Sermon Illustrations on Celebrity

Jesus' Best Friend

Job 29:4

Leith Anderson’s sermon “Can Jesus Trust Us?” develops one point negatively to help us grasp the positive:

“Jesus ... trusted John with his love. It is a most extraordinary thing to be described as ‘the one whom Jesus loved,’ to be Jesus’ best friend. It smacks of something inappropriate, but the fact is, that’s what their relationship was.

“I wonder what it would be like if such a thing were done today.... What would happen if in 1995 someone were identified from all of Christendom as Jesus’ best friend? Editors would be lined up for an interview. That person would be on the cover of every magazine. What do you think it would do to that person’s life? Do you think that person would write a book or cut a CD or go on the road on a Best-Friend-of-Jesus seminar? Wouldn’t it have the high potential of ruining that person’s entire life? Wouldn’t there be a temptation to arrogance? Wouldn’t there be the possibility of treating others in an inappropriate and disparaging way?

“And yet, didn’t Jesus have as much right to a best friend as any of us? If so, wasn’t it critically important that he choose someone whom he could trust to be his best friend, with the confidence that that person would never misuse their relationship?”

Editorial: the Burden of Celebrity

John 2:23

"I'm not an actor! I'm a movie star! I'm afraid." This declaration was made by the terrified Alan Swann, a swashbuckling Errol Flynn-like film star in Richard Benjamin's heart-warming "My Favorite Year" (1982). He had just learned moments before show time that the program he had gotten into wardrobe for was to be live television. When Benjy Stone, a long-time fan and young studio employee, tried to encourage Swann by reminding him of his previous successful films, the star replied, "Those are movies. Look at me! I'm flesh and blood. Life-size, no larger. I'm not that hero! Never was."

The dichotomy between hero and celebrity has always been with us. Ted Koppel recently noted in a baccalaureate address at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., that the dynamic role of television has caused our "false gods," or celebrities, to seem even more important than they did years ago.

We in the church -- especially those of us in the Christian music industry -- would do well to pay attention as our own celebrities struggle with their fame. The acknowledgment by two popular Christian musicians of an adulterous relationship (CT, June 20, 1994, p. 64) underscores the high stakes involved in the struggle. Regardless of whether they sought the burden of integrity that comes with fame, it fell on their shoulders the first time they performed before an audience. Fame, whether in religious or nonreligious circles, always comes with a high price tag.

All people successful in "public life" also have the public trust invested in them. The NBA's Charles Barkley may not desire to be a role model, but he is. Politicians may wish to avoid "the character issue," but they cannot. If you choose a profession that places you in the public eye, you will be measured by a higher standard. Those in Christian ministry are no different, yet they carry the added responsibility of a sacred trust -- ministering in the name of Christ. Consequently, Scripture calls for them to adhere to the highest standards of personal and professional conduct.

Nevertheless, a few people would argue that Christian musicians should have no greater standards imposed upon them than those expected of their counterparts in the pop, country, or jazz fields. The assumption behind this argument is that Christian music is essentially another form of entertainment. Such reasoning is fatally flawed. In the world of Christian music, the lyrics, the message, and the messengers themselves are founded on the higher, nobler call of spreading the gospel. We indeed entertain, but always for a greater purpose than amusement or pleasure.

Christian record companies are not churches. We do not ordain music ministries by a formal laying on of hands, and our artists are not required to attend seminary. But when Christian music is made and marketed, concerts are performed, videos made and aired, magazine ads designed, and articles published, the consumer is correct in presuming that someone, somewhere, has scrutinized the artist's life and beliefs. In the recruiting of church leaders, the pastoral epistles are clear. What is required is neither sophisticated theology, nor celibacy. Instead, what is important are words and deeds that give evidence of a life being transformed by Jesus Christ.

These expectations are not too great for our Christian musicians, and all of us in the industry need to do a better job of holding our artists and ourselves to these standards. When we begin to see and hear things that do not seem right, it is our responsibility to provide accountability, nurture, and, if necessary godly counsel and discipline.

What is not needed is more condemnation directed at those who falter and fail. All of us in the music industry must share the burden and perhaps even some of the responsibility for a fallen brother or sister. This would be a good time for every Christian music company -- indeed, any Christian organization that seeks publicity for its leaders -- to make sure it provides accountability for its "stars." Musicians who are new to the faith may need spiritual mentors. Artists may need to spend more time away from their careers in order to grow in other areas of their lives. And all who are connected with the industry need to maintain their focus on ministry. If anything, we should demand more of ourselves and raise our own expectations. To do otherwise would be to jeopardize the credibility of the Christian music industry.

It is not enough to permit fallen celebrities to disappear quietly from the stage or pull their recordings from play lists. Christians, functioning as a community of repentant sinners, must embrace the rigorous, lifelong process of redemption and restoration. Otherwise, we would have no hope this side of heaven of ever experiencing God's boundless, unmerited, and amazing grace.

At the end of "My Favorite Year," Alan Swann succeeds in making the perilous journey to becoming an authentic hero, in part because of Benjy Stone's belief in him along with his challenge to live up to those expectations. We should do no less than expect the best from each other.

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Darrell A. Harris is president of Star Song Communications, a Christian recording and publishing company.

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They Wouldn't Let The Superstar In

Luke 11:7

Even if you are not a sports fan, you should know the name Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq is 7-foot-1 and weighs 325 pounds. His size and athleticism made him one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He played on teams that won four world championships.

Shaq also displays a joyful attitude and infectious smile that have made him a prominent pitchman for a wide variety of products. This is a man who can walk into just about any place and have doors open for him.

One day a few years ago he decided to put his celebrity status to the test. Shaq knew that President Obama loved basketball and so he decided to visit the White House unannounced and uninvited. He said that he didn’t try to use any of his political or law enforcement connections. He just put on his best suit, got in a cab and got dropped off at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Shaq went up to the gate and said, “Hey, I’m in town, I would like to see the President.” Guess what happened? The White House guards turned him away. Later that day he tweeted, “The White House wouldn’t let me in, whyyyyyyyy?”

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J. E. Skeets, "Shaq rejected at White House," Yahoo Sports Blog, July 27, 2009

Motherhood Nudges Mary Lou Retton Into More Public Witness For Christ

It was one of the greatest moments in Olympic history. For nine years of her young life, Mary Lou Retton had worked toward the moment. She needed a 9.95 to earn a tie for the individual all-around gymnastics title at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. She needed perfection to win the title outright.

As half the world sat riveted to its television sets, the diminutive 16-year-old gymnast hurtled down the runway toward the vaulting horse. Hitting the springboard, she flipped through the air and nailed a perfect landing.

The 9,000 spectators at Pauley Pavilion leaped to their feet, screaming wildly. In homes around the globe, people smiled, cheered and cried tears of joy for the teenager from West Virginia.

Retton had just vaulted her way to Olympic superstardom, earning a perfect a 10. The flawless vault propelled Retton ahead of Romania's Ecaterina Szabo and onto the podium as the youngest U.S. gymnast ever to win a medal and the first American woman to capture gold in any gymnastic event. Later, she added two silvers and two bronzes to her collection, and Retton's total of five medals topped that of any other athlete in the 1984 Summer Games.

Suddenly, Retton was an international celebrity. Her exuberant smile brightened the covers of Life, Seventeen, Sports Illustrated, Time and Newsweek. She did dozens of television interviews and talk shows. Retton had the honor of being the first female athlete to be pictured on a Wheaties cereal box. She received numerous awards and accolades. Fan letters poured in from all over the globe.

For some athletes, Olympic glory fades quickly. They pick up their medals, enjoy the glare of the spotlight for weeks, maybe months. But then the crowds go away, reporters stop calling and they wander back into anonymity.

For Retton, the spotlight has never faded.

Fifteen years after her Olympic triumph, she is still one of the most popular and widely recognized athletes in the world. While her athletic accomplishments are impressive, they alone cannot account for her phenomenal popularity. After all, there have been many other athletes whose achievements have been just as significant. There were other Americans at the 1984 Olympics who earned gold medals. Somehow, what Retton accomplished and how she did it reached out and touched the hearts of millions. And nothing has happened in the intervening years to loosen that connection.

