American Idolatry
We don’t think we have a problem with idolatry today. Idolatry is an Old Testament problem, no one today creates an idol, gives it praise and expects it to be something that will change the world even when deep down we know it is not.
Yet we do. I could give you a couple of examples, but let me talk on one I think is at the top of our populace right now, Celebrity.
We worship celebrity. Stars are the number one followers on Twitter. We devote shows and magazines to them. The pinnacle of success is now defined not by accomplishment or wealth or power but by fame. People follow after it and crave it as much as any religion. We look to celebrities to shape our world. The tell us how to vote, what to accept and the causes we should support. We literally idolize them!
This isn’t just in the world either, it is in the Church. Watch how we respond when a famous person says something positive about Christianity. We put them on a pedestal, even if everything else they say or do is outside the will of God.
Look at how we treat a brother that finds themselves in the public eye. We make them the focus. That guy was a weatherman on TV or a known sports star or was on a reality TV show, we should get them to speak at our next youth rally or gospel meeting. Now they may be a good speaker with a right message, but honestly, that is not what we care about; it is that they are famous! We began to rally around those that get a following and revere them. (Is it any wonder why so many preachers seem to spend so much time on self-promotion as anything else, that’s how we view a success!)
We judge a youth group or a church not by isn’t faithfulness or service, but how many people it has. The more people, the more popular, the better! I don’t know how many time people will ask me the ‘size’ question[i] when they learn about my work. Why? As if a hundred lukewarm believers are more pleasing than 10 devoted ones. But we think of success as a number of people since the idol we serve is popularity.
The idol of celebrity and fame is like all idols; a poor replacement for God. It won’t matter how many people know my name if God doesn’t. It won’t matter if everyone like me if God doesn’t. The celebs don’t have the answer, God does. Just because a person has fame doesn’t mean he can make my life any better. ‘Star power’ is nothing compared to the power of the One who made the stars.
No one deserves my worship but God. No man should be raised up to his place. The message of Christ should be what I desire, not the stories of men. I should be seeking the narrow way even if it isn’t the popular one.
For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not being merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
1st Corinthians 3:4-7
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