Celebrity Christianity

Despite having been written over three years ago my post was very angry with Chuck Smith from Calvary Chapel yesterday was the number one viewed page on my website last month.  Number two was my letter to Pastor Mark Driscoll, which is almost a year old.  Now granted, I haven't been writing much so that is part of the reason why they are at the top of my most viewed list, but the truth is, no matter what, they would have been in the top ten, and most likely the top five.

Why?  Because people google search these people.  They are big names, who have done big things, and people want to know more about them.  They are Christian celebrities. This is however not a new issue, its just a different mechanism.

Paul, sees this as a problem and addresses it in his letter to the Corinthians.  "One says he follows Paul, another Apollos, and another Cephas and another Christ".  And then he gets to the core of the matter... "Is Christ divided?  Did Paul die for you? Were you baptised in the name of Paul?"

Is Christ divided?

What is interesting to me is that Paul seeing the celebrity thing going on, addresses it in this way:

This causes division
I must put myself in the problem and address my part in it
I must be humble and point others away from me, and towards Christ
I must explain that no man is above another man

This does not seem to be the way with Christian celebrities these days.  It is usually some form of "well I am being blessed for not compromising the truth"  While the others compromise and are "being followed by people with itchy ears,  There is usually a subtle, sometimes a direct refutation of the other leaders.  And the statement "follow me while I follow Christ"

The question we must ask ourselves in a world that worships celebrity, is, how are we to respond? 

I think the church needs to stop building celebrities.  I think the ones that are there need to give serious thought to their ability to deflect that position, and work for unity within the body.  I think we who are not celebrities need to stand up and be who God called us to be, to hold even the big shots to the same accountability we submit to in our body. 

But what do I know, I don't even have a weekly podcast

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Christian Celebrity popularity contest (the nines)

I am not up to date on all things, so if this has been said before by others pardon for saying the same thing but...

What the hell is going on?

Oh the drama, who will win out and be speaker for the nines conferences? The macho bad boy pastor Mark Driscoll? The scholarly N T Wright? The social justice ubber hippy Shane Claiborne? competition is fierce ladies and gentleman. Who gets the most votes?

But that isn't the whole contest, we have some people campaigning not to win but just to finish higher than other people. Seriously have we gone nuts?

I mean this cult of celebrity, meets consumerism at the cathedral needs to be called what it is... absolute bullshit. The most incredible life changing messages I have ever heard at a conference were sitting around tables with the punters that were doing it hard just like me. Or the relatively unknown guy who showed up and had the courage to say what needed to be said whether it was welcomed or not. Besides can't you just buy their new book? I am sure it is on sale... everywhere.

Or maybe I am just jealous because no one is begging me to come speak at some Christian conference. Yeah thats probably it

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