Christian Celebrity

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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
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