By Bill ShulerPastor, Capital Life Church, Arlington, Virginia

As Brooke Shields laments not having lost her virginity earlier, and Mel Gibson admits to fathering a child with a woman other than his wife, a question begs to be asked...What happened to role models? There was a day when being a public personality carried with it a certain standard of conduct. But of late, the bar of behavior seems to have been set quite low.

The following could be 10 reasons why we are losing role models:

1. Honorable people are sometimes demonized for taking a stand for morality and values in the public arena.

2. High profile scandals in sports, politics and religion have jaded us.

3. Fewer dads are present in the home.

4. For so many of us, success in our culture has been defined as fame, fortune and power.

5. Image often trumps character.

6. Indulgence replaces sacrifice.

7. Self-discipline is a less-practiced art.

8. Self-seeking is an over-practiced art.

9. Some find "family values" to be a political code word rather than an ideal to be embraced.

10. Good people with deep convictions remain silent.

Being beautiful, uninhibited or rich has become a cheap substitute for courage, decency and selflessness. Before the American role model becomes an endangered species, we must challenge the notion that by meeting low standards we are attaining success. A new generation is looking, not for perfection, but for honesty and authenticity in its leaders. The future of America depends on those who will have the courage to live by example and call a new generation to achieve lives of moral excellence and noble service.