning Glory

Miss California Carrie Prejean dreamed of becoming Miss USA and eventually Miss Universe. Last Sunday, in the recent Miss USA pageant, she made it in the top five. During the Q&A, contest judge and gossip blogger Perez Hilton, who is openly gay, threw her an explosive question: “Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit? Why or why not?” Carrie declared her Christian conviction that marriage should be between a man and a woman. She apologized if her comment has offended anyone. But she called it her personal position. She made it clear in an interview later: “I’d spoken from my heart, for my beliefs, and for my God.” She won 1st Runner Up. But pageant organizer Donald Trump admitted, “[Her answer] probably did cost her the crown.” Another judge piped in, “In pageants as in politics it is probably best to give a neutral answer if you want to win.”

But Perez’s reaction to Carrie is far from neutral. He actually went nuclear. On his blog, he viciously attacked Carrie with an expletive “and said that if she had won, he would have gone up on stage and ripped the tiara off her head. Now that would have been a true triumph of tolerance!” Obviously, he voted against Carrie for Miss USA. Perez confessed, “I would have appreciated it if she had left her politics and her religion out, because Miss USA represents all Americans.” Charles Colson in his Breakpoint commentary defended Carrie, “How Perez can’t see the contradiction in what he is saying is beyond me. Apparently, when asked a personal question with political and religious ramifications, it’s taboo to give a personal answer with political and religious ramifications.”

And what was Carrie’s response to Perez’s vicious attacks? She declared she will pray for Perez and love him. “I know that I have a purpose… that I can go out and speak to young people about standing up for what they believe in and never compromising for anyone or anything—even if it’s the crown of Miss USA.” (Source: Breakpoint: Choosing the Better Crown, April 23, 2009) Like Carrie, we are to stand for our faith without fear of consequences. We can be aggressive without being abrasive. We can be solid without being stiff. In our words and works, we are to speak the truth in love that truly the truth set us free… even if it would cost us our earthly crowns (our reputation, for example).

Brethren, let us stand for the truth, no matter what.

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