Should We Be Scared of the Fame Monster?

Photo Credit: ama_lia

The late, great artist Andy Warhol famously claimed that, "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for fifteen minutes."  Unfortunately for us, it appears that the future has arrived.  From reality television characters to YouTube sensations, new stars rise among us each day, only to evaporate within hours or days.

You only need to watch an episode of American Idol auditions to witness the thousands of people hoping to become famous.  Hoping for the riches and power that fame brings along with it, self-glorifying wannabe superstars will do whatever it takes to get their mug on camera or on the Internet.  And it's not just adults trying to become famous.  More and more parents are putting their children forth in the hopes that an adoring public will embrace them.

But we have to ask ourselves, "Is the fame worth it?"  With all the money and popularity and recognition and "stuff" that fame brings, is it really worth it?  Apparently, Billy Ray Cyrus doesn't think so.  In a recent GQ interview, Cyrus worries about what fame has done to his family and the toll that it has taken on his daughter, Miley (of Disney's Hannah Montana fame):

"How many interviews did I give and say, 'You know what's important between me and Miley is I try to be a friend to my kids'? I said it a lot. And sometimes I would even read other parents might say, 'You don't need to be a friend, you need to be a parent.' Well, I'm the first guy to say to them right now: You were right. I should have been a better parent. I should have said, 'Enough is enough — it's getting dangerous and somebody’s going to get hurt.' I should have, but I didn't. Honestly, I didn't know the ball was out of bounds until it was way up in the stands somewhere."

As is the case for many children thrust into the entertainment field at a young age, Miley Cyrus comes from a home with parents who identify themselves as Christians.  In a fascinating Wall Street Journal article entitled God at the Grammys: The Chosen Ones, writer Neil Strauss addresses this phenomenon of performers who feel that it is God's calling on their life to be famous.  From Lady Gaga to Eminem to Snoop Dogg to Christina Aguilera, many of today's top entertainers have a sense of "divine mission" when it comes to their art...and their fame.

Strauss comments:

"Before they were famous, many of the biggest pop stars in the world believed that God wanted them to be famous, that this was his plan for them, just as it was his plan for the rest of us not to be famous. Conversely, many equally talented but slightly less famous musicians I've interviewed felt their success was accidental or undeserved—and soon after fell out of the limelight...

Let's call it competitive theism, a self-styled spirituality that can be overlaid on any religion and has nothing to do with personal morality. This faith gap, I've noticed in the interviews I've done, is often what sets the merely famous apart from the ridiculously famous. It can make the difference between achieving what's possible and accomplishing what seems impossible...

This isn't to say that every person who tops the charts believes in God's will. There are plenty of exceptions, but fewer than you'd think. Contemporary pop stars have rarely declared themselves atheists. In fact, the pop stars condemned by religious groups have often been the most fervent believers, from Elvis Presley (who was reading a book about Jesus when he died in his bathroom) to Lady Gaga (whose "Born This Way," a new single launched with great fanfare this weekend, declares that "no matter gay, straight or bi," we are all part of God's plan)."

The fame monster is alive and well within our culture but I don't think it's God's doing. From what I know of God, his plan is that HE would become famous and that our job is to help in that process. In the words of John Piper, we are to make much of Him and not much of ourselves. This innate desire that we have as humans to make our name great goes back to ancient times and is vividly displayed early on in the Bible in the story of The Tower of Babel.

When our desire in life is to make God's name great, it will lead us to a greater sense of humility and service to others.  When we seek to make our own name great, it will ultimately lead to tragedy and heartbreak.  I do not say all of that to assert that everyone that is famous is not part of God's plan.  Within God's economy there probably are individuals that become well-known so that His purposes can be displayed through their life.  So, in a sense, their fame is part of His plan.

But to intentionally seek out fame and fortune for our own purposes will not lead to a place of contentment and fulfillment or in God being glorified.  We need look no further than the wake of broken relationships, substance addictions, bankruptcies and other calamities that befall so many that are famous to realize that fame is not a promise to a better life.

Since I am not famous and am not friends with anyone that would fit into that category, it would be unfair of me to say that fame and fulfillment can't go together.  I'm sure that there are some famous people that are truly happy and enjoy rich relationships with others and are able to put their money to good use.  But based on what I see from my limited perspective, I'm guessing that they are far and few between.

