Gospel Prism

I remember when I was in seminary, John Piper came to deliver a lecture. After his talk, along line formed so that people could get their John Piper books signed by him. Most of you know how much I appreciate Dr. Piper. His works and life have influenced me more than any other modern day preacher/pastor/theologian. I wrote a whole blog entry on why I admired him so much. But as I sat there watching the throng gather for their books to be signed, I felt a bit uneasy. I’m not exactly sure why but getting my book signed by a person seemed to convey, at least at the time, a bit of celebrityism.

Looking back, there probably was a bit of pride in my heart, as if to say, “Well, I’m above them. I won’t get MY book signed by them. I won’t run to my room digging through my shelves to dump every Piper book on him for his magical signature.� I do think there could be exhortative value in getting an author to sign a book, but that would mean an author writing a personal note to you as the reader. I had a professor named J. Christy Wilson, one of the most godly and humble men I have ever known. He signed a book for me once, with a verse that spoke to me as a person, and not as a groupee. I have had different authors sign their books and give them to me with words of meaning and affection in them. Certainly, there is nothing wrong with having an author sign a book for encouragement. But to gawk and swoon because of a Christian celebrity smacks of idolatry at some level.
As godly and influential of a man John Piper is, he is still a man. He is a sinner in need of grace (Romans 3:23). He is God’s worker (Ephesians 2:8-10). And so he and anyone in the church must not be worshipped, even in the slightest. As sheep that follow shepherds, we have an important responsibility to make certain that our hearts never bow to any man or woman. It is our natural tendency to worship creatures rather than the Creator as Paul writes in Romans 1:25.

But Christian ‘celebrities’ also have an important responsibility. They must make sure that people do not worship them. They must exhort and urge people by their lifestyle, by their continual reminders, and sometimes even by interjecting when people do so. Christian celebritism happened in the apostles’ day. Here’s how Peter handled it:

And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” (Acts 10:24-25)

Peter would not allow Cornelius to worship him. But look what happens when human beings accept and revel in such worship:

Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king’s country for food. 21On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. 22And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” 23Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last. (Acts 12:20-23)

And if we lived in Paul’s day and age, I wonder how many Christian celebrities would still clamor for the spotlight, if like Paul, and Peter, and James, and most of the disciples, to be a Christian celebrity meant that your head would eventually be on the chopping block (literally)?

Here’s a quote from Mark Moore’s blog at Resurgence. Listen to what our Christian culture has turned into, the Christian Entertainment Tonight. We are no different than the world and therefore our witness to the world is failing:

I write this article with the taste of several different cheap women’s perfumes in my mouth. Today I went to a Christian bookstore, the largest and most popular in the area, and upon entering the doors stepped into a sea of overly excited women. The mixture of the perfumes alone was enough to knock me unconscious. It did not take me long to discover the occasion for this mass gathering of women with giddy schoolgirl smiles. Every available display table at the front of the store was full of the latest Joyce Meyer book entitled The Confident Woman. Beside the tables was a pallet with stacks of boxes, at least a hundred cases of the book. That’s when it hit me. She was here. Joyce Meyer, the queen of charismania was here. I moved into the store to discover several hundred people, mostly women, waiting in line to get her autograph. As they stood in line they discussed how “anointed” she was while clutching her books, posters, and bobble head dolls. Strangely, there were a few men in line as well. Most of them had just come from the Thomas Kinkade section where they were looking for a new picture to put above their aquarium.

A store official quickly greeted me, recognizing I was totally out of place, and asked if she could help me. I informed her that I needed no help and that I was simply making my way to the theology section. She wished me luck and I worked my way through the throngs of people, all of who watched me cautiously to make sure that I wasn’t trying to cut in front of them in line. Not wanting to bore you with the rest of my adventures in this circus atmosphere, I’ll get to the point. The book that I went in to get was The Finished Work of Christ by Francis Schaeffer. Ironically, Joyce Meyer does not believe in the finished work of Christ on the cross. The store I was in seemed not to believe in it either. They had thousands of Joyce Meyers’ new book, not to mention multiple copies of every volume of America’s most famous modalist bishop. The majority of Schaeffer’s works, who is perhaps one of the most influential Christians in the past hundred years, have been relegated to special order or do not carry. I walked out of the store sad, angry, sarcastic, and laughing while wanting to cry. This is the state of “American Christianity.”

The church is happy to drink stagnant water unaware that the results are spiritual staph infection. Not only does Joyce Meyer not believe in the finished work of Christ on the cross (she believes that Jesus was pronounced guilty on the cross, but did not pay for sin until he went to hell), but she also believes that she is no longer a sinner.