Christian Celebrity

-
Yes, the promised second post.  

The other questions that came up were about Christian Celebrities.  For some people, a really popular Christian makes them uneasy.  Perhaps this is the right response, at least initially.  There are many dangers in celebrity, some which endanger the celebrity and some which endanger the fans. 

For the celebrity, I imagine there is a struggle with pride, with people not calling you to account because they are awed by you, pressure which can (and often does) lead to hidden sin, and probably much more.  I have never been a celebrity (I hope I never am) so I am sure I am missing lots. That's OK though, I am more concerned with the dangers to the fans. 

For those of us who consume the products known as Christian Celebrities (as well as all the attendant merchandise) there are also dangers.  We may hold that individual, who is still fallen and sinful, too highly for our own good.  We may idolize them.  We may lack discernment when it comes to their 'product.' We may be focusing on them, or their message, or their guidance, rather than God.  We may adopt their opinions rather than form our own. 


I don't think I am saying anything new or unusual here.  All I am saying is be discerning and while your out looking for people to get excited about, make sure Jesus is at the top of the list by a large margin.  

Comments

Anonymous said…
Was/Is Paul of Tarsus a "Christian Celebrity"?

Roger Hui
8:37 PM
Andrew said…
I would say no. There were no such things as celebrities in Paul's day, at least not in the sense we have them (lots of reasons for that I think). More importantly, he was not treated as one, seeing as he had to compete with other 'super apostles', defend the fact that he was an apostle, and so on.

I would also say no for today; we certainly do not treat Paul the same way we do our other celebrities.
11:10 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Forgiveness: A Hard Word From Luther

-
"Those who follow Christ grieve more over the sin of their offenders than over the loss or offense to themselves. And they do this that they may recall those offenders from their sin rather than avenge the wrongs they themselves have suffered. Therefore they put off the form of their own righteousness and put on the form of those others, praying for their persecutors, blessing those who curse, doing good to the evil-doers, preparing to pay the penalty and make satisfaction for their very enemies that they may be saved. This is the gospel and the example of Christ." - Martin Luther (Quoted by Miroslav Volf, Free of Charge, pg. 161-162)
Read more

Proper Confidence: Faith, Doubt, and Certainty

-
Image
Leslie Newbigin, Proper Confidence: Faith, Doubt , and Certainty in Christian Discipleship. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans, 1995. 105 pgs. In this gem of a book Newbigin takes the reader on a journey away from the idea of Cartesian certainty and towards a more proper scaffolding for thought and belief. He denies the possibility of ideal certainty with no doubt and concludes that seeking this ideal can only to skepticism (of an extreme sort) and Nihilism. The thesis of this book might best best be stated as follows: the proper confidence of a Christian is not the possession of indubitable knowledge but the confidence of one who has heard and answered God's call of 'Follow me.' In order to demonstrate this point, Newbigin first examines three 'paths' whose titles, which are his first three chapter titles, seem somewhat counter-intuitive. In the first chapter, 'Faith as the Way to Knowledge,' Newbigin argues that if knowledge, and God, are ultim
Read more

A Good Tree Bears Good Fruit....

-
Image
"Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit." - Matthew 7:17-18 "One of the most powerful ways to influence the behavior of a system is through its purpose or goal. That's because the goal is the direction-setter of the system, the definer of discrepancies that require action, the indicator of compliance, failure, or success toward which balancing feedback loops work. If the goal is defined badly, if it doesn't measure what it's supposed to measure, if it doesn't reflect the real welfare of the system, then the system can't possibly produce a desirable result. Systems, like the three wishes in the traditional fairy tale, have a terrible tendency to produce exactly and only what you ask them to produce. Be careful what you ask them to produce." - Donella H. Meadows, Thinking in Systems. 
Read more