Of 2013 Celebrity Deaths

We have all heard about the death of Nelson Mandela; the mass media made sure of that.  However, one death that has gone underreported is that of Paul Crouch, who died on 30 November at the age of 79.  When I got the news of Paul Crouch’s death the report did not sit well with me or did not seem quite right.  I remember some of the early days of TBN--back when everyone was convinced the Rapture was nearly at hand and Paul Crouch really seemed to believe that he was a part of “the generation that will cheat the undertaker,” to use his words.  Indeed, it seems like he was supposed to keep right on living, but he hasn’t.

Several months prior to this I had inquired about the condition of Richard Eby of Spring Valley Lake.  I first saw the man on a CBN broadcast in the 1990s where he was being interviewed on TV in front of an outdoor location that immediately looked familiar and like the Spring Valley Lake area (which it turned out to be).  As I recall, and to hear Richard Eby tell it, he had an accident, he was killed, the Lord spoke to him, his name was temporarily “expunged” from the Book of Life, he went to hell, he was tormented by spider-like demons, and at the end of the matter he was informed that he would still be alive on this earth at the Parousia.  Now, my inquiry seemed to indicate that the man was still alive at the age of 101 or so.  However, I checked again and it now turns out that he died ten years ago without my hearing about it.  According to one website, as Mr. Eby lay on his deathbed someone asked him about his claim that Eby would be alive at the end of the age; this claim was subsequently retracted as a matter of reading too much into someone else’s words.

Add it all up and there apparently is no special reason to believe that only twenty more years of the trials, travails, pitfalls and miseries of life remain; the average lifespan of human beings cannot be used as an approximate gauge of how much time this current world has left (unless you believe the “prophecy” about Hal Lindsey’s having gray hair at the Parousia).  By the same token, the end of the world could be either three hundred years away, three years away, or something else entirely.  We still do not know the day or hour.

2009 Celebrity Deaths *Continue* to Add Up

Folks, we were calling 2009 “The Year Celebrities Died” way back in June when two certain celebs died on 6/25, before recent big celebrity deaths and before a long line of deaths to follow. This title of the year is apt, because the number and frequency of such deaths this year is downright disturbing.

Now, it is to be granted that one should not jump to conclusions on such a matter. Suppose you never pay attention to any kind of news, but then one day you decide to start watching the news on TV. Sudddenly you’re going to come to the conclusion that crime is up, murder is up, the world is becoming more dangerous--all this when in fact, it’s not more dangerous than before but rather you never noticed these things before. However, this really is not the case this year. The number of deaths of celebrities we all know and maybe love is pretty high in 2009.

There were deaths before June 25. And there were deaths soon after June 25, in defiance of the “They go in threes” rule. And the deaths just kept coming after this. Oral Roberts had just died when I originally posted the URL http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaths_in_2009 In the ensuing five days, Alaina Reed Hall from 227 and Sesame Street died and also Brittany Murphy, who like others was not an elderly person.

So this leads to the question “Is God trying to tell us something?” I think the answer to that can only be No. There is no trying with God. God is not a failure and He either acts in a manner sure to get the job done or not at all; but not everyone will look at these deaths and come to some conclusion that this is somehow a message from the divine.

On the contrary, something like the course of events in biblical history should be kept in mind in this instance. For example, consider the case of Achan from the book of Joshua. Achan took some things that he should not have taken; the result was that his countrymen started dying in the field of battle, and people did not really know why this was happening, until they inquired and God let them know one their people had sinned. Likewise, many subsequent generations of Israelites abandoned their god and took to idolatry; the results were subjugation and death.

So if I were a celebrity right now, I would be wondering if God has not withheld the hand of protection from my community. Dangerous personal behavior, reckless behavior of aquaintances, natural decay of human health and well-being: perhaps now these are given pretty much a full license to run rampant as they naturally can apart from Common Grace.

And perhaps we are no longer protected on account of the transgressions and wrongdoings of both ourselves and our fans and worshippers. Virtual worship and adoration of celebs is nothing new. The attempts of celebs and their benefactors to normalize social evils (through PSAs, movies and small screens) and expect others to accept them is also not entirely new. But maybe now all this stuff has reached a boiling point, just as the evils of the Canaanites of old reaching a boiling point only after Abraham was told that 400 years would pass before it was time for his people to take the land.

The next time I read a liberal blog and see how people holler and complain about the “homophobia” of TV censors who had enough sense of decency to reign in this nobody adam lambert, I should remember that it was my community that did much to bring society to a point where the actions of the censors would even be controversial. Or if I pick up an issue of Tiger Beat and observe that the tween enthusiasm for me and my latest movie approaches a level of religious zeal, I should remember that I’m dealing with people whose priorities in life are less than unquestionable. And I should remember, finally, that not everyone in this life gets what he deserves, if I should stop to wonder why the death around me seems so indiscriminate.

*******

So the odds that any particular celeb will survive until next year actually remain good on average. Still, those who are big and famous would do well to stop and meditate on who they are, on what they are a part of, and on what they do either intentionally or unintentionally.

Worse

Billy Mays died today.

First Ed McMahon, then the deaths of June 25. This means that the rule of three, as if it were ever accurate, is broken. Death was already a serious matter, but now things should be taken even more seriously. "The Grudge 2" comes to mind.

Keep your house in order. Remain a good steward of the talents entrusted or given to you. You never know when you're next anyway.

Mr. Whipple has Died

Some of you may be too young to remember this cultural icon of the toilet paper industry, but Mr. Whipple, "Don't squeeze the Charmin", has died. I want you to know I have exhibited great restraint and avoided any jokes about the content.

Anyway, I liked him better than the current toilet paper waving cartoon bears.

Derrick

Creator of BC. Wizard of Id, Johnny Hart Meets His Creator

Johnny Hart, creator of the comic strips, Wizard of Id and BC died this week.

I have always enjoyed these comics because they were simple and oftentimes, faith filled. His faith in Jesus Christ cam out at different itmes, but especially during the holy-days throughout the year.
Here are a few comic tributes to a man trying to occasionally shine a light into a dark world.

I think one or more of his children will be taking over the comics, and hopefully they will continue his legacy in faith and in the art of the simple comic strip. I hope he hears the words expressed in the above comic: Well done.

Derrick