Retton was born and raised in Fairmont, W.Va., a tiny coal-mining town. She was the youngest of five children in a close, happy Italian-American family. Retton was the quintessential girl-next-door, reminding everyone of their daughter or sister or niece. She was bubbly and friendly and down-to-earth, radiating confidence and charm.

Retton's powerful and dynamic style rocked the gymnastics world. In many ways, Retton embodied the American dream in 1984. From humble beginnings, she had risen to the pinnacle of her sport, achieving her goals through extraordinary determination and hard work. And she did it with heart-warming enthusiasm.

In addition to her ongoing work in sports, Retton has devoted much of her time to charities such as the Children's Miracle Network. She occasionally guest stars on TV shows and in movies.

Now 31, Retton is happily married and living in Houston with her husband Shannon Kelley, and their two girls, Shayla and McKenna. Her fame and her personality have made her a popular speaker and a sought-after spokesperson for a variety of corporations, organizations and causes. For a number of years, she's been on the speaker's circuit, talking about winning and her Olympic experiences.

But in recent months, she's found herself speaking out about something much more personal.

"I'm a Christian," Retton says. "I believe in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for my sins."

When people hear about her faith, they assume it must be a recent experience. Not so.

"I grew up in a very Christian home," she says. "I've had the Lord in my heart [from a young age]. But since my husband and I were married, I've grown so much closer to God. We belong to a young couples' Bible study group -- it's great fellowship. I love our church and our pastor," she said of Second Baptist Church, Houston, and Ed Young.

While faith in Christ is not new for her, talking about it publicly is. Retton admits that she hasn't discussed her faith in public very often, largely because of her personality and her public image.

"I've never been an 'in-your-face' type of person," she explains. "I've always been 'sweet Mary Lou.' For years I felt that I needed to please everybody, make everybody happy, make everybody smile. They tell you not to talk about things like politics and religion, because it's something everyone's going to disagree on -- you know, 'Don't rock the boat.' The most important thing to me was being a Christian deep inside, knowing Jesus was in my heart."

For years, she had been content to witness about her Christian faith through her lifestyle. So why speak up now? The answer is found in the maturity that comes with motherhood.

"I guess I'm at a different stage in my life," Retton says. "I'm a wife, I'm a mother. I've realized that I need to set that example in a more vocal way, in a public way -- for my daughters. And part of being a Christian is getting the word out."

That growing sense of responsibility has led her to look for opportunities to talk about her faith with others. She's recently begun mentioning her faith in interviews and on talk-show appearances. Last summer she appeared in a series of television spots produced by the Southern Baptist Convention in their "Celebrate Jesus 2000" evangelistic campaign.

Retton acknowledges that a schedule like hers could take its toll on any marriage. She and Shannon work hard to keep their relationship going strong.

"I'm so blessed that the Lord brought Shannon and me together," she says. "We dated for five or six years before we got married, and we've been married eight years, so we've [known each other] about 15 years. We literally grew up together. My husband is truly my best friend -- and my number one fan. I'm just so blessed."

A go-getter like Retton always has something new to consider -- new goals, projects, dreams. She's accustomed to pursuing those things with the same determination and drive that propelled her to the height of Olympic glory.

Lately, though, Retton says she's been learning about patience.

"There are things I've been working on for years, asking God for his guidance and direction. But it doesn't work on my timeline; it works on the Lord's timeline. That's been very frustrating to me. The society we live in says, 'I want it, and I want it now.' I'm trying to accept that sometimes my prayers are answered, 'No.' Sometimes when the Lord doesn't give me something or answer my prayer right away, he's protecting me. I may not be ready for a certain thing at this point in my life. I just have to be patient and totally trust him."

Retton has a piece of paper taped to her desk that reads: "Good morning. This is God. I will be handling all of your problems today. I will not need your help. So, have a good day."

"Isn't that great," Retton says. "I love it. That's what I try to live my day by, not stressing over the little things, the things that are out of our control. 'Cause we can worry ourselves sick -- and worry is such a sin. Just give it to God."

_____________________

Ditchfield is a writer in Sarasota, Fla. Used from the sports channel of Crosswalk.com, an Internet portal featuring news, sports, business and various other informational channels at www.crosswalk.com.

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Star Power and Suffering Children: Exploiting Celebrity

Two-year-old Arya Eng is as cute as can be -- and getting weaker every day. Arya has spinal muscular atrophy, which causes muscle weakness and can cause death in children.

Adam Cohen writes in the NEW YORK TIMES that Arya's mother, Loren Eng, has lobbied Congress for increased funding for spinal muscular atrophy research. Compared with similar diseases, she argues, research for her daughter's ailment is badly underfunded.

“Members of Congress,” wrote Cohen, “listen sympathetically, and then usually say the same thing: The best thing Mrs. Eng can do is to find a celebrity.” Without a celebrity spokesman, like Christopher Reeve, no one -- apparently not even Congress -- is going to hear Loren Eng or Arya's cries for help.

Cohen points out what should be obvious: “There is something wrong with a system that favors sick people who have access to sitcom stars over those who don't.”

I'll go even further. There is something wrong with a culture that elevates sitcom stars and other celebrities to the status of experts when they are not. Some years ago, congressmen were trying to get a farm bill passed but couldn't get enough interest. So they called three witnesses before their committee -- Hollywood stars Sissy Spacek, Jessica Lang, and Sally Field.

Now, why were they called to testify? None of them were experts on farm policy. But each one had played a farmer's wife in a recent hit movie. Their appearance in Congress was widely publicized. The bill passed. No one cared what the Secretary of Agriculture or leading economists said about policy, but when Sissy Spacek testified, the hearing room was packed. It was the most pitiful example of celebrityism I had seen until Adam Cohen pointed out this new low.

In Loren Eng's efforts to find a celebrity spokesperson for spinal muscular atrophy, she discovered what Cohen calls “the disease world's dirty secret”: Far from altruistically supporting what they believe to be a good cause, many celebrities demand payment for their services. The more well-known the celebrity, the higher the fee. Mrs. Eng will probably need up-front cash to sign a celebrity to encourage Congress to fund the research little Arya and children like her so desperately need. It's the cult of celebrity gone mad.

And as I've been saying for years, we Christians are part of the problem. We often create “our own superstars: ... baby-faced World Series heroes, converted rock stars, and, yes, former White House aides who supposedly would have run over their own grandmothers” -- and we hold up these, not theologians and pastors, as experts.

Americans are so dazzled by the big tube that anyone who is on it -- for any reason (the person could be a rogue or a thief) -- is rewarded. As someone once said, people are famous today for being famous. But celebrity for celebrity's sake is unhealthy.

There's nothing wrong with famous people standing up for what they believe. But when Congress and the culture elevate celebrities to the unwarranted status of expert, and when suffering children are held captive to celebrity contracts, it's time to call a halt. We need to teach ourselves and our children to respect people -- not because their faces are recognized -- but because of their abilities, accomplishments, and character.

Alice Cooper Is A Christian

Rock star Alice Cooper shocked the world in the 1970s with an alcohol-fueled stage show that explored taboos ranging from murder to necrophilia. Years later he shocked the rock world by quietly embracing Christianity.

While his on-stage antics and the radio show do not settle well with some Christians, Cooper has a vibrant faith. Though he rarely spoke openly about his faith, he did open up some time ago with Lonn Friend, editor of the on-line rock magazine KNAC.COM, Cooper spoke at length about his drinking days, faith in God, and views on the shock-rockers who are following in his footsteps.

Cooper was introduced to alcohol when he began his music career, and drank heavily for the next 15 years. Lonn quoted Cooper as saying, “I was a totally functional alcoholic, probably the most functional alcoholic ever. I never missed a show. I never stumbled. I never slurred a word. I mean I was the Dean Martin of rock n’ roll,” he told KNAC.COM. Cooper said divine intervention is what broke his drinking habit in the mid-1980s. “I honestly think I was simply and completely healed,” he said. “I guess you can call it a miracle. It’s the only way I can explain it. It was absolutely eliminated from my life.”