Our objective in life should not be to ask God to fit into our plans and bless what we're doing.  Our goal should be to find God's plan and what He is already blessing and fit our lives into that.  I prefer to make Him famous.  It just works out better that way.

(h/t to Get Religion for the link to the Strauss article.)

Don't Believe Everything You Read

With the unusually high number of actual celebrity deaths that have taken place in recent weeks there has also been a slew of false reports about other famous people that have supposedly died. While checking my Twitter page last week I saw a few tweets that said actor Jeff Goldblum (pictured here) had been killed on a movie set in New Zealand.

After a quick Google search and checking a few reputable online sites, I saw no report of his death and guessed correctly that it was a hoax. But Goldblum isn't the only actor that has been reported to kick the bucket recently. I've also read that stars like Harrison Ford and George Clooney had died. (For what it's worth, they're still around).

Actor Rainn Wilson, who plays the immortal Dwight Schrute on NBC's The Office, showed his funny side when he broke the story on his Twitter page that he, too, had apparently died on a movie set in New Zealand. CNN.com writes that Goldblum also took it all in good fun when he appeared on the Colbert Report:

"In the episode, host Stephen Colbert jokes that he thinks Goldblum is dead even as the actor appears on stage beside him.

Goldblum then posts to Twitter to try to prove that he is still living.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have huge news," Colbert says, upon reading Goldblum's tweet on his phone. "The dead can Twitter."

Goldblum then reads his own false obituary into the camera."

Very simply, don't believe everything you read. With the popular of online social networking, news, whether it is true or not, travels more rapidly than ever before. So anytime you see a friend or an online site posting something outlandish, make sure you double-check your sources before spreading the information on. Check the sites for established newspapers online for breaking news and visit http://www.snopes.com/ to check on newer rumors or potential urban legends. Your friends will thank you for it.

Christians & The Cult of Personality

The digital age in which we now reside has caused the profile of a growing number of Christian leaders to grow among Christians and non-believers alike. In the past a relatively small number of Christian pastors were well-known by the general population, often because of their prominence in a certain field. Billy Graham (evangelism), Martin Luther King, Jr. (civil rights), and Jerry Falwell (politics) are a few that come to mind.

Nowadays, there are several pastors that are well-recognized among Christians and non-church goers, as well. Rick Warren, Joel Osteen and T.D. Jakes are a few of the more prominent examples. With thousands flocking to hear their sermons each weekend, these pastors are also able to spread their message through their books, television broadcasts, the Internet and other forms of modern media.

Because of this accessibility, many of these figures are treated as celebrities. In fact, even those that aren't well-known carry themselves as such. For example, there is a church near my home that is not that well-known. I've met a lot of people who attend church in Orlando and I can't recall ever meeting anyone that attends this particular congregation. Right at a major intersection near my house towers a huge billboard with the pastor's picture and name advertised for all to see. The billboard almost shouts out, "Hey, don't you want to go to a cool church led by this cool guy?"

The ad seems to market the pastor as the reason to attend this church. And, to be honest, I doubt few outside of his congregation really know who he is. But even if he was a best-selling author and the church had a popular television program, should the pastor be the selling point about why someone should check out the church?

John Piper, a well-known pastor himself, comments on this phenomenon in an article entitled, "Hero Worship and Holy Emulation." Pastor Piper addresses this issue of celebrity pastors from a perspective that few of us can equal. Namely, because he is one. His wisdom is telling:

"What is the meaning of the attention given to well-known pastors? What does the desire for autographs and photographs mean? The negative meaning would be something akin to name-dropping. Our egos are massaged if we can say we know someone famous. You see this on blogs with words like “my friend Barack” and the like. And I presume that, for some, an autograph or a photo has the same ego-boost.

However, I don’t assume the worst of people. There are other possible motives. We will see this below. But it is good to emphasize that all of this is more dangerous to our souls than bullets and bombs. Pride is more fatal than death.

When I say “our souls” I mean all of us—the signature-seeker, the signer, and the cynic who condemns it all (on his very public blog). There is no escaping this new world. The question is, How do we navigate it for the glory of Christ, the crucifixion of self, the spread of truth, the deepening of faith, and the empowering of sacrificial love?"

Piper goes on to share the difference between worship and appropriate admiration in a balanced and convincing manner. While it is fitting to look up to and admire those that are godly leaders, our worship should always be reserved for the Lord Jesus Himself. You can read the whole article here.