"American Idol" is crumbling because Ellen is gay?

I get e-mails from Christian Newswire for work. Confession: I don't always open them and read them. Depends on the subject line.

Well, when I saw this subject line last Friday, I had to read it:

"Ellen DeGeneres Fired After She Jumps the Shark for American Idol"

"How did Ellen jump the shark for American Idol?" I wondered. "I thought the contestants jumped the shark for the show because they were awful, all season long, boring and nothing spectacular."

So I clicked on the link, and this is what I read. [Christian Newswire opinion]

My jaw dropped. I picked it back up but I'm pretty sure it dropped again.

So, Mr. McCullough, you're saying the viewership for this last season of "American Idol" was not good because the Christian viewers (who you define broadly) didn't want a gay agenda forced on them by AI producers? So they turned the TV off?

When this Christian (I'm not sure where I land on McCullough's spectrum of Christianity) heard Ellen was going to be a judge on the show, I didn't think, "That'll never fly; she's gay." Instead I thought, "What's a comedienne doing at the judges' table of 'Idol'? Other than dancing on her show, does she have musical experience?"

And I don't really understand why McCullough was making such predictions in the first place. It's just a TV show, a reality show/contest for wannabe musicians to sign their life away and make a record. I'd be more worried about the ideas of fame and celebrity that producers are pushing through the show than any homosexual agenda.

I propose two other possible reasons why last season of "American Idol" was a lame duck. The first one I've mentioned: the talent was nothing spectacular. Second, Paula was gone. Paula could be a train wreck but we liked watching the train wreck. It added entertainment value to the show. Without Paula, there were 4 of 4 judges that could be understood.

And this guy makes no mention of Adam Lambert. The news about Adam's homosexuality came out while Adam's season of "American Idol" was still in play. I just don't understand why Mr. McCullough is placing blame on Ellen when the topic had come up the previous season. I wouldn't fault the crumbling of "American Idol" on Ellen's sexual preference but to producers creating a not-so-great season or to the fact that maybe the show has run its course entirely.

And his closing paragraph: "Cultural battles have two sides, one of which is immoral. Choose to fight on the immoral side of a cultural battle and any victory you experience will only be temporary. That is my spiritual advice." I think I could unpack this for days using what I learned in grad school about culture and its forms...though I'm pretty sure I don't want to spend any more time on what this guy says.