Cooper has often been called the model for today’s shock-rockers, including Marilyn Manson. While he doesn’t criticize Manson for his on-stage theatrics, Cooper takes issue with Manson’s anti-Christian stance. “He’s very vocal about it,” Cooper told KNAC.COM. “I believe [the Manson album] AntiChrist Superstar was pointed right directly at me. I didn’t volley the first shots in this whole thing. His whole anti-Christian thing, and I’m like ‘Hey, I’m Christian, and I’m not going to denounce what I believe.’ I can be a rock ‘n’ roll star, a Christian and Alice Cooper.”

Cooper continued, “I think Marilyn had a really bad Christian experience when he was younger. My guess is he got involved with some less-than-Christian-Christians and that really, forgive the expression, nailed him. You know, he’s one of the greatest button pushers I’ve ever met. And I know that game because I invented that game… Manson clicked because he found a whole new set of buttons to push, he even pushed my buttons, which is pretty impressive since I was pushing buttons before he was born.”

Cooper’s embrace of Christianity was more a return to faith than a coming to faith. “I was pretty much convinced all my life that there was just one God and there was Jesus Christ and there was the Devil,” he told KNAC.com.

“You couldn’t believe in God without believing in the Devil. I always tell bands that the most dangerous thing you can do is to believe in the concept of the Devil or the concept of God, because you’re not giving them full credit. When you believe in God, you’ve got to believe in the all-powerful God. He’s not just God, He’s the all-powerful God and He has total control over everyone’s life. The Devil, on the other hand, is a real character that’s trying his hardest to tear your life apart. If you believe that this is just mythology, you’re a prime target because you know that’s exactly what Satan wants: To be a myth. But he’s not a myth, of this I’m totally convinced. More than anything in the world, I’m convinced of that.”

Cooper said, “We have to make a choice. And everybody, at some point in their lives, has to make that choice. When people say, ‘How do you believe this? Why do you believe this?’ I just say nothing else speaks to my heart. This doesn’t speak to my intellect, it doesn’t speak to my logic - it speaks right to my heart and right to my soul, deeper than anything I’ve ever thought of. And I totally believe it. That being said, I’m not a very good Christian. I mean, none of us are ever ‘good’ Christians. That’s not the point. When you’re a Christian, it doesn’t mean you’re gonna be good, it means you’ve got a harder road to pull.”

Though some have questioned combining his faith in God with his rock-and-roll background, Cooper doesn’t see a conflict. “I’m the first one to rock as loud as I can, but when it comes to what I believe, I’m the first one to defend it too,” he said. “It has also gotten me in trouble with the staunch Christians who believe that in order to be a Christian you have to be on your knees 24 hours a day in a closet somewhere. Hey, maybe some people can live like that, but I don’t think that’s the way God expected us to live. When Christ came back, He hung out with the whores, the drunks and miscreants because they were people that needed Him. Christ never spent His time with the Pharisees.”

But while Cooper may still speak to some of his old themes, he has a new message today.

“I used to celebrate moral decay, the decadence of it,” he admitted in the KNAC.com interview. “I can look back on what I did then and what I’m doing now and they’re two different things. But at the time I was the poster boy for moral decay, you know. So yeah, I’ve got a lot to be forgiven for...out of ignorance, I thought I was doing the right thing. I was totally in agreement that every guy should sleep with every girl and drink as much as they can. I don’t believe that now. I don’t believe in it, because I see how destructive it is.”

Spiritual awakening is happening around the world, Cooper believes. “It’s obvious humanity is craving for answers directly born of awareness,” he said. “That’s the healthiest thing I’ve seen in a long time because there is something better and everybody’s gotta find it in their own way. People aren’t feeling fulfilled by how many cars they own or the size of their stock portfolio. Even the addicts are saying, ‘It doesn’t matter how many drugs I take, I’m not fulfilled. This isn’t satisfying.’ There’s a spiritual hunger going on. Everybody feels it. If you don’t feel it now, you will. Trust me. You will.”

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #21625]

Where's the Rally For God?

I went to a George W. Bush rally last week, just a few days before the election. Tens of thousands of people gathered outside cheering, waving signs, wearing buttons. Secret Service men were everywhere talking into their ear pieces, scanning the crowd. There was an energy in the air as Bush spoke, but more than that, there was hope.

After the rally, crowds gathered waiting to get a glimpse, a hand shake, a photo of the big “W.” I was one of the groupies. I stood there for 45 minutes hoping he'd come by. Snipers stood on the roof of an adjacent building while local police patrolled the area. We waited patiently until he snuck out the back door in a black Suburban, waving through a half-open window. A dejected crowd walked away, dragging their Bush/Cheney signs.

As I stood amidst the throng of people, I realized this praise and adoration was for one man, who they hoped, possibly prayed, would be the next president of the United States. (And as I write this, we still don't know who won.) I don't know what one man can do for our country, but I know he can't save our souls.

So I was thinking, how many rallies do we hold for Jesus? Here is a God who became a man to save us from our sins. But how often do we put on a “Jesus Christ Saves” button? Do we have signs in our yard that say “Vote God, Jesus & Holy Spirit as Lord of Your Life?”

Now, I might be going off the deep end. But at Bush's rally I felt like I was a love-struck rock star fan waiting for the lead singer to give me his autograph. We give praise and adoration to singers, athletes, Hollywood stars and politicians. Where's the praise for God?

Looking through Psalms, I see how King David praised God in all circumstances, good or bad. “Praise be to the Lord” is said numerous times. He cried out to God, he thanked God, but mostly he pursued God, seeking the safe haven of his loving arms. David experienced daily the power, love and grace of our Savior. And God wants us to follow that same path of praise into his warm embrace.

Sure I was bummed I didn't get to shake Bush's hand, but it's not the end of the world. Thankfully, my salvation doesn't hinge on anybody's ability to run the country.

It's fun to have heroes, but they're just people, just like the rest of us. Our best praise should be reserved for the only God who cared enough to save us.

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Version in sermon:

From a Campus Life magazine article by “Autumn”:

She went to a George W. Bush rally just a few days before the end of the 2000 election. Tens of thousands of people gathered outside cheering, waving signs, wearing buttons. Secret Service men were everywhere talking into their earpieces, scanning the crowd. There was an energy in the air as Bush spoke.

After the rally, crowds gathered waiting to get a glimpse, a handshake, a photo of the big “W.” Autumn was one of the groupies. She stood there for 45 minutes hoping he'd come by. They waited patiently until he sneaked out the back door in a black Suburban, waving through a half-open window. A dejected crowd walked away, dragging their Bush/Cheney signs.

As Autumn stood amidst the throng of people, she realized this praise and adoration was for one man, who they hoped, possibly prayed, would be the next president of the United States. She didn't know what one man can do for our country, but Autumn knew he couldn't save their souls.

So she began thinking, how many rallies do we hold for Jesus? Here is a God who became a man to save us from our sins. But how often do we put on a “Jesus Christ Saves” button? Do we have signs in our yard that say “Vote God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit as Lord of Your Life”? We give praise and adoration to singers, athletes, Hollywood stars and politicians. Where's the praise for God?

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #13476]

Does That Mean I'm A Star

Comedian Jeff Foxworthy, who stars in his own TV sitcom, quit a job at IBM in 1984 to try comedy full time. He credits his wife, Gregg, with helping him keep perspective:

Not long ago, while I was washing dishes, I saw a commercial on television for a show called "Before They Were Stars IV." There I was onscreen, from 1985, doing stand-up on amateur night in Eufalla, Alabama. "Honey," I called to Gregg, "if I'm on this show, does that mean I'm a star now?" She handed me the crusty roast pan - a reality check if ever there was one.

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"No Shirt, No Shoes...No Problem!", Hyperion Press

Are You Real?

The famous actor Robert Redford was walking one day through a hotel lobby. A woman saw him and followed him to the elevator.

“Are you the real Robert Redford?” she asked him with great excitement.

As the doors of the elevator closed, he replied, “Only when I am alone!”

