It's an oddity of human nature: we want to worship one of ourselves. We want to look to another human being and convince ourselves that he or she is better, more perfect, living on a higher plane than we are. We believe that our job is to idolize these people, glorify them, and cheer them on, while their job is to achieve some kind of greatness we never could.
Another oddity of human nature: there are enough crazies in the world who are willing to accept this position on a pedestal. They get all the power and glory that comes with it, and all the humiliation when they fall off. Is it really necessary to name names here? The list of sports heroes, rock stars, politicians, TV personalities, and religious leaders is long and very familiar, and new names seem to be added daily.
We can point an accusing finger and say, "how dare you put yourself up on that pedestal!" But they only stand there because there were enough people who wanted them to. We build the greenhouses where the narcissus flowers grow. Why? Why do we so badly want a god from among our own ranks? And the church might be the worst offender, especially considering that this is the church we're talking about, the one place where God has supposedly already been identified. What excuse do we have for refocusing the spotlight onto someone else?
There is only room for one God. A church, or a pastor, or a Christian, can't simultaneously draw attention to Jesus and to himself (herself, itself). Thankfully Paul and Barnabas understood that the words "celebrity" and "church leader" do not go together.
(props to Brad for finding the cartoon and David Hayward for drawing it. his May 6 cartoon is equally insightful)
How many pastors today have been left for dead because they didn't buy into the "celebrity." They probably have an effective ministry somewhere we've never heard of doing good for others and honoring God, but they don't get invited to speak at events or write books because "they" haven't succeeded. I think it's sad, but kudos to those pastors who not-so-quietly approach their call to ministry as a call to selflessness. I want to be more like them, but unfortunately my heart drifts toward the dangerous.
ReplyDeleteThe Siren Call of success (numbers, growth, etc...) Stephen only preached one message, and was stoned to death for it. Yet I would venture to say every Christian knows who he is. That I may know and trust God like Stephen did.
ReplyDelete