What’s up with the Church? In this Part 6 we will address the reality that celebrity culture has infiltrated the church. The society we live in is obsessed with the lives of high-profile celebrities. Television shows like “American Idol” and “Dancing with the Stars” are outgrowths of the 1980s television show “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” with Robin Leach.
Even the names support the veneration and almost worship of celebrity. All these shows are an extension of the choreographed move in our society to be entertained and to be engulfed with celebrities, while subconsciously planting in the spirits of poor people that one day they too can be among the rich and famous, living large, wallowing in extreme wealth.
Regrettably, this celebrity mindset has crept into the church of Jesus Christ where far too many people want to be stars, and not servants of Jesus Christ. Far too many pastors and preachers, in the words of Dr. John Kinney, are not satisfied with being Reverend and Pastor anymore but want the title of “Chief Apostle of the Western Hemisphere.”
The culture of stardom has wormed its way into the body of Christ. My late father used to say, “the church is the one place where anybody with any problem can come and get help to deal with and overcome that problem or predicament.”
Sadly, too many churches, and not all churches but far too many churches, sit within neighborhoods that are never impacted by the ministry of Jesus Christ, which called us to “feed the hungry and clothe the naked…” Far too many people who attend church are obsessed with power trips and having the spotlight on themselves. Far too many preachers and pastors are addicted to the pulpit rather than to a Towel and Basin as was Jesus, who said, “The Son of man came to serve and not be served.”
I also must add that in the Bible, armor bearers were a part of being a King, a Potentate or a Political powerbroker, and not a Prophet or Preacher, and certainly not a pastor. Again, there are many preachers and pastors who lovingly and humbly pick up the towel and basin to serve side by side with the people, and these pastors and preachers unfortunately are oftentimes not appreciated, or are under appreciated.
Too many members want to curry the attendance of politicians and corporate professionals in their churches who make the headlines, rather than nourish the spirit of the person holding a sign on street corners begging for handouts, because this society ignores and disdains the poor.
Listen to the next Presidential election and see if you hear any person running for the highest office who lifts up the poor? No, they will talk about the middle class and ignore the poor. Jesus spent his entire ministry not only lifting up the poor, the destitute and the peasants of first century Palestine, but He also moved among them sharing with them the resources of heaven.
What’s up with the Church? A celebrity-focused culture has infected far too many people in the church of Jesus Christ.
The church of Jesus Christ was created by Jesus Christ to be first of all a Community, in fact an alternative community of people faithful to the mandate and mission of Jesus Christ. It is intended to be a community like we see in the book of Acts, where people view each other as extended family and make sure that all have enough of what they need, because the people in the community share what they have, willingly and graciously, because they genuinely want to be more like Jesus Christ.
The church of Jesus Christ was not only created to be community, but it was created by Jesus to operate out of a mindset of Cooperation and not Competition.
This society pits poor people against one another for a sliver of a piece of the pie that wealthy corporate bosses control when the Bible says, “The earth is The Lord’s and fullness thereof…” Competition in the church creates divisions in the church where people try to create constituencies to curry favor and control rather than cooperate with one another to progress the egalitarian commission of Jesus Christ.
Ask yourself why we have denominations that try to claim they are the right denomination that Jesus loves the most? Jesus did not start a Denomination. Jesus started a church that included a diversity of people from different backgrounds and various frames of reference.
The sad reality is that the working poor and the poor, working in cooperation, can literally change this society where all people are valued, respected and enjoy the fruits of God’s provisions in this life because the masses of people working together have real power.
Jesus understood this and made it the central theme of His ministry. Jesus instructed His disciples to “Love one another as I have Loved you, by that all people will know that you are my disciples, if you Love one another as I have Loved you.”
The Apostle John expressed this sentiment of Jesus’ words even more clearly when he wrote, “How can you say that you Love God whom you have not seen, and not Love your brother and sister that you see every day?” The ministry of Jesus was Cooperation-focused within the community, and that community of cooperation was to spill over into all the world to change the world for the good.
Finally, not only was the church of Jesus Christ created to be Community, and not only was it to operate based on Cooperation, but the church of Jesus Christ was to have at its heart a spirit of Commitment, unwavering Commitment to Jesus Christ in word and in deeds, no matter what fad or trend was taking root in the society.
Notice that when Jesus lifted up a form of prayer we call “the Lord’s Prayer,” notice there are NO first-person pronouns; no “I,” “Me” or “My.” That is because the focus should always be on Christ and what Christ has enabled the people to do, so that no one becomes a celebrity, or bigshot, or high-profile superstar, only Jesus and his mandate to serve those most vulnerable in any and every society.
What’s up with the Church? The culture of the celebrity mindset has made its way into the minds of far too many people who cultivate celebrity rather than cultivating the intention of Jesus, which was to create Community, Cooperation and Commitment to the cause of Jesus Christ.
Be well, be authentic, be woke!
Rev. John E. Jackson
Rev. Dr. John E. Jackson, Sr. is the Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ-Gary, 1276 W. 20th Ave. in Gary. “We are not just another church but we are a culturally conscious, Christ-centered church, committed to the community; we are unashamedly Black and unapologetically Christian.”