Quotes On Purpose of Life By Celebrities

Luke 7:30

What is your purpose and our reason for existence? Some famous celebrities made the following comments:

MONEY AND FAME

"All the money and all the fame in the world is worth nothing if you're lonely." TOM CRUISE, Actor

REAL LOVE

"Success has brought me world idolization and millions of pounds, but it's prevented me from having the one thing we all need - a loving, ongoing relationship." FREDDIE MERCURY, Queen

HAPPINESS

"I'm a very tormented person... But want to be happy. I'm working towards knowing myself and I'm assuming that will bring me happiness." MADONNA, singer and actress

PEACE

"My temper is just a continuous rage waiting to be ignited... I'd give anything to mollify it... I don't want to forever be uncentered and hyperactive. I want to know what bliss is." WOODY HARRELSON, actor in 'Natural born killers'.

SECURITY

"A huge insecurity is obviously the motivating force for most artists. And I understand that." GEORGE MICHAEL, singer

In Contrast...

"If I keep on believing in Him and letting the Lord choose my path ... it will always be the right one, for there's a reason for everything in life." Easther Bennet, pop group Eternal

All Praise the King - Elvis

It seems everybody wants to claim Elvis as their own, from Jewish impersonators to Christian Elvis fans to those who believe Elvis is God. The religion of Elvis probably won't become a category on the 2010 U.S. census, but 25 year's after the King's death, Elvis worship is still going strong. The following links provide details on Jewish Elvis lyrics, Pagan Elvis rituals, the similarities between Jesus and Elvis, and much more. [Holwick: The following paragraphs in the original article contain links to the internet; I reproduce the summaries here to give an overview of weird faith, American-style.]

JEWISH

Schmelvis: Searching for the King's Jewish Roots

A new film and book, both called "Schmelvis," explain Elvis Presley's Jewish roots. Site includes complete Elvis family tree documenting the Jewish connection, as well as more information about the book and movie.Melvis: The First Openly Jewish Elvis Impersonator

Melvis's standard songs include "Blue Suede Jews," "Love Me Like a Gentile," and "Don't Be Cruel (to a Small White Jew)." Please note: Melvis does not perform on Yom Kippur.

Jelvis: The Jewish Elvis

Elvis impersonator Jelvis, who wears a tallit (a Jewish prayer shawl), bills himself as the "Kosher King."

Elvis - The Jewish Connection

This article, from Elvis Presley News, says that later in his life, Elvis learned Jewish teachings, became familiar with the Hebrew alphabet, and wore a chai (the Jewish world for life) necklace as part of his on-stage wardrobe. Includes a picture of Elvis wearing a Chai pendant.

CHRISTIAN

Elvis vs. Jesus

Learn what Jesus and Elvis have in common--including astrological signs, sayings, resurrections, and more.

The First Church of Jesus Christ, Elvis

A gospel-like rendition of Elvis' life, from his beginnings in the recording business to his death: "And Elvis so loved the world that he died, fat and bloated, in a bathroom." Features new lyrics to the Elvis hit, "Hound Dog:"

You ain't nothin' but a human,

Sinnin' all the time, Just an ungrateful human,

Sinnin' all the time,

No, you don't deserve salvation,

But you can be a friend of mine...

The Official Gospel of Elvis Web Page

Website for the book "The Gospel of Elvis," retelling of the life of Elvis in King James-style English. According to the site, the book "combines the two greatest stories ever told."

Elvis Worship, Catholic-Style

Short essay asserts there is an "aura of Catholicism" in Elvis worship. These Catholic forms common in Elvis reverence include saint's relics, and legends of sightings, miracles, and revered relics.

Elvis Is Dead (Deal With It)

This essay, from conservative Christian Probe Ministries, asks, "What does the fascination with Elvis tell us about ourselves?" The writer encourages readers to give up their obsession with Elvis in favor of Jesus.

HINDU

Hindu Elvis Worship?

A portrait of Elvis hangs in a temple in Karnataka, India, next to pictures of Hindu deities. CNN reported the same story.

PAGAN

Pagan Elvis Ritual

"The Lesser Elvis Banishing Ritual of the Sequined Pentagram"--the site describest the ritual's purpose as clearing the area of all Elvis-negative influences.

ELVIS WORSHIP

The First Presleyterian Church of Elvis, the Divine

Click on Elvis to enter the church's site. Offers spiritual enlightenment, Elvis-style. Features a list of 31 holy items (such as hamburger buns, cans of sauerkraut, and El Producto cigars), an essay on the "Theory of Elvisivity," and an answer to the question, "Is this a cult?"

24-Hour Church of Elvis

This shop in Portland, Oregon is not really a church, but it does feature a resident "preacher woman." Offers marriages, t-shirts, Elvis ID cards, and Elvis drivers licenses.

Viva Lord Vegas

This 2001 article from The Bulletin, Australia, reports that Elvis worship may be developing into a real religion. "Call it Elvism, the Presleyterian church, Presleyanity, or a term yet to be coined, but it bears unmistakable signs of a cult changing into a recognisable faith," writes Christopher Reed.

Disgraceland Chapel and Meditation Room

The site encourages users to stop and meditate on Elvis and features a "brand new ceiling", a rendition of the central image in Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel. The chapel also features the Elvis Grotto and Relicquiem

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Commencement Follies: Signs of the Times

Since the end of World War II, commencement ceremonies have been the occasion for some of the most memorable and important speeches of our time.

A good example is the 1963 commencement address at American University in Washington. It was there that President John F. Kennedy announced a halt to atmospheric nuclear testing and pledged to work for "not merely peace in our time, but peace for all time."

Thirty-nine years later, another commencement address on the same campus showed what our culture regards today as important.

According to THE WASHINGTON POST, nowadays what people are looking for in a commencement speaker isn't lofty rhetoric about "big issues." Rather, it's star power, combined with the ability to "amuse the grads."

To achieve this winning combination, the American University class of 2002 heard from actress Goldie Hawn, who told the audience that it was time for them to attend the "college of you."

In the same way, three years ago, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Anna Quindlen told graduates of Mt. Holyoke to "set aside" the expectations, demands, and requirements imposed by others. Instead, she urged her audience to do what they thought was best for them.

This emphasis on entertainment and the self was repeated on college campuses across the country this commencement season. New graduates heard from the likes of humorist Garrison Keillor, Oscar-winning actress Kathy Bates, and playwright Tony Kushner.

What the POST calls the "new favored focus" of graduation speeches represents the coming together of two of the dominant trends in our culture.

The first is what sociologist Philip Rieff calls "The Triumph of the Therapeutic." The values of psychotherapy with its emphasis on individual fulfillment, dominates our thinking. The therapeutic worldview urges us, as Hawn and Quindlen urged their audiences, to "find yourself." Instead of greatness or accomplishment or leadership -- the traditional themes of commencement speeches -- we should strive for emotional and psychological well-being.

The second trend is the impact of mass media. Several generations raised on cable television, movies, video games, and the Internet have come to regard not being bored as a right. Thanks to our twenty-four-hour-a-day media culture, they expect that every bit of information coming their way will arrive in an entertaining package. If it doesn't, they're likely to just tune out.

I wish I could say that Christians were immune to both of these trends. But as Ken Myers of Mars Hill Audio has written, our churches also feel the need to entertain. And Christians are just as preoccupied with self as the rest of the culture.

Christians, of all people, should know that mighty acts and moral greatness are not achieved by people preoccupied with the self and insisting on being entertained. To rise to greatness requires just the reverse: a sacrifice of self and a willingness to conform our desires to a cause greater than ourselves.

No wonder these qualities seem to be in short supply in younger people. We spend four years giving them an education and then pander to their worst instincts as we send them off into the world.

For more information:

Charles Colson, "Doing the Right Thing," audiotape of 2002 baccalaureate speech at Parkview High School in Lilburn, Ga.

Amy Argetsinger, "On the Dais, Witty Replaces the Weighty," THE WASHINGTON POST, 20 May 2002, B1.

You can read President John F. Kennedy's commencement speech at American University (10 June 1963) here: .

You can read Anna Quindlen's commencement speech at Mt. Holyoke College (23 May 1999) here: .

Ken Myers, ALL GOD'S CHILDREN AND BLUE SUEDE SHOES: CHRISTIANS AND POPULAR CULTURE (Crossway, 1989).

