Religious Celebrities

Something hasbeens said in a politics thread got me to thinking . . .

How many of us give any credence to TV preachers & the like? Do you trust any of them? Why or why not?

I am not Christian, but I used to consider myself one. Most celebrity preachers always seemed like sleazy hucksters to me, no matter what my beliefs were at the time. Billy Graham was an exception. I never felt anything but good vibes about him.

I have the same sort of visceral reactions to new-agey "spiritual" people, psychics & so on. Get an instant feeling about whether they're sincere or not, whether they're just out for money & some sort of power or prestige.

Sylvia Brown, for instance. I feel she possibly had a real psychic gift at some point. Whether she did or not, I think she sold out for fame & money. She's put out dozens of books, all of which cover pretty much the same ground. And the devotees will go buy every single one because her name is on it.

I'd be hard-pressed to sit down & give someone a list of details that lead me to trust or distrust any of these people, unless I could review what they've said or written bit by bit. I just get a strong feeling about most & trust that. I don't think I'm going on emotion, either (though I could be wrong). I think my brain is taking in details faster than I can consciously process them. That seems to me to be a lot of what "intuition" comes down to. I've learned to trust mine most of the time.

How do you react to & judge religious or spiritual "celebrities," & decide whether or not you trust them? Do you think any of them are valid? Or sincere but deluded?

 

Interesting question...

Never really thought about it much, but now that I do, I think there's a bit of a heirarchy in my mind (honestly, probably powered by stereotypes).

I think I give the least credit to the "televangelists" - the ones who are on TV talking directly to the camera - the 700 Club and the like... those guys weird me out, and I take their motives with a grain of salt.

I trust much more the guys who just broadcast their sermons - TD Jakes, Olsteen, Rick Warren.

What's really interesting is how the internet is changing things. A while back, if you wereent on TV, no one had heard of you. Now you've got guys like Perry Noble out of NewSpring in SC and Steven Furtick out of Elevation here in Charlotte blogging and really speaking to people daily on the net. It's a whole new medium for an entirely new audience, and the tone is much different. I think it's really an effective way to reach people.

 

I see most celebrity preachers much like I see politicians, entertainers or any other public figure. I get the impression they say what (they think) people want to hear rather than what he/she actually believes from their heart. Some may actually believe what they preach but manipulate it into its own entity, into/from another platform, which comes off phony or insincere. They are more like salesmen than holy men.
However, some folks believe the message is paramount, no matter how it's delivered. It forced/helped me to find my own spirituality. So, I guess, every cloud can have a silver lining. tsk?

 

I generally distrust TV preachers. The more money and power that surround a preacher the more likely he is to fall into temptation. Billy Graham handled it well but he is unfortunately the exception.

 

I think "visceral" is the perfect word for it. For me, it is a combination of eye contact, body language and my perception of sincerity. I have to admit that I have a finely tuned scepticism for overly enthusiastic religious proponents of any persuasion. A cause that must be rushed must be rushed for a reason.

 

This is not a new problem to Christianity. To the contrary, it's been a struggle from the beginning of the church.​

And while I share Paul's enthusiasm for the pure knowledge of the gospel being spread, I'm reluctant to overlook the motives -- only because in my experience, trust is everything in evangelism. Trust can deliver a false message, and a lack of it can unravel a true one. I've seen both.​

I treat each preacher and/or evangelist on an individual basis -- how worse off would our world be if the likes of Mother Teresa and Billy Graham were thrown out along with Jimmy Swaggert and Jim Bakker?​

Maybe it's a geography thing, but if you're at all involved in churches out here, you'll hear someone reference Rick Warren. My pastor was dropping his name all over the place during the height of "The Purpose Driven Life", and it was starting to be a concern. It was "my friend Rick Warren" this, and "my friend Rick Warren" that. I noticed a drastic reduction and finally elimination of that practice over the past year, however, which also gives me cause for skepticism about Warren. Not much, but some.​

On the other hand, Bill Hybels of Willow Creek in (and around) Chicago has a bigger church with more published works, but you don't see his face plastered all over the political scene (and he looks WAY better on TV to boot!). I've heard Hybels preach, I've used his church's teaching materials on numerous occasions, and everything I've seen is in agreement with Scripture and is highly useful in ministry.​

Hmm... ​

 

I think there are very few men who can handle being a preacher and being a celebrity. Talk about a spotlight and a microscope.......

Some can though, more power to them.

 

I dont trust any preacher on TV that smiles all the time and says nothing about sin; mentions nothing about salvation, heaven, hell, repentance, etc.. All those guys mentioned want to do is tell you how to life a better life and tell you things that you want to hear. (Aka Earticklers).

Not that there's anything wrong with how to life a better life, but without salvation & repentance, one cant live that better life.

Personally, I like what Abraham Lincoln said about preachers...."When I hear a man preach, I like for him to preach like he's fighting a swarm of bees."

 

I doubt no one is harder on Christans (preachers or other) then other Christians. Give them the benefit.
After all we are to follow CHRIST....not Schuller, no Warren, not Graham...People use evangelists as their "cop outs" Oh he didn't do this and that...EYE should be on CHRIST and only Christ. If Joel, or Warren falter, they are just people trying to spread the gospel. Just like my minister. Just like me.

 

I definitely see your point. It is unfair to expect perfection of anyone. Whatever the religion in question is, though, I think it is reasonable to expect/demand a very high standard from those who put themselves in a position of leadership in that faith. Especially if they also choose to be in the public eye with the potential to affect millions of lives. While the whole membership represents the faith to some degree, these people are setting themselves up as models.

In the case of Christians & celebrity preachers--it's fine to say that Christians are to focus on God or Christ. Christians are already believers & probably should know that already. But what about the non-believers who watch & listen to these people? As far as a non-believer is concerned, those people represent what Christianity is about. It's unrealistic & unreasonable to expect a non-believer or a brand-new convert to figure out who is or isn't a good representative of the faith.

I'm sure some of these religious leaders are sincere in their beliefs & trying to do what they believe is right. I'm also sure that others are outright hucksters seeking money & power.