Closer Than a Brother

Salvation comes to us in a moment.  Certainly there is a process through which the Holy Spirit works in our hearts to bring us into a saving knowledge of Jesus - it comes through the faithful witness of Christian believers and the planting of the seed of the Word in our hearts.  But, salvation comes to us when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and are born-again. Then, we enter a process of discipleship and sanctification as we conform our lives to the image of the risen Christ within us.  The Bible says in 1st Corinthians chapter 6 (ESV):
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,
10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Julie Chen Moonves is perhaps best known as the host of the television series, Big Brother, in which males and females are placed in a house where their interactions are being watched. She is married to television executive Les Moonves. Throughout the last few years, she has been more and more outspoken, it seems, about her faith in Jesus Christ.

Movieguide reported on this aspect of her life, stating in a recent article:

BIG BROTHER’s Julie Chen Moonves urges others to listen to the call of Jesus.

“[Jesus] changed my life, brought me peace that transcends all understanding,” she said in an interview with Movieguide®.
 
“Jesus is calling all of us. I know He was calling me forever, and I was just too busy to listen,” Moonves explained. “But when COVID first struck the world and we all had time to sit down and really listen, it was as if God was saying, ‘Can you hear me now?’ And I heard Jesus calling me loud and clear then.”

The article quotes from a Christian Post article, in which she relates about her attending church: “I went in and I just was by myself and I got down on my knees and I started praying and opening up my heart to God asking for help..."  The article goes on to say, "After that, Moonves began attending virtual church services and Bible studies. Two years later, she made the decision to be baptized."  Moonves says: “I realized Christianity is about a personal relationship with God,” adding, “It all came together through various people in my life, whether it was my aunt or former cameraman who sent me a study Bible or my former college roommate who sent me ‘Hope for Today’ by Billy Graham.”

And, apparently, Moonves is dedicated to allowing her commitment to affect her choices, telling The Christian Post: "I have let it be known that I don't want to take on any other projects unless it is faith-based,” adding, “I’m not interested in doing another daily talk show unless it's a faith-based one. God has blessed me with the various jobs that I've had in my life so that now, moving forward, any job that I have, any platform that I have, I want to use it to advance His Kingdom agenda, to spread the Word. I don't want to spend time doing anything unless it's in the faith space.”

But, as Big Brother celebrates its 25th anniversary, Julie tells People Magazine that she does not see life without the reality series, saying: "That's a world I don't even want to imagine..."

Unfortunately, Plugged In described the "world" of Big Brother in this way about 15 years ago:

Big Brother contestants have long been notorious for blue language during broadcasts. And while their most egregious words are typically bleeped, CBS hasn’t caught them all. Not that incessant bleeps change the equation all that much.

They’re also getting “treated” to makeout sessions, girl-on-girl kissing and naked pool parties. Bikinis are practically a house uniform in Big Brother-land. Hookups are normal—with intimate sessions getting filmed and aired. (Hard-core fans who’ve tired of the prime-time censoring are invited to switch over to CBS’ sister channel, Showtime, for Big Brother: After Dark.)

Has the show cleaned up its act?  I don't watch it, so I can't say.  Has Julie Chen Moonves allowed her Christian perspective to govern her favorable comments regarding LGBTQ?  

This speaks to the process of sanctification.  Fair or not, those who publicly profess Christ should be expected to exemplify His character and uphold His Word.  That's a tough thing to do in Hollywood, much less in a world steeped in social media to the extent that famous people's every move seem to be scutinized.

The apostle Paul was legendary in the world of Judaism during his time - he was actively involved in persecuting the early Church, until he wasn't.  In a dramatic way.  After his conversion, he didn't immediately go into ministry - he went into seclusion, according to Galatians 1.  Sometimes people are thrust into being spokespersons for our Lord when they ought to be quiet and learn - less there be a public disconnect.  

But, we're all on the journey, and we should be pressing forward, as Philippians directs, growing into spiritual maturity, and allowing the Holy Spirit to take from us what is not of God, and to enable us to make the choices that are consistent with our testimony.