I made the mistake the other day of walking through a grocery checkout line. I’m calling it a mistake because going through the checkout line forced me to look at magazine cover with Kanye West and Kim Kardarshian. I find these people incredibly annoying and tedious, so seeing them on a magazine cover together just doubled my irritation. Separately they were tolerable, but together… “Kimye” reaches a new level of irritation.

I don’t imagine many Christians or any person of faith spending lots of time pondering the lives of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. But a glance at the amount of attention given to them may cause you to admit they are one of the new “power couples” of month…or maybe the week. On the surface “Kimye” are unconventional, non-traditional but unquestionably powerful in their ability to accumulate wealth, sell magazines and increase their popularity. Wealth, magazine sales and popularity are superficial goals by most standards, but they are goals nonetheless.

I enjoy seeing couples who aren’t like “Kimye.” For example, Barack and Michelle Obama seem cool together. The president regularly admits that he would not be the success he is today without having married Michelle. Separately they are great, but together they are awesome. This modern day “power couple” seems to emphasize that life can be better when you join forces with another powerful person.

The Christian communities I encounter appear to revel in the concept of the “power couple,” and I doubt they are unique in this. They enjoy the image of an ideal male and an ideal female representing them and their values. In fact, when vetting a new Pastor for a church, many congregations reveal an interest in the Pastor’s wife as much as the Pastor himself.

The idea of coupling or joining together for a common goal seems to make a lot of sense, but this can be complicated if you’re single and your options are few. For further insight, I suggest learning from Bert and Ernie. Bert and Ernie are a “power couple” of sorts. Their obvious friendship has a complementary affect. In those areas where one is weak, the other is stronger. Plus they seem to have a lot of fun together. Perhaps this is the true definition of “power couple” (and my reason to stop hating on “Kimye”) – people that complement and support each other and have a lot of fun.

Genesis 2:18 introduces the concept of “help meets”. The context suggest it’s gender specific or a “wife,” but later uses of the word make it clear the text simply means a powerful helper. Hmmm, I could certainly use some help from time to time! But do I have to get married to get help? Or to be a part of a “power couple?” Again Burt and Ernie lead the way and they help point me to God in two very cool ways. First, God can and will bring various people into one’s life to help increase efficiency, maximize one’s talents and skills, and walk through the tough times. You don’t have to be a “Kimye” a “Bennifer” or even a Barack and Michelle to experience that. It’s simply called friendship.

Perhaps most significant is the yearning from the divine to connect to man, and man’s desire to connect to the divine. Every time I hear of a person beating the odds, overcoming some great tragedy, accomplishing some rare goal or achieving an exceptional level of success, I think to myself … “they’ve had an encounter with the divine”. Mankind and the divine are the ultimate power couple. Like Burt and Ernie, God is seeking a “friendship” with humanity. A friendship that can joins us together as one in the same way that Kim and Kanye have smashed their names together… just a lot less annoying.

Rev. Keith Baltimore is a University Minister at DePaul University
Feel free to respond to his post in the Comments section at the bottom of this page.