Christian Celebrity| still looking for a saviour?

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hate Christian celebrity. It makes me puke…

That could be the end of my post but I’m also really fascinated by it. I know I should read Pete Ward’s book…but time and all that.

I’m fascinated by it not because I want to slag people off who find themselves as a ‘Christian celebrity’ but by what it says about humanity and particularly Christians. I’m intrigued that people want to put all their hopes and dreams about the church into one person and forget that our hopes and dreams should be located somewhere more heavenly…

One area that I’ve been thinking about is how we respond to the claim that life is fragmenting into a series of perpetual presents, rather than having a sense of the linear. All is present, all is now, there is no such thing as history. Yet, whilst this maybe the common culture experience of post-modernity it is also deeply unsatisfying and so how do we reach beyond the present into something more lasting – celebrity.

I’ve wittered on about Poeisis before and one area of poiesis is the desire to reach beyond the cycle of the present. This can be done in many ways, one is procreation, one is artistic works and another is by raising a celebrity who is ‘more important’ than ourselves. A celebrity who has the potential to influence more than the immediate to reach beyond the present as their ideas are seen as the future. A poiesis – if we align ourselves with this celebrity we in a way reach beyond the present into something else.

It maybe that in Christian celebrity we see a person who we hope will reach beyond the perpetual present into something more permanent. Therefore I'm not going to blame 'them' but perhaps its something in humanity that reaches beyond us...

Comments

[maggi dawn]

is there a difference between a remarkable leader/hero/inspirational person, and a celebrity? Celebrity seems to raise people above their realistic status. But can we shun the idea and practice of celebrity, but allow people to lead us beyond ourselves through their particular gifts without either putting them on a pedestal, or resigning our responsibility to use our own gifts too? For me the best kind of hero (male or female) is one who, rather than just drawing admiration, inspires others to become bigger people themselves. Those are the ones, in my view, who propel us into the future, because the focus is not ultimately on them.

[Alan Smithee]

If you publish something, you have to be prepared to put up with what you receive in return.

I also had others reading at the time I published and they have now seen you deleted it. You have now discredited yourself as you censored with absolutely no reply. That is digital fascism.

But I apologise if I offended you in any way, brother. Forgive me.

[benedson]

Hi Alan, thanks for the post. Perhaps I was over zealous in deleting all your comments, I felt your last few were personal and not constructive and hence I deleted them all.

Ben

[Alan Smithee]

Ah, excellent news! I'm sorry if you felt they were personal and not constructive, or indeed if my posts have ever come across as aggressive (fascism is such a dirty word).

I just believe that public debate needs to be entered into carefully because we all fall into the traps of saying things before we've realised the impact our words have. As the wisdom of Proverbs has reminded us often, I think.

But I wish you well in future endeavours.

God bless.