We love Christian celebrities. And by that I don’t just mean speakers and pastors who gain celebrity status in the Christian world. I mean famous celebrities in secular spaces – think Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Daddy Yankeeor the last, Hulk Hogan— who publicly convert or make a profession of faith.
In one sense, this rejoicing is good and right, an extension of “rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). But applauding celebrities’ professions of faith from afar isn’t quite the same thing as rejoicing at witnessing true repentance. And if we’re not careful, we can end up grasping at twigs, looking for the most subtle signs that our favorite famous people are believers, even if they bear little or no fruit (Matt. 7:15-20).
This habit of seeking out Christians in high places is popular across all cultural and political lines. Our family watched football games together when I was growing up, and every time a player pointed to the sky after a touchdown, my mother would say (sometimes jokingly, sometimes not), “I bet he’s a Christian!” She and my sisters now do the same thing with members of a K-pop group, and I once had a low-key roommate who was obsessed with Justin Bieber and regularly prayed for his salvation.
Believers on both sides of the political aisle are eager to prove that their favorite politicians are actually saved — like those who claim former President Donald Trump was (repeatedly) directed in the sinner’s prayer, or those who points to participation in President Joe Biden’s mass as an authentic sign of faith.
Last fall, as soon as news of actor Matthew Perry’s death spread, Christians began circulating quotes from his autobiography detailing a powerful encounter he had with God. A few weeks ago, Christians were flipping through the pages of Britney Spears’ new book. memory for kernels of faith – which are there, alongside his account of learning Kabbalah from Madonna and the revelation that she has no “strict ideas about religion”.
Spears’s religious syncretism is one reason why this eagerness to find crumbs of faith is not a mere Christian hope: it encourages us to overlook serious departures from basic orthodoxy in our enthusiasm to claim a famous soul.
More recently, there has been debate in evangelical circles about the Muslim intellectual figure turned new atheist Ayaan Hirsi Ali, whose public conversion outlines her reasons for subscribing to Christianity but does not mention Jesus at all. While some say she’s just a new believer who doesn’t have the right words yet, others speculate that she did not so much acquire a Christian faith as accept the Judeo-Christian worldview as a sociopolitical tool.
Moreover, our obsession with celebrity conversions demonstrates a kind of favoritism that Scripture explicitly forbids (Galatians 2:6; 1 Tim. 5:21). James 2 warns us about this: “My brothers and sisters, those who believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism,” because “if you truly keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘love your neighbor as yourself’, you are right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors” (vv. 1, 8, 9).
The rejoicings in heaven seem impartial, but the greatest rejoicings here below are too often reserved for famous sinners. After all, do we rejoice with the same enthusiasm when people from other sectors become believers? Do we jump for joy when we discover our plumber is a Christian? Are we just as hungry for signs that our ordinary neighbor or colleague is beginning to believe in Jesus?
Of course, our neighbor’s conversion probably won’t make Christianity any cooler, unlike celebrity conversions. It’s hard to imagine that this isn’t a factor in this phenomenon. Maybewe think, public conversion of a famous person will help the cause of Christianity.
Certainly, the Bible makes it clear that we are all called to use our talents to glorify God (Matt. 25) – and that may include world-wide fame, popularity among our peers, or general esteem for our good deeds (1 Peter 2). . :12). But Jesus’ earthly ministry was not based on the social status of great converts. He did not seek out the wealthy or well-liked, but rather those who were on the fringes and held little or no power and influence.
The Old and New Testaments are congruent from beginning to end in demonstrating that God chooses foolish things to shame the wise, exalts trivial things to shame the proud, and values those whom the world finds most valuable. the most worthless (1 Cor. 1:28).
Indeed, in the body of Christ, Paul says, “the parts which we judge less honorable we treat with special honor,” because “God constituted the body, giving more honor to those parts which lacked it.” For what? “That there be no division in the body, but that its parts have equal concern for one another. If one part suffers, all parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all parts rejoice with it” (1 Cor. 12:23-27).
When we unduly exalt those who are already exalted, we risk failing to care for this part of the body of Christ in a different way. We risk doing a great disservice to the people we admire, especially when they are new believers and therefore vulnerable in their faith. The Bible repeatedly warns against pride (Prov. 8:13; 1 Peter 5:5; James 4:6), but praising Christian celebrities encourages it.
Improper honor can also force famous new Christians to lead an age of faith when they would be better off following. Last fall, television personality and entrepreneur – and former occultist – Kat Von D released a video of his public baptism on Instagram. Her message was shared by countless stunned believers, and yet she made it clear in a tracking video that she probably won’t talk much about her faith online: “If you start following me because you think it’s going to become some sort of Christian meme page, that’s not going to happen. »
“It’s for no other reason that I don’t really feel equipped to be the example of Christianity,” Von D continued. “I think I’m still learning and that by doing so I’ll be better team.” This is wise, because as James advised, “Few of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, for you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” (James 3:1). Especially for those with a large following, good discipleship should take precedence.
Jesus Christ himself became famous, but he’s not a superstar– nor are his followers called to glory. The conversion stories we amplify should not be tributes to a secular celebrity but testimonies to God’s grace. Let’s not direct our evangelization strategy to reach the famous at the expense of the abandoned, and let’s stop looking for celebrities to validate our faith.
Stefani McDade is theology editor at Christianity today.
