Celebrity Preachers
A modern evangelical term of derision is “celebrity pastor.” It is used to describe famous preachers who have reached celebrity status. People who know them, drop their names. They are asked to sign the books they (or their ghostwriters) write and prolifically and profitably publish. They are the headliners at conferences, their professionally produced portraits printed on glossy ads and widely distributed. They live like, and often act like, the actors of Hollywood fame. They get green rooms and security. They idolize themselves as much or more than they are idolized by the masses of evangelical plebs.
Reading between the lines, you might surmise that I’m not a fan of this kind of Christian culture. You would be right to think that. Nevertheless, we have to acknowledge and accept the fact that some preachers are better at it than others. Some preachers are tremendously gifted, and they naturally gain a following because of their skill. People want to listen to people who are listenable. We shouldn’t begrudge that. It is the way things are.
Dare I say it? It is okay to be famous. We even find Paul writing about a guy who, in the brief time the church had been in existence, had become “famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel.” Paul doesn’t even slightly suggest this man is in sin for this. This person was appointed by the church to travel with Paul to help take care of some benevolence ministries.
You might have the same question I had when reading this passage from 2 Corinthians. Who was this famous preacher? What was his name? Do we know about him from other Bible passages? Ironically, Paul doesn’t give us the name of the famous preacher. We don’t know who Paul was referring to. Possibly there is something instructive in that for us.
I don’t know of any potentially famous people who would read this, but if perchance there are some, my advice would be fame is okay, celebrity is not. You can’t help it if people like you and are drawn to you because of your personality and gifting. But be careful that you don’t start thinking more of yourself than you should. Stay humble. Do your best to keep others from idolizing you.
To the rest of us peasants…Don’t put men on a pedestal. The higher you raise them up, the further they can fall. You won’t be disappointed in men if you remind yourself that they are just men. Sure, you can appreciate their gifts and be blessed by their ministries but be wary of yourself when you start name-dropping and fan-boying over someone.
One last word on this…Interestingly, this person is mentioned in a letter to the Corinthian church. That church was the one that had a problem with aligning itself around men in unhealthy ways. “I am of Apollos, I am of Peter, I am of Paul, I am of Jesus…” It might be that Paul referred to this famous preacher the way he did with a hint of sarcasm. He might be reminding the Corinthian believers of what he condemned them for in his first letter. Don’t be dividing up over the next big thing. He is good at preaching the gospel, but he isn’t God.
Wow, a lot of food for thought here. Thank you for your thoughts & insight