TV's Three Most Disturbing Words

You might be forgiven for thinking they are "to be continued" (those are annoying words, aren't they?). But Mike Cosper, a pastor down the road in Louisville, thinks otherwise. And maybe he's right. Cosper's three most disturbing words on TV? "Move that bus!" from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Here's an excerpt, courtesy of Tyler Kennedy at Desiring God, emphasis mine:

There’s no arguing with the warmth and altruistic sentiments of the show. The families who have been profiled always seem to be wonderful people, I don’t impugn them or the show’s creators with secret evil intentions. But a disturbing thing happens in the final moments of the show. After profiling the family’s suffering, after talking about hardship and perseverance, after recruiting an army of volunteers, the family is brought in front of the new home, which is hidden from view by a large touring bus. They count down and call out those three words, and the reaction can only be described as worship. There are tears and shouting while people fall to their knees, hands raised in the air.

Here it is on bold display: the ultimate hope of most Americans. It’s as though a phantom voice is responding to their suffering with the words, Well done, good and faithful servant. Here is your reward: dreamy bedrooms, big-screen TVs, privacy fencing, and wireless internet. We watch. We weep. And we hope for ourselves. It’s yet another gospel alternative, this one packaged as a heart-warming vision of the way life is “supposed to be.”

Thought provoking, huh? Read Cosper's whole article here.