 knows what it's like to navigate that tension all too well.){kind=link}
Since its 2002 debut season, ABC’s The Bachelor has been a staple TV series for sorority girls, sappy housewives, and suckers for romance across America.
I’m not even the type to get into such pseudo-reality show series marked by misleading cutouts and ever-sensational claims about the most “shocking and dramatic SEASON EVER”—but I must confess, I can’t help but get sucked in season after season—scooting to the edge of my couch, biting my nails, and nervously sipping my red wine to the teary-eyed confessions of the “final rose” contestants. Dun dun DUN…cue Chris Harrison. Okay, enough where that came from.
But whatever it is, as a show running 15 years strong with multiple successful spin-off series from The Bachelorette to Bachelor in Paradise, we gotta admit… there’s just something about “The Bachelor.”
Of course, not everyone is keen on the show, particularly those in the Christian community who question its morality. And in all fairness, a dude dating/kissing 20 women at the same time would be labeled a cheating scoundrel in ANY other context, so can you entirely blame them?
The 20th season Bachelor star Ben Higgins (who was formerly a contestant on The Bachelorette), knows what it’s like to navigate that tension all too well. As an outspoken Christian on the show, Ben was harshly judged for his choice to participate.
He would regularly hear comments like, “He’s not a Christian. Look at what he did.”
“The community I thought would have my back the most was the community that was hurting me the most,” added Higgins.
He recently opened up about his experiences to Relevant Magazine, revealing how God used even a cheesy reality TV show for His glory.
“It’s probably surprising to a lot of people that a Christian guy would be the Bachelor,” Relevant told Ben. “How do you respond to that?”
“I get that a lot,” he replied. “You know, that dilemma never came into my head until The Bachelor was airing. The Christian community was either really supportive of the idea that I would claim to love Jesus and also do The Bachelor or really angry. It was weird for me, honestly. I became confused, like, ‘Do I really know Jesus? Why am I making these decisions my brothers and sisters are so against?'”
Ben says it’s odd to him that a section of the Christian community feels we can’t do anything that “shakes life up a bit or put ourselves in an environment that seems counter to what we know Christianity to be in the United States.”
He didn’t know how to handle all the criticism and shaming remarks at first, but eventually, he was able to come to terms with it.
Ben also admittedly understood where the criticism was stemming from, as it did challenge his own value system. He said the main complaint he heard was, “As a Christian, you just can’t do the show. You’re dating multiple people at once. You’re kissing multiple people at once. You’re leading people on.”
“And then—and I totally agree with this—only one name should be famous, and that’s Jesus,” shared Ben. “When anybody puts themselves in a situation where fame is going to result, the church reacts. I think that’s fair. But if I can get a platform from The Bachelor and make Jesus famous through the way I live life, what’s the problem?”
The most painful part for him was when people would claim he’s not a Christian because of his choices.