_________________________

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Deferring To Celebrities

Several years ago when a well-known actress made her plea for funding and awareness of a particular disease, congressional committee chambers were packed to capacity and surrounded by cameras. A stark contrast was seen when an unknown woman suffering with Parkinson’s disease made her appearance: hers was a reception of chairs left empty by legislators.

Remarked a congressman on ABC’s 20/20: "If you have the politically correct disease, the prospects of getting federal funding to help find the cure are 100 times greater than if you have some other disease, even though it may be a much more common disease."

The irrationality of this goes beyond disease, does it not. By granting the celebrity such esteem we seem unable to distinguish between a glamorous skill we admire and the entirety of the person, as though artistry empowers one to be a guru for all matters. Whether one is an actor or an athlete, we are imperiled if we forget that giftedness says absolutely nothing about a person’s integrity or wisdom.

We are now, by design, a culture steeped in manufacturing icons. Some time ago one such person, whose only act on stage was to turn the words of an alphabet and look happy while doing so, wrote her autobiography. The demand was so great that it went into a second printing very quickly. One major news anchorman marveled and wondered what prompted such fawning by the masses for a skill as childish as that. He said it was an indictment against their own profession -- that it did not take much to be a hero.

Transference of authority is a scary phenomenon in our time. Being a great entertainer is just that - a great entertainer. Let us not transfer greatness across from one point to another without scrutinizing the reasoning behind the recognizable face. Our judgements are in danger if our heroes are influential only because they are well known. Jesus’ words are striking: "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." He also goes on to say that we look at the outward, but God looks at the heart.

Let us not miss the responsibility of judging an idea by the test of truth and wisdom by foolishly being seduced at the altar of the popular. Life, dear friend is more than glamour and substance is more than image.

_________________________

Elvis Is Dead - Deal With It

John 5:24

ELVIS LIVES

At least in the hearts of his fans.

And they are everywhere.

Twenty years after his death, our culture is still fascinated with the raven-haired, swivel-hipped entertainer. His songs fill the airwaves. His face graces postage stamps and velvet paintings in the U.S. and abroad. Thousands of the faithful annually trek to Graceland, his Memphis home, to pay homage to the king of rock and roll.

The National Association of Amateur Elvis Impersonators promotes the cause while the "Flying Elvi" (plural of "Elvis," get it?) jump from 13,000 feet. Featured in a hit movie, these Las Vagas daredevils combine skydiving with Elvis nostalgia. They're even available for Las Vegas weddings: 'Why settle for just one Elvis look-alike," asks the ad, "when you can have the entire ten-Elvi team in attendance on your special day?" They "make terrific groomsmen as well as perfect Las Vegas-style witnesses."

Internet sites tout Elvis fan clubs and even Elvis baby food. A Santa Cruz, CA, mall displays a plaque commemorating an Elvis sighting. Former NFL coach Jerry Glanville often left two tickets for Elvis at the will call window on game days.

"Elvis is Greek" announced a college fraternity newsletter. Three members of Tau Kappa Epsilon at Arkansas State University discovered in a safe deposit box Elvis's signature on a membership scroll and photos from his honorary induction. "It's amazing what computers can do with photos," cracked one cynic.

Even academics are into Elvis. The University of Mississippi has held International Conferences on Elvis Presley. Scholarly seminars included, "Civil Rights: Martin Luther King, Jr., and Elvis"; "Elvis, Faulkner, and Feminine Spirituality"; "Elvis: The Twinless Twins' Search for Spiritual Meaning (Elvis's twin brother died at birth), and "Elvis 'n' Jesus."

America. What a country!

HOUND DOG?

What is all this about, really? My own informal, nonscientific survey yielded fascinating analyses from many levels of society.

"It's a national joke," claims a San Diego housepainter.

"I gave my wife an Elvis Valentine's Day candy box," admits a Miami interior designer. "Our cat is named Elvis Presley," explains his wife. "He's fat with a black coat, white collar, and eyes that glaze over -- Elvis in his later years." The husband quips, "The other day, we had an Elvis sighting -- in a tree." (Was a hound dog responsible?)

A Sacramento van driver attributes today's craze to "all the lonely people who sit around and watch TV. "Besides," the driver says, "Elvis's grave wasn't marked right, and there's evidence he's not really buried there. I read it in the tabloids."

A California mayor feels people need to link up with something, to create a sense of belonging. "They could be seeking memories of better times," she reasons. "Some people wish he was still alive. My husband is an Elvis fan. He knows Elvis is dead, but he likes the music."

A southern California doctor wonders if fans may be bonding with a romanticized part of their youth. He adds, "People who don't have God make a god out of all sorts of things."

Indeed. Deep reverence and even worship characterize many pilgrims to Graceland. Some hold candlelight ceremonies, offer flowers, and display icons.

One scholar at Mississippi's International Conference notes that "without looking at spirituality, you can't explain the Elvis phenomena....There's a tremendous force that brings people back to Graceland."{1}

ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT?

Elvis's August 16, 1977 death brought an unusual outpouring of grief -- feelings of loneliness and despair. Those feelings, though perhaps not as intense now as when he died, are still very real in many people.

"I get so depressed," admits a Texas woman. "Anytime I've got anything bothering me, I can get in my car and turn on the stereo and listen to Elvis and just go into a world of my own. It's like he's right there singing directly to me....It's like he's always there to solve everything."{2} "I sit and talk to him," claims a New Jersey follower. "I feel he hears what I say to him and he gives me the will to go on when things are really bad....Somehow you talk to Elvis.. I know if anybody ever saw me, they would probably tell me I was crazy, but I do. I love him. I talk to him and I know he understands and I feel so much better after. I think I always will." {3}Some fringers actually believe Elvis is still alive. My informal survey encountered no actual Elvis spotters, though a few claimed they had seen the Energizer Bunny.

"I'm not a weirdo like that," you might say. "What's this craze got to do with me?"

Years of interacting with people on six continents have convinced me that nearly everyone is looking for happiness and fulfillment in life. Some seek it through fame, success, wealth, or career. Others look to relationships, friends, or family.

Pursuits from sports to sex can be driven by the need to fill a void. Probably everyone has at least one "Elvis" in his or her life, a person or idea or team or goal or possession or practice to which they are devoted and from which they seek happiness.

Many feel a spiritual emptiness, a need to personally connect with something that represents greatness, something that will replace inner loneliness with friendship, fear with love, and desperation with hope.

Loneliness is rampant today. Broken marriages, fragile relationships, and general incivility have raised emotional armor over hurting hearts. Newspaper personal ad sections swell with pleas for companionship. Lonely singles and lonely marrieds search cyberspace for someone to connect with. Humans need belonging and acceptance.

Once I was in a motel room convalescing from surgery. My best friend had just deserted me. Some coworkers had betrayed me. The inner pain felt like the worst argument I'd ever had, multiplied by a trillion -- like I was being reamed out by an emotional Roto-Rooter. Loneliness ran deep.

Then a close friend called to ask how I was doing. What a lift! Everyone needs friendship to counter loneliness.

LOVE ME TENDER

We also need love. Los Angeles psychiatrist William Glasser says everyone needs to love and be loved and to feel a sense of worth -- both to themselves and to others. He says we each need to become involved with at least one other person who cares for us and for whom we care, someone who will accept us for what we are but tell us when we act irresponsibly. Without "this essential person," he writes, "we will not be able to fulfill our basic needs"{4}It's nice to be accepted based on our looks, personality, or performance, but these criteria can also bring fear and pressure. What if my looks change or I don't perform well? Will I still be loved?

To be loved unconditionally, to be accepted in spite of our faults, can bring peace and contentment and motivation to excel. "You are so special to me," says a spouse "I want to please you," feels the mate.

Human love is great but not perfect. People can disappoint us or give us wrong advice. Those you trust can show their selfish side, use you for their own ends, or discard you. Is there something better?

Besides friendship and love, we also need hope. A study showed that many of the 31,000 Allied soldiers imprisoned in Japan and Korea during the 1940s suffered from lack of hope. Although they were offered sufficient food, more than 8,000 died. Psychiatric researcher and editor Dr. Harold Wolff believed many of them died from despair. He wrote, "Hope, like faith and a purpose in life, is medicinal. This is not merely a statement of belief, but a conclusion proved by meticulously controlled scientific experiment." {5}Ultimately, however, searches for hope based purely on human endeavor lead to emptiness. For most of us, there will always be someone faster, richer, more intelligent or articulate, better looking or more popular than we are. Our favorite teams will lose. Our heroes will show their faults. Even if you reach the top, what than? According to the latest statistics, the death rate in this nation is still 100 percent.

