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On the Facebook Anne Frank page, museum curators wrote the following today,
"Yesterday night Justin Bieber visited the Anne Frank House, together with his friends and guards. Fans were waiting outside to see a glimpse of him. He stayed more than an hour in the museum. In our guestbook he wrote: "Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber." Tonight Bieber will give a concert in Arnhem in the Netherlands."
The newspaper The Scotsman reported,
"Glad he went, but, the last sentence is VERY self serving. he missed the lessons of Anne totally."
"Way to turn an inspiring moment into something about yourself."
"Here I thought it was nice of him to go and see the history of her until I read what he wrote. Have some respect Mr. Bieber for she will be famous long after your fame fizzles."
"I agree with Christel and Meghan, his comments were shallow and self-serving. He obviously has no clue what a solemn opportunity he had in visiting The House."
As a believer in Jesus Christ we cannot condemn the behavior of those who do not believe. That is the way they act. However I would think that in any solemn occasion that even non-believers would behave with a modicum of maturity the situation is due.
However the bigger issue is the co-opting of the word believer from Christianity to draw people to himself as an object of adoration. Only Jesus is worthy of adoration, and I am truly sorry on behalf of Jesus and His name that the world is more often turning into a pit of self-serving adoration among the carnally-minded.
I wrote in part yesterday about the flatteries that satan puts forth, and biggest one at present being the notion that we are like God. (Genesis 3:5). Lying prophets are constantly telling us that we have rights, (we're slaves, we don't) we can make demands of God, (really?! Did that work out for Korah?) we can expect carnal prosperity (tell that to all the believers in India) and that we have power in our words to declare realities, even declaring ourselves clean and can stop God's plans. They tell us that our words can a bind God and that means what they are telling us is that we are equal to or more powerful than God. The lies are amazing in their monumental falsity and evil.
The modicum of civility is fast disappearing. The veneer over civilization has always been thin thanks to the thick layer of sin that totally saturates unbelievers and permeates even the believers.
Proverbs 16:18 says Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.. I can't imagine how empty Mr Bieber must feel, so self-absorbed he could not even connect for a moment with the plight of a girl from another era who now stands as a symbol of courage under persecution. Always remember, our unsaved neighbors need prayer. Mr Bieber's comment was reprehensible, but it also indicates an empty spirit devoid of meaning. He needs Jesus, as do all who are apart from Him.
"Yesterday night Justin Bieber visited the Anne Frank House, together with his friends and guards. Fans were waiting outside to see a glimpse of him. He stayed more than an hour in the museum. In our guestbook he wrote: "Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber." Tonight Bieber will give a concert in Arnhem in the Netherlands."
The newspaper The Scotsman reported,
Justin Bieber pays bizarre tribute to Anne FrankFacebook comment responses were negative. Some wrote,
Published on Sunday 14 April 2013 14:19
TENNAGE pop singer Justin Bieber has sparked controversy after writing a message in the Anne Frank house guestbook saying that he hoped she would have been a fan of his music. The 19-year-old is due to perform tonight in Arnhem, around an hour from Amsterdam, where the Anne Frank House is situated, and visited the museum on Saturday night. Staff from the museum wrote on their Facebook page: “Yesterday night Justin Bieber visited the Anne Frank House, together with his friends and guards. “Fans were waiting outside to see a glimpse of him. He stayed more than an hour in the museum. “In our guestbook he wrote: ‘Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber.’” A ‘Belieber’ is the name given to the singer’s fans.
"Glad he went, but, the last sentence is VERY self serving. he missed the lessons of Anne totally."
"Way to turn an inspiring moment into something about yourself."
"Here I thought it was nice of him to go and see the history of her until I read what he wrote. Have some respect Mr. Bieber for she will be famous long after your fame fizzles."
"I agree with Christel and Meghan, his comments were shallow and self-serving. He obviously has no clue what a solemn opportunity he had in visiting The House."
As a believer in Jesus Christ we cannot condemn the behavior of those who do not believe. That is the way they act. However I would think that in any solemn occasion that even non-believers would behave with a modicum of maturity the situation is due.
However the bigger issue is the co-opting of the word believer from Christianity to draw people to himself as an object of adoration. Only Jesus is worthy of adoration, and I am truly sorry on behalf of Jesus and His name that the world is more often turning into a pit of self-serving adoration among the carnally-minded.
I wrote in part yesterday about the flatteries that satan puts forth, and biggest one at present being the notion that we are like God. (Genesis 3:5). Lying prophets are constantly telling us that we have rights, (we're slaves, we don't) we can make demands of God, (really?! Did that work out for Korah?) we can expect carnal prosperity (tell that to all the believers in India) and that we have power in our words to declare realities, even declaring ourselves clean and can stop God's plans. They tell us that our words can a bind God and that means what they are telling us is that we are equal to or more powerful than God. The lies are amazing in their monumental falsity and evil.
The modicum of civility is fast disappearing. The veneer over civilization has always been thin thanks to the thick layer of sin that totally saturates unbelievers and permeates even the believers.
