Are We Worshiping Celebrities in Church?

What if our obsession with celebrities

isn't just cultural, it's actually

spiritual? And even as Christians, could

we be worshiping modern idols without

even knowing it? And if we were, how

would we even know? Welcome to Provoking

Inspire, where I wrestle with culture

and current events by asking, "What

would Jesus think? And what would Jesus

do?"

Many years ago, my band, No Longer

Music, was invited to perform at one of

the largest Christian festivals in the

US. We were given one of the prime slots

on the second largest stage in the

festival. And I remember being very,

very excited. I remember pulling up in

our band van and parking in a spot

designated for artists before making our

way to this special trailer especially

for band registration. A few minutes

later, I had my black artist pass

proudly dangling from my belt loop on my

skinny jeans and I felt really, really

cool. I remember walking around the

festival just assuming that everyone I

passed must have thought, "Oh, he is an

artist." And then all of a sudden it

dawned on me just how ridiculous this

whole attitude was. Since then, I've

named this the backstage mentality. And

whenever I feel it creeping up on me, I

try to identify it and kill it before it

grows. A couple years later, I had the

very unique privilege of being an extra

on the set of James Cameron's film

Avatar, which later turned out to be one

of the highest grossing films in

history. It was a memorable four months

filled with wild experiences. But there

was something really unsettling about

it. Also, never before had I wrestled so

intensely with this spirit of envy. I

was jealous of the other extras who

received more prominent scenes than me.

Actors and stuntmen would walk by and

I'd think, man, I want to be cool like

them. How do I become more important

around here? What came over me during

this time was very similar to the music

festival experience. Put simply, I

wanted to stand out. I wanted to be

noticed. I didn't want to be just normal

like everybody else. I wanted to be

famous. You know, fame is really kind of

strange. On the one hand, it's easy to

see why its byproducts are alluring,

right? It comes with money and comfort

and unique experiences. But there's

something very seductive about fame that

pulls at us from the depths of our soul.

Celebrities continue to warn us that

there is no prize at the top of the

mountain, but nevertheless, we climb on.

So, what fuels this hunger? Why do we

crave the spotlight, chase approval, and

obsess over all the people who seem to

have it? I recognize two things at the

root of this longing. First, there is a

desire to matter. Look, wanting to be

valued is not bad. It's actually a very

healthy desire. The problem is that most

of us are looking to fulfill this in all

the wrong places. Deep down, we want to

be known. Not just noticed, but truly

known. That need can only be satisfied

in a personal relationship with our

creator. But we are impaired people

living in a sinful world. And when we

don't allow God to meet our desires, we

start searching elsewhere. One of the

most natural places to turn is to human

praise. And in our culture, no one is

praised more loudly or frequently than

celebrities. So, we fixate on fame,

hoping that maybe if we had what they

have, we'd finally feel like we matter.

The first step to rejecting the

celebrity trap is being honest about

what's really driving us. Human praise

is so fickle. It comes and it goes. It's

never enough. We need to remind

ourselves that only Jesus can satisfy

the deepest longings of our hearts. The

second thing I need to recognize is the

desire to make a difference. Steve Jobs

once said, "Every person was made to

make a dent in the universe." And he was

right. And he definitely made his dent.

I mean, I'm recording this on a Mac

after all. But more importantly, his

statement touches on something true for

all of us. A longing for our lives to

matter beyond ourselves, for our legacy

to last. Who wants to feel like their

life added up to nothing? That all their

work and all their energy and time made

no real impact? The universal desire to

dent the world isn't wrong. I think it

reflects the image of God within us. The

issue is that the world's definition of

success is warped. It elevates

superficial qualities like beauty and

fame and wealth or slightly less shallow

ones like talent, creativity, or

intellect. These may earn attention, but

they're only shadows of the kind of

significance we truly crave. Jesus gives

us a different picture altogether. His

life was marked by poverty and sacrifice

and suffering. He redefined success. It

wasn't about status or applause. It was

about serving others. Laying down his

life and giving instead of taking this

version of significance, this losing

your life for the sake of others is

radically different from what our

culture is selling us. But maybe it's

exactly the antidote our famesick world

needs. Thanks for watching Provoke and

Inspire. If you enjoyed this content,

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for everything else. That's it. Peace.