Oddly enough, some clues to solving our struggles with loneliness and our quest for love and hope may lie in one of the songs Elvis recorded. Few may realize that Elvis's only Grammy Award for a single came for his 1967 recording of "How Great Thou Art," a famous hymn. The lyrics, which likely reflected his own spiritual roots, speak in "awesome wonder" of God's creation of the universe as a majestic display of His power.

The God this song alludes to is described elsewhere as a friend of those in need. If we let Him in our lives, He promises to be there in our successes and in our failures, when others praise us and when they desert us, when things are going well and when we're painfully lonely.

"How Great Thou Art" also tells how all this is possible. Because of God's great love for us, He sent His Son here to die, to carry the burden of humanity's injustices, selfishness, and wrongs.

God's love is endless, and He offers us hope. When we tell Him our problems, unlike Elvis, He can do something about them And not only can we rely on Him for our needs today, but the Bible promises a new heaven and earth in the future, free from death, sorrow, crying, and pain.{6} Jesus Himself promised, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life" John 5:24).

Friendship, love, and hope -- from one who cannot fail us. Sounds great. But is it true?

JESUS IS ALIVE. LIVE WITH IT!

Jesus said the final test of the truth of His claims would be His resurrection. Historical records indicate that he was executed on a cross and declared dead. His body was wrapped like a mummy and placed in a solid-rock tomb. A huge stone sealed the tomb's entrance where an elite Roman guard kept watch.

On the third day the stone had been rolled away and the body was missing but the grave clothes remained in place. Hundreds of people witnessed him walking around alive again. Cowards became heroes as ten of His previously frightened disciples were martyred for their faith.

Some years ago, as a skeptic myself, I discovered that His resurrection is actually one of the best-attested facts of history.{7} It's all true!

If you're longing to link with someone great, He's the greatest. Since Jesus is alive, you, too, can know Him as a friend.

Elvis Presley is dead. Chances are, you might have hints that some of the "Elvises" in your life really have little or nothing lasting to offer. But Jesus is alive. Care to meet Him?

_______________________________

NOTES

1. Gregory Rumberg "I Know Your Elvis," Contemporary Christian Music, February 1997, p. 31.

2. Ralph Burns, "How Great Thou Art: Photographs from Graceland," California Museum of Photography, University of California Riverside Website.

3. Ibid.

4. William Glasser, M.D., Reality Therapy, New York: Harper & Row, 1965, p. 7.

5. "A Scientific Report on What Hope Does for Man" (New York State Heart Assembly, n.d.), quoted in S. I . McMillen, M.D., "None of These Diseases," Old Tappan (NJ): Fleming H Revell, 1968, p. 110.

6. Revelation 21:1,4.

7. See, for instance, Josh McDowell, Evidence That Demands a Verdict, San Bernardino (CA): Campus Crusade for Christ. 1972.

_______________________________

This article appeared in Pursuit magazine, Vol. VI, No. 1.

RUSTY WRIGHT, associate speaker and writer with PROBE.ORG, is an international lecturer, award-winning author, journalist, and syndicated columnist who has spoken on six continents. He holds Bachelor of Science (psychology) and Master of Theology degrees from Duke and Oxford universities, respectively. He can be reached at RUSTYWRIGHT@AOL.COM.

Probe Ministries is a non-profit corporation whose mission is to reclaim the primacy of Christian thought and values in Western culture through media, education, and literature. In seeking to accomplish this mission, Probe provides perspective on the integration of the academic disciplines and historic Christianity.

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This data file/document is the sole property of Probe Ministries. It may not be altered or edited in any way. It may be reproduced only in its entirety for circulation as "freeware," without charge. All reproductions of this data file and/or document must contain the copyright notice (i.e., Copyright © 2002 Probe Ministries) and this Copyright/Reproduction Limitations notice.

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Viva Lord Vegas

As devotees commemorate the 24th anniversary of Elvis's death, Christopher Reed reports that the cult that surrounds the King may be developing into a bona fide religion.

The faithful make their annual pilgrimage this week to the shrine of Graceland, Elvis Presley's mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, with the customary rituals and rites marking the 24th anniversary of the death of their "King", and his undying message of love. Elvis Lives!

Words usually associated with religious observance are not out of place here, because we are witnessing the emergence of a new, worldwide religion. Call it Elvism, the Presleyterian church, Presleyanity, or a term yet to be coined, but it bears unmistakable signs of a cult changing into a recognisable faith. It has already passed one major hurdle, acceptance by a new generation: large numbers of the 30,000 worshippers at the aptly named Graceland are young, many born after Presley's death.

Yet the Elvis church phenomenon has gone largely unremarked by mainstream media, with only two books, one by a British author in 1992, the other by an American in 1995, and both modest sellers. One reason is we are so accustomed to a small number of "official" theistic churches, a few curious upstarts like Mormonism, and the occasional intrusion of weird authoritarian "cults" like the Moonies, or Branch Davidians, that we fail to notice how a spontaneous cult may mutate into a religion. Yet as theological scholars have noted, all religions start as cults and many have arrived and departed over the centuries. Like the eruption of a dormant volcano, we are perhaps lucky to witness in our time the origins of such a movement.

"There is no doubt this is an emerging religion," Dr Robert Price, author, biblical scholar and PhD in theology, told The Bulletin. "The parallels to early Christianity are astonishing. But Elvis worship is also peculiarly modern and American, in that it's also fun and entertaining. Its adherents accept wholeheartedly that their Christlike figure was an entertainer and a celebrity. After all, the cult of celebrity is also part of our times."

Elvis, or "E" as his "Memphis mafia" entourage (disciples?) called him, died aged 42 in 1977. He lives on as the supreme and revered figurehead for hundreds of thousands of devotees in the English-speaking world, Europe and, especially these days, Japan and South-East Asia. He is a godlike, divine being, now in heaven, who makes supernatural appearances dispensing charity and sometimes miraculous cures for his followers, who reject the word "fan". His pictures and possessions are icons and sacred relics and his Graceland tomb is the Mecca for the all-night candlelit procession marking his death on August 16, and birth on January 8, 1935, a night, his father Vernon recalled, when an eerie sky-blue light shone down on their shack in Tupelo, Mississippi.

Co-existing with the divine Elvis is the secular one, the youth who in the early 1950s borrowed - some say stole - from African-Americans a raw, throbbing music the world now knows as rock 'n' roll. After a decade in Hollywood making kitsch films, he became "fat Elvis", giving 1096 concerts in the 1970s attired in bejewelled white costumes and cloaks with high collars, remarkably similar to a priest's vestments in the Catholic mass.

He was always intensely religious, born into a Pentecostal sect that believed in expressing one's faith by uninhibited acts, such as clapping, shouting and singing. He loved and sang gospel music all his life; his three Grammy awards were for religious recordings. Above all, he believed he was sent by God on a special mission to Earth. "This is God's message and I am His channel," his spiritual adviser Larry Geller recalls him saying during the recording of How Great Thou Art in 1966. Many gospel singers, the late Mahalia Jackson for instance, believed they were delivering God's words, and Jackson even refused to sing secular music. Presley not only scandalised his elders with his youthful stage gyrations - "Elvis the Pelvis" - but was a lifelong libertine, a bloated glutton and, for years, a hopelessly addled drug addict with tacky taste, tending towards artificial zebra skin furnishings and pink monster Cadillacs. He died sitting on his lavatory reading a book about the Shroud of Turin.

Hardly the material for world religious leadership. Indeed, elite Americans despise Elvis and his fans as poor white, trailer-park trash. But as Karl Marx noted, religion is not just the opiate of the masses, but "the sigh of the oppressed". What distinguishes Presleyanity is how the King, without the structure of established churches, seems to support the dispossessed and comfort those who feel beaten by life's petty cruelties.

