The Challenge of Our Times

Celebrity-driven religion is one of the reasons why today’s Christianity is so shallow. So much so that it’s a profound challenge to drown a gnat in it.

The marks of a celebrity are twofold. They are overexposed and inaccessible. (And very often, they’re underdeveloped.) Try reaching Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis, or Taylor Swift with an email or Facebook message. Inaccessibility creates a certain mystique that gives the impression that someone is a VIP. This is true regardless of the person’s intent.

On the flip side, here’s an easy way to detect a celebrity-driven Christian.

* You share an audio message with a friend, a message that’s blown your mind and changed your life. Your friend is monumentally disinterested because he/she has never heard of the speaker. By contrast, if the message was by [name of celebrity preacher], your friend would listen to it in a heartbeat and thank you for sharing it.

* You share a book with a friend, a book that has marked a milestone in your spiritual life. Your friend is monumentally disinterested because he has never heard of the author or has a vague familiarity with her or him. By contrast, if the book was by [name of celebrity author], your friend would order it in a New York minute and thank you for sharing it.

The same applies to conferences, trainings, events, etc.

In effect, the celebrity-driven Christian only has time for what’s popular and/or what his or her friends are into.

Strikingly, all throughout the Bible, virtually every time the majority decided on something, it was outside of God’s will. That’s another story, but it underscores the principle that what’s popular usually doesn’t represent the Lord’s best or highest.

My point is woven into this prayer: Lord, raise up more servants who can declare your Eternal Purpose with gripping power and who have no interest in being celebrities. And raise up more believers who are seeking the true riches, regardless of who delivers them.