Celebrity culture in the church
It’s so enticing, and so much a part of the US evangelical church culture. Yet the lure of celebrity can deceive us into agreeing with much that is not God.
It’s so enticing, and so much a part of the US evangelical church culture. Yet the lure of celebrity can deceive us into agreeing with much that is not God.
I saw it for the first time in a meeting I called and led. No. Actually: I realized then what I had been seeing for years. It broke my heart. I’ve tried to tell the story twice before. Both times, I described what happened in that meeting, but did not include any backstory. Now it’s time to write the whole story. Bring honor to your name, holy Lord.
Real rest is so different from what I had thought. It’s so much more expansive, and desirable, and enjoyable. And it’s so very vital. Thing is, I desperately needed real rest long before I knew I needed it. I had no clue how rest-deprived I was.
A true story from the past it seems important to tell. Four questions about the present it seems important to ask.
Ultimately, collectively, the church quenched the Spirit’s voice in order to embrace the society’s values. The church began to preach - and to try to live - a righteousness unencumbered with justice. But. God.
There is no good way to talk about what is very hard to hear. And yet it's crucial to say it. It’s crucial to put the truth out there for anyone willing to ask: "Tell us about past events, so that we can reflect on them and understand their consequences. So we can choose a different way."
Even a cursory look at all levels of leadership in US churches, denominations, networks and ministries reveals that what should be foundational is often absent. Many leaders do not know how to follow God.
When someone can’t breathe, it’s time to act. Often, however, the person with this problem cannot initiate action. As we learn to live by the Breath, God may entrust us with being first responders to others who cannot breathe.
Choosing to go with God where my church culture had forbidden, I had no clue how much seeing and grieving lay ahead. And how very much love and life.
Abuse had begun to open my eyes to evils in my church culture. Then, God took me on a pilgrimage into the past, to show me what is happening now.
Mobbing, or adult bullying, is abuse. It's a form of psychological violence. It's agonizing to experience, and the agony multiplies when you have believed the abusers and their colluders to be godly Christians. Bullying thrives in systems where manipulation, coercion and control are accepted as the norm.
Mark Charles is a prophetic voice to the US church culture. He describes himself this way: “I do not lead any organization nor do I work solely for a specific…