If a celebrity inches ever so slightly in the direction of declaring faith in Christ, a platform is prepared. No one is more prepared to step onto an evangelical platform than a celebrity, and no one knows more about how to master that platform to enhance a platform than a celebrity conversion. And no group shows less follow-through and long term faithfulness on that platform than celebrities.
I always cringe when someone from the stage tells congregation to praise God, then in the next breath talks about praising the Sr. Pastor and the crowd erupts in applause, whooping and standing ovation. Usually it is a guest pastor using that as a way to try to get congregation to accept them as it can be a challenge preaching at someone else’s church. At least that is how I see it….
Many years ago, when I was a youth leader/pastor at a small church, the pastor encouraged us to pray that the quarterback of the high school football team and the primary (female) cheerleader would be "saved," since that would lead to an inroad of more salvation in the local high school. It's the same principle at work: people valued by the culture around us "getting saved" will lead to a "larger kingdom." Sad, sad stuff.
It feeds the ego... the life that we are supposed to lose in order to obtain eternal life... They are not living the Jesus Creed which is pretty hard to do in real life. I'm sure it's much harder for celebrities (and their "proximity celebrity" pastors) because there's a lot more to lose in order to love God with all their heart, mind and body.
This attraction to celebrity converts tells me that "evangelicalism" has lost its biblical rationale. The apostle Paul fingered the problem with this observation: "Think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world...so that no one may boast before him" (1 Cor 1:26-29). When a celebrity is required to validate the value of the church, that church has left its mooring in Scripture.
Great post. It is also hard to watch such conversion stories and then see the individuals thrown into highly visible platforms, as if they are all suddenly mature in the faith.
"Celebrity conversions permit evangelicals to stand on the platform with the “strongmen” of our culture. Politics, arts, entertainment, mass media – her words for the locations from which these celebrities are drawn." The "Dominion" theological movement doesn't help with the problem, since those areas are its targets.
I always cringe when someone from the stage tells congregation to praise God, then in the next breath talks about praising the Sr. Pastor and the crowd erupts in applause, whooping and standing ovation. Usually it is a guest pastor using that as a way to try to get congregation to accept them as it can be a challenge preaching at someone else’s church. At least that is how I see it….
Many years ago, when I was a youth leader/pastor at a small church, the pastor encouraged us to pray that the quarterback of the high school football team and the primary (female) cheerleader would be "saved," since that would lead to an inroad of more salvation in the local high school. It's the same principle at work: people valued by the culture around us "getting saved" will lead to a "larger kingdom." Sad, sad stuff.
It feeds the ego... the life that we are supposed to lose in order to obtain eternal life... They are not living the Jesus Creed which is pretty hard to do in real life. I'm sure it's much harder for celebrities (and their "proximity celebrity" pastors) because there's a lot more to lose in order to love God with all their heart, mind and body.
This attraction to celebrity converts tells me that "evangelicalism" has lost its biblical rationale. The apostle Paul fingered the problem with this observation: "Think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world...so that no one may boast before him" (1 Cor 1:26-29). When a celebrity is required to validate the value of the church, that church has left its mooring in Scripture.
Great post. It is also hard to watch such conversion stories and then see the individuals thrown into highly visible platforms, as if they are all suddenly mature in the faith.
"Celebrity conversions permit evangelicals to stand on the platform with the “strongmen” of our culture. Politics, arts, entertainment, mass media – her words for the locations from which these celebrities are drawn." The "Dominion" theological movement doesn't help with the problem, since those areas are its targets.