1 Corinthians 3:3-4
Yesterday, I was browsing Twitter and came across a retweet of a writer I do not follow that had a link to a blog from a very well known (and generally well-liked) writer who was lamenting that she had been called a heretic by a young woman on Twitter. The blog- by Beth Moore- goes on to point out that it is a sad state today that young people are so freely tossing around that weighty word simply because some pastor or writer they follow said it.
I think Beth Moore is right, but she is missing something as well. I'll get to what she is missing in a bit.
She is right because we do that. We listen to or read from people that we have come to respect. They have people they disagree with, and when they share that, we, being fans, disagree with as well. By proxy. But we often take it to another level. A disagreement between to people becomes a war between their followers.
My theory is that this happens because we have turned church leaders into celebrities. The ancient Greeks had their gods. These gods were very human like- petty, driven by desires they struggled to control, jealous, unfaithful; generally a soap opera. Greeks had their favorites, and I'm sure they often argued with each other over which god was right.
We do not have Greek gods. We have celebrities. Our celebrities have feuds and we pick sides. And we Christians have celebrities. They feud, too. We also pick sides. We do not look at the facts, in many cases. We simply restate, with more vitriol, what our celebrity said. We do this because have identified ourselves with that celebrity, and we fight for them because we feel that connection to them.
Like in the Corinthians passage I opened with, when Christians do this, we are being worldly. We are like the ancient Greeks, or those who incessantly argue who is better: Backstreet Boys or N'Sync, Katy Perry or Lady Gaga?
The Greeks defended gods who could not defend themselves. We defend celebrities who can, but too often, it seems they choose not to. This is where I think Beth Moore missed something. Some writers- not saying this is Beth Moore, by the way- seem to enjoy the controversy their feud stirs up. It's free press. A legitimate concern about an opinion another leader expressed becomes slanderous and accusatory, and the originator of the complaint lets it keep going. Maybe they are not aware, or maybe they are.
It is incumbent upon Christian leaders and writers to be aware that we live in a time of conflict. Our world has an us versus them mentality. If we call someone out, even if it is justified, we must be aware that our words may have a potency we are not expecting.
I also think it is time for Christian leaders to actively reject the air of celebrity around them. Jesus is getting lost in that air of celebrity- and I realize that is not the intent of the Christian leaders, but are they speaking out against it loudly enough? When Purpose Driven Life was at its peak of popularity, the merchandising was out out of control- pens, calendars, stickers, stationary all bore the symbol. (I was half expecting a line of Purpose Driven Cars.). Every Man's Battle was a hit a long line of books bearing the title Every______'s Battle flooded out. I've heard numerous accounts that the authors of these books took very little in the way of compensation, but did they realize the air of celebrity they were promoting? Should they have? (Just to be clear, I am not attacking these people, just using their work as an example of how we can be caught up in celebrity and fads, and how leaders should be aware of the power they hold.)
Lest you think this admonition is simply for actual famous church leaders- it is also for the local church leaders. Like it or not, you can be a type of celebrity in your church or even your community. I've experienced it. At first it is uncomfortable. Then you realize you can use it to spread Jesus. But if you are not careful, it can become about keeping your "fame" as much or more than it is about Jesus.
Christians using fame to spread Jesus is not wrong. Fame is a tool. But without caution, a tool can harm you and others. If you are not focused on using a circular saw, it can get away from you and cut off a finger- or harm someone near you. Your words, your opinions, your fame is a powerful saw. If people listen to you- mind your manner of sharing information. If you feel your words are being taken beyond their intent- put a stop to it. If you are angry and you are justified in an accusation, make sure that the manner in which you share it is completely Biblical- not human (see Corinthians above).
