In the
last post we saw how James, one of the pillars of the first century Church and
the half-brother of Jesus, spoke out to Christians through his writing in the
book of James against showing partiality toward the rich. Clearly, that group of people didn’t just
have wealth, but power over the poor, to control and take advantage of them for
their own benefit. Why then would those
in the Church want to show partiality to them?
What is it about human nature that causes us to crave recognition and attention from the rich and famous, and desire association with them? Why is a TV show like American Idol so popular? Could the clue be in the name itself? Idol? From antiquity, people have worshipped idols. They imagined them to have special powers to fulfill their desires and abilities to do great exploits for them.
No, our culture is too sophisticated to believe in idols made of wood, stone and metal. But do we not still seek to satisfy our longing for something or someone greater, stronger, more successful, or wealthier than ourselves. In our imaginations, we assign to them almost super human qualities. And, even though those that we may look up to cannot (and will not) pass their wealth, fame, or success down to us, we still clamor to be aligned in some way with them…if only to experience a short period of vicarious enjoyment in their moments of glory. Eventually, though, this becomes a cheap, hollow and disappointing experience. Then, we search for a better idol.
Our culture is so given to hero worship that it has deeply infected even the Church. Instead of our being a light and a counter-cultural influence we have become indistinguishable from the culture in which we live. In recent years an important study of this phenomenon was made by a well know research institute. It compared how well two groups of people, the general public and those who claimed to be “born again” believers in Christ, recognized a list of public figures. The list included politicians, pastors, evangelists, authors, movie stars, TV personalities, business executives, and others.
The amazing finding of the study was that there was little difference between the two groups. For example, the percentage that recognized the names of well known Christian pastors (including writers and speakers) was only slightly higher among the “born again” group. The Christian group, along with the general public, actually knew more about those in the entertainment industry than in ministry.
In response to whether their impression of each person’s influence was positive or negative, there was, again, little difference. Even more amazing, in numerous instances among the “born again” group, several TV and movie celebrities had higher positive rankings than some pastors.
Does this begin to answer the question of why we are tempted to show partiality in our churches? If, to satisfy our hunger for something greater, we feed our minds more on the temporary, external things of this earthly life, if we’re more familiar with celebrities than Christian leaders, will we not be drawn to people whom we feel may be good to know for how they may benefit us?
On the other hand, if our daily food is God’s Word and eternal things, the unseen things that lay up treasures for us in heaven, will we not be drawn to those whom we may serve and help them to know Jesus and grow in obedience to Him? In doing this, our hunger will be filled and our joy made complete.
What is it about human nature that causes us to crave recognition and attention from the rich and famous, and desire association with them? Why is a TV show like American Idol so popular? Could the clue be in the name itself? Idol? From antiquity, people have worshipped idols. They imagined them to have special powers to fulfill their desires and abilities to do great exploits for them.
No, our culture is too sophisticated to believe in idols made of wood, stone and metal. But do we not still seek to satisfy our longing for something or someone greater, stronger, more successful, or wealthier than ourselves. In our imaginations, we assign to them almost super human qualities. And, even though those that we may look up to cannot (and will not) pass their wealth, fame, or success down to us, we still clamor to be aligned in some way with them…if only to experience a short period of vicarious enjoyment in their moments of glory. Eventually, though, this becomes a cheap, hollow and disappointing experience. Then, we search for a better idol.
Our culture is so given to hero worship that it has deeply infected even the Church. Instead of our being a light and a counter-cultural influence we have become indistinguishable from the culture in which we live. In recent years an important study of this phenomenon was made by a well know research institute. It compared how well two groups of people, the general public and those who claimed to be “born again” believers in Christ, recognized a list of public figures. The list included politicians, pastors, evangelists, authors, movie stars, TV personalities, business executives, and others.
The amazing finding of the study was that there was little difference between the two groups. For example, the percentage that recognized the names of well known Christian pastors (including writers and speakers) was only slightly higher among the “born again” group. The Christian group, along with the general public, actually knew more about those in the entertainment industry than in ministry.
In response to whether their impression of each person’s influence was positive or negative, there was, again, little difference. Even more amazing, in numerous instances among the “born again” group, several TV and movie celebrities had higher positive rankings than some pastors.
Does this begin to answer the question of why we are tempted to show partiality in our churches? If, to satisfy our hunger for something greater, we feed our minds more on the temporary, external things of this earthly life, if we’re more familiar with celebrities than Christian leaders, will we not be drawn to people whom we feel may be good to know for how they may benefit us?
On the other hand, if our daily food is God’s Word and eternal things, the unseen things that lay up treasures for us in heaven, will we not be drawn to those whom we may serve and help them to know Jesus and grow in obedience to Him? In doing this, our hunger will be filled and our joy made complete.
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