Proverbs 16:18 says Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.. I can't imagine how empty Mr Bieber must feel, so self-absorbed he could not even connect for a moment with the plight of a girl from another era who now stands as a symbol of courage under persecution. Always remember, our unsaved neighbors need prayer. Mr Bieber's comment was reprehensible, but it also indicates an empty spirit devoid of meaning. He needs Jesus, as do all who are apart from Him.
Comments
First - let me say, with all honesty, that I enjoy your blog. You have taught me a great deal, and I read it on a daily basis. I enjoy it and have been enriched through it. I hope you continue it for many years to come.
ReplyDeleteThe reason I am posting is because this post honestly confuses me. I feel like there is some fact that I have overlooked. Is there any reason to believe that Anne Frank was a Christian? Aside from the hope that she came to know the Lord before she was murdered, is there anything in her writings that would indicate that she trusted Christ?
According to Wikipedia, she was 16 when she died. Even if you believe in the age of accountability it is hard to argue that she was still just a child.
I don't really know much about Justin Bieber or where he is coming from. I also agree that the Holocaust was a horrifying sin against God, and those who carried it out and did not repent will face the wrath of God for what they have done. But do we have any reason to believe that we will see Anne in Heaven?
I'm svery orry to have confused you. I will look to see where i can be more clear. To answer your question: No. There is no reason to think Anne Frank was a believer in Jesus.
DeleteThe article I pasted from The Scotsman explained that a "A ‘Belieber’ is the name given to the singer’s fans."
The point of my article was to remark that after spending an hour inside the museum learning about Anne Frank, the only thing the singer Justin Bieber could think of to say when commenting in the guest book is that he hoped if Frank had been alive today she would have enjoyed HIS music, as a 'beleiber'.
That's all.
Hakam Adam said
DeleteI had to chuckle. I can sympathize with your mistake. The addition of slang terminology to the national vocabulary is a sort of fad, now, what with the proliferation of "internet memes," only really possible since the mid-2000s. Things change fast, and you can really miss a lot of stuff in one sense, but in another sense, you didn't really miss much. :)
Never mind - I see now that he said "belieber", and that is apparently not a misspelling of "believer". (I told you I'm not familiar with pop culture.) My mistake. I completely misunderstood the point he was making.
ReplyDelete"Mr Bieber's comment was reprehensible, but it also indicates an empty spirit devoid of meaning. He needs Jesus, as do all who are apart from Him."
ReplyDeleteDo you know anything about Justin? Have you done research into his life at all? From that comment, it really seems like you are judging him and you are determining if he is saved or not, which is not something Christians should do or have the right to do.
Justin has come out and said he is a Christian, has a relationship with his God and is the reason he is here. Have you seen his movie? I have so much more respect for him after watching that.
Anonymous, you're absolutely right. I was too hasty and utterly wrong to write that. I am suitably chastised.
DeleteI went on and looked up Mr Bieber's Christian credentials. It IS a reprehensible comment that he made regarding Anne Frank, and this is the third such kind of comment/controversy in as many months. His pastor is Judah Smith, who holds to some some unbiblical teachings. The outlook is not good.
A Rev. Huckins write this in a Canadian paper (Bieber is Canadian) regarding the yet another controversy with Bieber,
"Justin Bieber, once squeaky clean, is accumulating some tarnish on his star. Allegations of loud parties at his mansion, video seeming to show him smoking marijuana, showing up hours late for shows and other problems are making some think twice about his faith credentials.
"Born into a devoutly religious home in the Canadian province of Ontario, Bieber, 19, accepted Christ early in life. “I’m a Christian, I believe in God, I believe that Jesus died on a cross for my sins,” Bieber told the Associated Press in 2010. “I believe that I have a relationship and I’m able to talk to him and really, he’s the reason I’m here, so I definitely have to remember that. As soon as I start forgetting, I’ve got to click back and be like, you know, this is why I’m here.”
His behavior could be youthful indiscretion which will diminish as he matures and is sanctified further, or he is firmly in the Judah Smith cult and not saved. Time will tell.
As all people who are apart from Christ have a spirit devoid of meaning, the statement I made would be accurate if he had not said he is a Christian. Though his credentials and behavior are suspect, I retract my statement until further fruit is evidenced or not evidenced. Thank you again for reminding me not to be too fast with the publish button.
Thank you for this reply! Actions do speak louder than words, especially for celebrities when every move they make can be showcased, exploited and/or fabricated. I, as a believer and follower of Jesus, often jump to conclusions about someone's Christianity. It's hard not to, but we have to remember, we cannot judge as we do not the person's heart and if they are saved or not. At the same time we can see their fruits and make an educated guess, but that is all it is, a guess. I sincerely hope Justin is a strong believer and amid controversy, gets his life in order as we need some positive role models in this world. Thanks again for the reply!
DeleteHi Matt,
Deleteyou're quite welcome! thanks for sharpening my iron :)