Devotees weep uncontrollably at the Presley tomb and their scrawled graffiti testimonials on a Graceland wall - constantly cleaned and just as quickly refilled - refer repeatedly to the solace he brings them. Two other books reporting his numerous after-death "appearances" (future Gospels?) disclose a clear theme: an apparitional Elvis dispensing acts of kindness and charity to the troubled. In real life, Presley was astonishingly generous, giving away new cars to strangers or paying off their mortgages.

This aspect allows Elvists to expunge the gross druggie and revere a gentle, munificent, loving god. With the mysticism in place, Presleyanity is acquiring churchlike trappings, as John Strausbaugh observed in his 1995 book, E: Reflections on the Birth of the Elvis Faith (Blast Books, NY). The thousands of Elvis impersonators across the world are clearly a putative priesthood, already equipped with rites and vestments based on Presley performances. The identically dressed women in each of hundreds of fan clubs resemble orders of nuns. Elvis's 700 songs, 33 films and four major concert videos provide a canon and liturgy. Thousands of Elvis shrines exist and they multiply with increasing reports of his miraculous healings (some of this week's Graceland pilgrims came in wheelchairs; the Elvis Lourdes or Fatima).

No cross or sign yet symbolises the Elvis faith. A possible image is Presley's self-made logo containing his favourite encouragement to his entourage, "Taking care of business - in a flash". The design, which he wore on his costumes, has the letters TCB arranged in an arch over a stylised bolt of lightning. Or perhaps just "E" will suffice. What does the E religion now need to become established? A theological teacher figure like St Paul? A Billy Graham? No candidate is in sight. Elvis may be all they need.

And he may even return this year. Mystic numerology adds together his death date: 16th day, eighth month, and year 1977. It equals 2001. His birth year, 1935, age at death, 42, plus eight and 16 also comes to 2001. The music that opened his concerts was the score from the film 2001. Few Elvists know it is actually Also sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss, but ardent religionists never let such small facts bother them.

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More Like Mick and Meg: Life Lessons From People Magazine

Imagine going through one of life's most painful experiences -- like divorce, for example. You need perspective and, if possible, a little encouragement. So where do you go? To church? To a friend's house? Or, maybe, to the check-out line at the supermarket?

And who do you consult? Your pastor? Your friend? A trained professional? Or how about your favorite movie star? Don't laugh. In today's celebrity- obsessed culture, that's not so far fetched.

As evidence, I would offer the January 12th issue of People magazine. The cover story is titled "Friends Despite the Split." And as the reporters tell us, those old-fashioned Hollywood divorces -- with nasty, headline-grabbing insults, and soon-to-be ex-spouses crucifying each other in the press -- are now passé.

In their place, what People calls "a new celeb smart set" has discovered the benefits of civility, even in the wake of broken vows.

Some of this civility may come from concern for the kids. But other factors include "an aversion to outrageous attorney's fees," and, of course, "concern [for] their own image." This latter concern is underscored by comments of several public relations experts.

As evidence of the "smart set's" new savvy attitude, People recites the experiences of several celebrities who have already made the transition from spouses to (in a phrase repeated throughout the article) "good friends."

People who have publicly humiliated and betrayed their former spouses -- like Mick Jagger and Meg Ryan -- are held up as good examples of how to handle divorce. And readers are assured that "lousy husbands" can make "great friends."

The question, you might think, ought to be: Given the short duration of the most Hollywood marriages, why would anyone care about how the "celeb smart set" copes with divorce?

Well, in his book, Life: The Movie, social-critic Neal Gabler shows how America's obsession with celebrities' lives transcends mere entertainment. Their stories have become "something very close to social myth," he says.

In other words, the stories we read in celebrity magazines eventually become less about the celebrities themselves, and more a model of some aspect of our own lives.

The result is that, along with their entertainment, people "receive instruction on how to deal with [their] adversity." When stars fail, the author says, their failures become lessons in real life for the rest of us. Imagine!

So, a woman struggling with loneliness takes comfort from an actress's "struggle to find love." Or a man struggling to recover from a bruising divorce may look at how his favorite celebrity coped with his own busted marriage.

Well, looking to celebrities for answers to life's problems may be fine for People magazine. Its stock- in-trade is unctuous articles about self-absorbed superstars. But celebrity worship is, as Gabler observes, merely a substitute religion -- serving some of the same purposes that traditional faith once served.

The most reliable alternative to false religion is true faith. And that's why Christians need to see celebrity culture for what it is, and to help our neighbors see the false worldview it represents. What people really need to see is not going to be found in the pages of People magazine or TV Guide, but in the pages of God's word.

_____________________

For further reference:

Gabler, Neal. "Life: The Movie" (review). People Magazine, 12 January 2001, pp. 169-190.

_________________________

*

Demanding Divas

You always knew celebrities could be difficult, but this is ridiculous...

In AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS, Catherine Zeta-Jones plays the fabulously glamorous, outrageously spoiled megastar Gwen Harrison. She's adored by the public, estranged from her megastar hubby (John Cusack) and suffered by her assistant/sister, Kiki (Julia Roberts). It's Kiki's job to keep her notoriously high-strung, high-maintenance boss happy and productive -- by doing things like making sure Gwen's butter doesn't touch any other food on Gwen's plate.

AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS requires little in the way of suspension of disbelief. It's all too true that megastar Gwen's childish behavior is not the exception, but the rule in the real-life world of Hollywood's most popular, most bankable stars. (Indeed, a younger, brattier Julia Roberts racked up an astonishing $841,000 in posse costs alone on 1994's flop I LOVE TROUBLE.)

Many celebrities are essentially children who never had to grow up, says Dr. Mark Griffiths, an expert on the psychology of fame at Nottingham Trent University in England. "The common factor between children and celebrities is that they demand things all the time and expect to get them. As they grow up," says Griffiths, "children learn that they can't have everything they want, but celebrities live in such an egocentric world that their demands are often met."

Just scan the lines below for the awful proof...

Whenever Jennifer Lopez makes a public appearance, she demands that her path be prepared in advance with the scent of gardenia. (The room must also be cleared of all other conflicting perfumes or fragrances.) Those not a part of J.Lo's double-digit entourage are instructed not to look her in the eye. And don't even think of photographing her elbows. On a recent photoshoot, she reportedly insisted her elbows be kept out of shot.

Mike Myers threatened to quit during the production of 1992's WAYNE'S WORLD because craft service had no margarine for his bagel. Butter just wouldn't do. Once the crisis had been averted, director Penelope Spheeris assigned her daughter -- anxious to break into the biz -- to be Myers's "snack girl" for the rest of the production. Makers of the subsequent AUSTIN POWERS: INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY had to make sure a cooler was always filled with lunchmeat, and hired a production assistant whose sole task was to point an air conditioning tube on Myers whenever he was off camera.

During the last days of shooting for 1995's DON JUAN DEMARCO, Marlon Brando was instructed to don a crisp white linen shirt for his final close-up with Faye Dunaway. Annoyed he had to wait for Dunaway's makeup to be touched up, Brando snagged co-star Johnny Depp and left the set for a drink. When a producer was sent to fetch Brando, and begged him to return to the set, Brando began to smear salsa, chips and guacamole all over his shirt. Depp finally persuaded Brando to return, but not before Brando ordered 160 margaritas for the crew and billed it to the production. And he refused to change his shirt for the shot.

Mariah Carey, who'll be on the big screen this August in GLITTER, requires a steady supply of Cap'n Crunch breakfast cereal and a special attendant in her dressing room -- just to hand her towels. At publicity appearances, Mariah demands that all posters of her pop rivals be taken down -- especially those of Christina Aguilera. In addition, she'll only be photographed on one side of her face.

Fair-skinned Kim Basinger claims she's allergic to the sun and requires that an assistant carry an umbrella to shield her from unwanted rays on location.

While shooting CARLITO'S WAY, Sean Penn was stranded in a small boat during a particular tense scene on New York's East River. When Penn got a jones for a cigarette, he had his personal assistant, who was on another boat with the crew, jump deck and swim over a pack of Marlboros in a plastic bag.

