Note From The Underbelly

There was an opinion in yesterday's Dallas Morning News by William McKenzie that discussed the current American church's penchant for creating our own "celebrities." The author mentions that it's nothing new, really...starting with Francis Schaeffer (and oddly leaving out Billy Graham) and has continued with the likes of James Dobson, Rick Warren and (insert your favorite Christian leader here).

And he even had a quote from Francis Schaeffer's son in the article as well:

"Big-time American Christianity is incompatible with the Gospel. It is part of the entertainment business. No matter what you think you are doing, you are really just another celebrity in a celebrity-obsessed culture."

How provocative is that?

But what I'd like to focus on is the fallout from the perspective of a rank-and-file guy. I don't have the gifts or talent or the desire to be one of those guys...and, frankly, I have my favorites, too. I like Rick McKinley. I like Rob Bell. I like Donald Miller. I liked Mike Yaconelli when he was alive. I listen to them and they've helped me grow in my walk.

Not in person...but technology has given me the ability to download their sermons a couple of days after they give them. Or, I can grab their book in almost any bookstore. A YouTube video can show me their latest creative endeavor to highlight a point in their sermon. It's all very helpful to me personally and I understand why these guys are the most downloaded or viewed or purchased. They really are excellent at what they do and use their platforms very well to minister to others.

But here's the downside to those of us rank-and-file guys:

25 years ago you'd likely never heard of any of those guys unless they'd gotten to radio or a friend lent you a cassette of their sermon or maybe a newspaper article had been written about them. Authors were a bit different then, because publishing was a little more prominent and I remember going to see J.I. Packer when he was the guest speaker at a local church because our Bible study had been through one of his books. But the majority of folks wouldn't have known much about them.

But the comparisons are inevitable.

And...

...as a reminder...

...we're not them.

There's a reason they're Rick McKinley or Rob Bell or James Dobson or Chuck Swindoll or Beth Moore or Kay Arthur or insert your favorite here...(and I'd bet each one of them wouldn't want to be thought of as a "Christian celebrity")

God hasn't placed us in that spot.

And while I can learn from them and even be inspired/challenged to improve my skills by what I see in them, it can be tough if folks have that kind of expectation of the dedicated servants who work day-in and day-out in local congregations being faithful to the task God has for them.

I just wanted you to know that the rank-and-file is glad those folks exist. And I'm not sure it's incompatible with the Gospel. I'm just reminding you all that there's still room for the rank-and-file guy to exist and serve and...

...most importantly...

...love...

...on the folks that God has entrusted us with. Long after the radio show ended or the speaker went to the next town or the ideas from the books have been erased from the hard drive, we'll be there, enjoying our church families and doing life together with them.

And loving every minute of it.