God and man on American Idol

I don't know whether admitting to a guilty pleasure like watching American Idol on some Wednesday and Thursday evenings is better or worse than scarfing Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Nevertheless, as a public service I'm reporting recent comments by two finalists who profess Christ.

One, HeeJun Han, regularly works at Flushing, N.Y.'s Milal Mission, which (according to its Facebook entry) brings to the disabled "the hope we have in Jesus Christ." Han said, "I read the Bible and I pray for 30 minutes [every morning]. … "I am not a celebrity. I am no one. I am just a guy going after God's own heart. And there are people that I need to help. I don't deserve this spot, but God gave it to me. …"

A few weeks ago, Today.com reported that another finalist, Colton Dixon, "would rather lose American Idol than try to conceal his spirituality." The story reported, "Colton, a devout Christian from Murfreesboro, Tenn., plans to continue using the show and social media to spread his message of faith-despite warnings from producers that it could alienate some viewers and cost him the Idol crown."

Dixon said, "I think that [the producers] also have a mutual respect that that is a part of who I am. I am not going to hide it, and I am not going to stray away from it just because I am on a TV show."

He added, "Being a Christian is who I am. It is a part of me musically. It is what I want to do after the show-go into Christian music."

A report from Reality TV Magazine had this take: "Colton is so strong in his belief that losing voters is a chance he is willing to take, but he will not chance hiding his love of God. …" Of course, it's also possible that professing Christ at this point in the competition will gain votes.

UPDATE: HeeJun Han was eliminated from the competition on Thursday night.