The end of celebrity Christianity

[Michie]

It is one of the strengths of our American culture that we know how to make everything bigger and better. It is one of the weaknesses of the American church that we apply this same mentality to our pastors and leaders. We know how to turn servants into superstars!

How foreign this is to the New Testament mindset, where being a top leader meant persecution more than popularity and rejection more than recognition. In the early Church, as a senior leader, you were more likely to be executed than exalted. Today, ministry is the path to stardom and success. How did we fall so far?

It is one thing to have a platform that reaches millions. We can be thankful to God for that.

It is another thing to become a celebrity Christian.

It is one thing to pastor a massive mega-congregation. That is a sacred entrustment.

Continued below.

The end of celebrity Christianity

God Almighty is purifying His Bride, and that means the end of celebrity Christianity May it never rise again

www.christianpost.com

 

[Tuur]

Um...I don't think it's a new mindset: Paul addressed something like that in 1 Corinthians. In the 19th Century US, there were ministers who had a large following. In the 18th you had ministers like John Wesley and Johnathan Edwards.

 

[Merrill]

Unfortunately, I don't think it is the end of celebrity Christianity --or more accurately, celebrity preachers

I always like Tony Evans, until he started saying foolish things, let his ego get the best of him, and was finally removed from his own church for a "past sin". I don't think he is a bad man, but he became a celebrity, and started believing his own headlines

 

[Bobber]

It is one of the strengths of our American culture that we know how to make everything bigger and better. It is one of the weaknesses of the American church that we apply this same mentality to our pastors and leaders. We know how to turn servants into superstars!

I so believe though that some servants of God are highlighted to have more notoriety than some others. Some people may have a unique gift.

How foreign this is to the New Testament mindset, where being a top leader meant persecution more than popularity and rejection more than recognition.

But even those under persecution did have great we might call it recognition. Paul the Apostle was such a one even with his persecutions.

 

[standardlion]

Pastor deserves respect

 

[dzheremi]

When we've had this problem in our corner of Christianity with certain "celebrity" priests, it has resulted in Metropolitans calling them out by name publicly for being soft on heresy (to put it lightly), and ultimately a delegation of bishops being sent over to investigate and remedy the situation in those churches over which said priests had for a time held some sway precisely due to their popularity. I think this is really the bare minimum that everyone should be expecting from their own church leaders, so as to not leave foxes guarding the hen house. (And by "bare minimum" I don't mean to imply that I am in any way unhappy with the response of HH Pope Tawadros II and the delegation he sent, but rather that this is at least what should be guaranteed in response to complaints, with whatever follows from the investigation being obviously a 'higher level' response than just sending the delegation in the first place.)

If you're not getting this kind of response from your church, then maybe it's time to start metaphorically flipping over some tables. You don't want to wake up in a Jesus-themed mall one Sunday, right? Or God forbid with a pastor or priest who serves you his own idiosyncratic theology in place of your church's. Lord have mercy.