The Jonas Brothers: Good news for teens

Marcia Segelstein - Guest Columnist - 4/14/2008 7:45:00 AM

Every now and then, a little bit of God's grace floats down from heaven and takes you happily by surprise.  If you're the parent of a young teenager, as I am, that grace probably seems especially precious.

No matter how much you pray for your children's protection, and that the values you've taught them will trump the myriad of other values they'll encounter, you live in an almost constant state of concern, if not downright fear, about what negative influences they might come across on any given day.
 
Because, try as you may, there is no way to shield them from the ways of the world.  Maybe a friend lends them a copy of one of the popular "Gossip Girl" books, and they read about teenagers having sex, drinking, and doing drugs without suffering any consequences.  Maybe at a sleepover, an R-rated movie is shown and there's no taking back the images they've witnessed.  Maybe they turn on the local pop music radio station and hear themes and language they can't even process, but won't entirely forget.
 
So when your teenager tells you about a band he or she really likes, your first reaction is to be suspicious.  Then you're told that the members of the band wear "purity rings" (symbols of their intention to abstain from sex until marriage), and you sit up and take notice.
 
Meet the Jonas Brothers Band.  Kevin, Joe and Nick are three brothers from New Jersey who have hit the big time.  As one entertainment writer put it, "By the middle of 2008, the Jonas Brothers just might be the biggest teen band in the country."  Their following, especially among teenage girls, is already enormous.  Last summer their second album hit the number-five spot on the Billboard Hot 200 chart in its first week.  And their celebrity was further confirmed by their recent appearance on the American Idol charitable fundraiser, “Idol Gives Back.”
 
Music industry moguls might want to start taking notes right about now, because this band didn't get to be successful by using shock value to get attention.  In fact, the Jonas Brothers made it big while staying true (maybe by staying true) to the Christian values with which they were raised.  When Newsweek profiled them earlier this year, the writer called them "so pure they could be carved from a bar of Ivory Soap."
 
Touring for this band is a family affair. Dad, an ordained minister, Mom and their little brother go along.  And Grandma helps out with catering.
 
The boys attended a Christian school, and seem unabashed about their faith.  You won't find raunchy lyrics or suggestive themes in their songs. Like PG movies, even parents can love them.  Nick, the youngest, has been quoted as saying that his parents are the biggest influence in his life, and that he feels blessed to have them.  Talk about role models!
 
It all sounds too good to be true, but it's not.
 
The Jonas Brothers' mom, Denise, was kind enough to speak with me from London, where she's with her sons on a press tour.
 
I asked her how important their Christian faith is in their lives.  "It's the groundwork, the cornerstone of who we are.  We're nothing without it.  Every choice we make is based on our faith in Christ."  We talked about the fact that so many teens aren't given any moral or religious foundation, and how they struggle as a result.  "You have to start young," she told me.  "They're not going to make these choices on their own."
 
The matter of the boys' wearing "purity rings" also came up.  Denise told me that it's been interesting seeing how negative the press has been on that subject.  "The boys never made a big thing about the rings.  They only answered questions asked of them."  And yet, only a few days ago, CNN Headline News twisted that completely around.  Showbiz Tonight host Brooke Anderson moderated a mini-debate between a psychologist and Steve Santagati, a "self-confessed serial dater and Bad Boy."  Brooke posed this question:  Why do celebrities like Mylie Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers feel compelled to let the world know they're not having sex?
 
But as Denise Jonas told me, her sons feel no such compulsion.  They haven't made it a big deal.  They made no announcement about it.  It's the media who have asked the boys about it and seem to be working hard to make it a big deal.  The truth is, most media types probably just can't wrap their heads around the fact that there are people in the world who actually believe in what "purity rings" stand for.  So listen to what CNN's guest, Steve Santagati, had to say:  "If you’re announcing it on TV it's for one reason: publicity."  Talk about twisting things around.  The mainstream media deserves the bad rap it gets.  Shame on them.
 
And speaking of the media, listen to this.  Bearing in mind that the boys are teenagers (Nick is only 15), one European interviewer asked them what it was like the first time they did it.  The boys had to ask what he was talking about!  And yes, it's what you think.  Denise told me the boys were in shock, and answered that they couldn't answer the question because they haven't had sex yet.
 
For my daughter, Nick is also a role model of a different sort.  About three years ago, Nick was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, a condition my daughter has had since she was four years old.  Like my daughter, Nick manages his diabetes by wearing an insulin pump 24/7.
 
And I know all this because, to his great credit, Nick has also been unabashed about sharing this information with the world.  In fact, my daughter can tell you the date Nick went public about his diabetes.  While she's not shy about having diabetes, it can't hurt when someone so popular among her set has it, too, and lets the world know it.
 
Denise told me that Nick wants to offer encouragement to other kids with diabetes, and often talks about it at concerts.  He's also written a song about diabetes which will be the title song on their next CD.  Here are some lyrics from "A Little Bit Longer":
 
All this time goes by
Still no reason why
A little bit longer
And I’ll be fine
Waitin’ on a cure
But none of them are sure
A little bit longer
And I’ll be fine.
 
Like Nick, I’m also waitin' (and praying) for a cure.  But in the larger sense, it's clear that Nick and his brothers are just fine.  And helping to make the world a little finer, too.
 
Grace happens.

If you believe OneNewsNow.com is an important source for Christian news,
please consider a small tax-deductible gift for this service.