Celebrities For Jesus

Pastor’s Bookshelf - Welcome to my bookshelf! Each month I will discuss a recent book that I’ve finished. *disclaimer; I don’t always have time to sit and read physical books, but I do quite a bit of my reading through audiobooks these days.*

This month I’d like to talk about Celebrities For Jesus

By Katelyn Beaty

Katelyn Beaty is an award winning journalist and life long Christian who has worked in Christian publishing for a really long time. She has a sharp writing style that comes across as both well researched and very accessible. She weaves a narrative out of widely shared viral news stories, the hard facts behind them and even out of her personal experience. This book is not only a great read – but also incredibly timely for this particular cultural moment.

The subtitle of the book is “How Personas, Platforms, and Profits Are Hurting The Church.” For so many of us the mission of spreading the name of Jesus is SO VITALLY important, that we are willing to compromise some of our ethical foundations if it means we can get a larger platform. We will support leaders of questionable character if they can bring in a crowd. Using real world scenarios and true news stories, Katelyn highlights the need for spiritual maturity and accountability in leadership.

As human beings, we are drawn to power and prestige, to platforms and personas. We like elevating leaders and believing that they can do no wrong, and they have all the answers. Katelyn shines a gentle but firm light on the weakness of this posture. It is a far better thing to see leaders as real people. Not only do they need accountability (just like the rest of us) – but actually the whole framework that elevated them is problematic and needs to be re-thought. In light of the false intimacy that social media and celebrity fame can feed us – perhaps it’s better for us to pursue ACTUAL connection through smaller, but more real relationships. Definitely a book that is worth your time, I highly recommend you read this beautiful book.