Lindsay Lohan Speaks for a Generation

Hollywood starlet Lindsay Lohan recently posted online (www.funnyordie.com) a spoof eHarmony video stating that she was “searching for love”. Throughout the minute and a half video Lindsay details all the “qualities” that she is looking for in a partner while simultaneously poking fun of all the wild antics and debaucheries that make up her life and subsequently, most of her claims to fame that have enabled her to become Hollywood’s most notorious “Bad Girl”.

Throughout this eHarmony spoof Lindsay coyly laughs as she describes her favorite pastimes in form of her media-covered vices: excessive partying, drug usage, drunk driving, house arrest, and both heterosexual and homosexual promiscuity. And while much of America has applauded Lindsay for her prowess and ability to make fun of her own flaws, it’s apparent that both Lindsay and America just don’t get it. They don’t get why despite having the world at her fingertips, Lindsay’s life is in shambles and she is desperately trying to fill the void in her life. And while she may be laughing at herself and her many misguided attempts for happiness, it is a very unapologetic laugh with no sign of regret, change, or hope.

The cover story of the April 8^th issue of US Weekly has Lindsay stating, “I’m so alone”. It appears that after turning to the worlds of partying, drugs, both heterosexual and homosexual promiscuity, money, and fame, she has come up feeling empty. As a Christian youth worker, it’s no mystery to me as to why she has no fulfillment. With a world that clamors for her self-destruction to feed its entertainment appetite and a mother that exploits her for self-indulgence, I would guess Lindsay statement at the beginning of her video is true: she is looking for love.

It would be easy to write Lindsay off as a lost cause, but what would you tell her if you had the chance? John chapter 4 tells of a similar woman whose life had derailed. Jesus is sitting by a well in Samaria when a woman comes up to get some water. This woman had been married five times and was currently living with a man who was not her husband. Jesus immediately reached out to her, despite her heritage and past mistakes. As shown by the six men she had been with, she was desperately seeking love, desperately seeking something. Recognizing the broken person inside, Jesus showed her mercy and love.

This story is a great example of how the world had given up on this woman, but Jesus did not. She had spun out of control and had conceded to living in sin. And it is here that Jesus found her and loved her. He met her while she was still a sinner. Through this moment of acceptance and understanding, the woman is forever changed. In fact, a few verses later, John tells us that the whole town believed in Jesus because of this woman’s testimony.

We are called to do the same. The Barna Group recently came out with a study showing that less than one half of 18 – 23 year olds have a biblical worldview[1]. Lindsay Lohan is just one of a whole generation of American teenagers and young adults that are seeking fulfillment, but are looking everywhere except the church. Regardless if she cares, Lindsay is one of the voices of this generation. As she herself claims, she “single-handedly keeps 90% of all gossip websites in business”, making her the poster-child for out-of-control American teens. And while she wears this as a badge of honor, in reality, she is a role model for thousands of teens across America.

Lindsay obviously faces some challenges in her life that are unique to her position and her celebrity status, but her reactions are the same that many teenagers and young adults make in every part of the country and at every economic level. It’s easy to write people off as “lost causes”, but we aren’t called to do that. We are called to show them the love of God. While the world may be content to watch Lindsay self-destruct and then talk about it the next morning around the water cooler, God is not. And he is desperately seeking this lost generation. He has a heart for Lindsay and the countless other young people around the world following her lead.

We need to approach this generation the same way that Jesus approached the woman at the well. Because much like Lindsay, many of our youths are seeking love in all the wrong places and their lives are spinning out of control. They may not have the platform and publicity that she has, but you are naïve if you think that kids in your corner of the country aren’t flirting with and perhaps diving headfirst into many of the same issues: alcoholism, drug abuse, bisexuality, homosexuality, loneliness, self-mutilation.

The church is called to continue the work of Christ to this generation, especially those that are out of control. Lindsay and millions of kids need to know that God loves them regardless of who they are and regardless of what they have done. And it is up to us as Christians to show this generation that love.