When Jim Carrey made ACE VENTURA: WHEN NATURE CALLS, he demanded that the studio pay for two personal chefs -- one for himself, and one for his pet iguana.

John Travolta requires a mass of minions. On location, the star has had trainers, stand-ins, security guards, massage therapists, drivers, 12 assistants and a personal chef. And Travolta gets the studio to pay for his private jet's fuel.

Eddie Murphy won't perform unless his dressing room is stocked chock full of peach-scented potpourri.

Madonna must have total darkness. During a recent stay at an Italian villa, she reportedly demanded that every garden light be turned off so she could see the stars.

Sylvester Stallone once refused to continue with a press interview until the walls of his yellow hotel room were painted a more "likeable" peach.

Liz Hurley likes 'em big. During a break in production, the Brit beauty demanded a private plane, and, when it arrived, refused to board because it wasn't big enough. She sent the plane back, and demanded the studio provide a larger one.

Major diva Leonardo DiCaprio might have had to fatten up for his role in GANGS OF NEW YORK, but that's where the slovenliness stopped. Dirt freak Leo had to have new clothes daily, throwing out the soiled duds he'd worn the day before.

At the Women in Film and Video awards ceremony recently held at Washington, D.C.'s Ritz-Carlton, Sharon Stone -- one of four award recipients -- kept the show waiting for 45 minutes. She wasn't caught in crosstown traffic. She just wasn't ready to come down from her hotel suite.

Sean Connery easily managed to get the setting of the 1995 thriller JUST CAUSE changed, requiring a thorough script rewrite, so that he could golf a course he had a hankering to play in Florida.

In her heyday, Demi Moore was referred to as "Gimme Moore" -- most notably requiring her hair be washed with Evian on-set. Moore also sent back a jet that wasn't able to carry all her luggage without putting one bag atop another and demanded the studio send another.

Baseball fanatic Kevin Costner wanted a baseball diamond built so he could play during downtime on 1994's WYATT EARP. When he discovered his request hadn't been met, he pulled crew members off the set to build one immediately.

Liz Taylor, upset that her dogs couldn't join her while she was filming 1963's THE V.I.P.S in London, managed to circumvent Britain's strict quarantine laws by having herself and her pups put up on a houseboat on the Thames.

Finally, an unnamed celeb, who recently stayed at the posh W Court Hotel in NYC, demanded his bathtub be filled with chocolate milk.

___________________

*

Give Me A Beautiful Heart

Proverbs 31:30

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised” (Proverbs 31:30, NIV). The same principle would also apply to men.

The late Cecil Osborne wrote, “A biographer of Clark Gable pointed out that the actor had had five wives in his lifetime, four of whom had had a total of sixteen husbands in their lifetimes. Gable had been divorced three times, a widower once, and a ‘lover too often either to calculate or evaluate.’”

“There have been countless women whose hearts beat faster and their fantasies run wilder at the sight of Clark Gable, the so-called great lover, on the silver screen.

“Unfortunately,” according to Osborne, “excessively handsome men and fabulously beautiful women do not, on the whole, have stable marriages.”

Good marriages are built on love, companionship, goodwill, commitment, maturity, compromise, faithfulness and integrity — not on exquisite physical prowess or beauty.

Sadly, in the Western World we put great emphasis on physical beauty and attractiveness — as well as on material possessions — and very little emphasis on the development of the inner person — the part of us that has to do with loving and wholesome relationships.

And while man looks on the outward appearance, God looks on the heart — and is a lot more interested in a beautiful heart than a beautiful body! This not an excuse not to take care of ourselves. Not at all. We need to take care of our physical health, but not be a slave to outward beauty.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to keep my priorities in order and develop a beautiful heart — especially in your sight. Gratefully in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Baptist Bishops

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported in September on what it called increased instances nationwide of black Baptist clergymen consecrating themselves as “bishops,” which are not formal Baptist positions and are sometimes assumed against the will of their congregations. The new bishops say the title gives them added credibility, and Baptists’ tradition of local autonomy discourages leaders outside the congregation from objecting, but critics say it’s just an example of some pastors being caught up in the “celebrity culture.”

Big Names, Big Debt: Stars With Money Woes

Job 24:9

If you're feeling alone and depressed because you have problems with debt, cheer up -- you're in the company of the (fleetingly) rich and (mostly) famous.

That can be the company of billionaires, as in Donald Trump and Michael Jackson, to start at the top of the A-list.

The Donald isn't hurting too much right now, but a decade ago, Trump was on the brink of going spectacularly bust. His personal liabilities were around $900 million. His three casinos and posh Plaza Hotel were forced into bankruptcy, he lost his yacht and the Trump Shuttle, and Ivana snagged the mansion and $14 million in the divorce.

Happily, Dealmeister Donald says he's now fine, he has a $2.5 billion fortune - although his company still has $1.8 billion in debts and his casinos lost tens of millions in 2003. It's all a question of scale.

For Michael Jackson, though, it looks like Pop goes the King.

Jacko's chained to a $200 million millstone of debt, says a California lawsuit, and he's reportedly trying to stave off bankruptcy, scraping by on a million bucks a month.

Michael's meltdown started to show when his parents, Joe and Katherine, filed for bankruptcy, claiming debts of $45 million and assets of around $400,000.

The Jackson kids Tito, Jermaine, Randy and Rebbie also went bust, but Michael and his songbird sisters Janet and LaToya did nothing, saying they had no part of the family firm.

Others say the King of Pop couldn't help anyway. “Michael Jackson is a ticking financial time bomb, waiting to explode at any moment,” says a lawsuit that seeks to freeze Jacko's Neverland assets.

The company behind the lawsuit says it arranged $230 million in loans for the singer between 1998 and 2000, and he owes them $12 million. The suit says he used much of the money to refinance earlier loans.

On top of his money woes, the singer faces molestation charges, his records aren't selling the way they used to, and he doesn't want to go home to his Neverland ranch since sheriffs 'violated' the place by searching it.

Jacko's solution: he's renting a 37,000 square-foot mansion and cliffside estate for $100,000 a month. If you're down and out in Beverly Hills, you can, it seems, still live well. Just sniff at the debts, and carry on.

Another musical genius, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart -- arguably the most famous composer of all time -- fell heavily into debt in his early 30s and when he died at age 35, was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave.

He's one of a slew of stars that have struggled mightily with debt, including Lorraine Bracco of “The Sopranos,” musician Elton John, actress Kim Basinger, boxer Mike Tyson, who went through $300 million living lavishly if not wisely, and an early president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson.

Then there's Martha. She's no president, but Martha Stewart is America's domestic queen, and she's also facing big money problems.

The distressed diva must feel she has a bull's-eye on her back. She dumped her ImClone stock the day before it tanked, leading to a federal investigation. If the courts decide she lied to them, she might find herself not only poor, but also behind bars.

Meanwhile, her Omnimedia company's share price has plummeted, costing her around $300 million.

CAN'T WHITEWASH DEBTS

In 1873, Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, built a large home in Hartford, Connecticut. He hired Associated Artists, run by famous jewelry-and-glass designer Louis Comfort Tiffany, to decorate the home's first floor. But Twain's financial difficulties from a number of failed investments forced him to move his family to Europe 17 years later.

By 1894, Clemens was effectively bankrupt. He began worldwide lectures in an attempt to pay off his creditors and three years later he succeeded by paying all his debts in full.

Actor Burt Reynolds, however, didn't seem to have the same drive to pay off his debts. Reynolds declared bankruptcy in 1996, citing more than $8 million in debts, yet hanging on to his $2.5 million estate in Florida.

While addressing the Senate about the homestead amendment last year, Sen. Herb Kohl said Reynolds was one of many examples of “rich debtors taking advantage” of the system. Wonder what the Wisconsin Democrat would have said about fellow politician, third president of the United States and principal author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson?

MOVING ON DOWN

Jefferson was no stranger to debt. When he left office in 1809, his wine bill alone exceeded $10,000. Add that to his 40-year project, Monticello, a lavish house that boasts 43 rooms and 13 skylights, and you'll understand why Jefferson ended up more than $107,000 in debt.

When he died in 1826, his large estate and all his possessions, including 130 slaves, were auctioned off to pay his creditors.

And then there's the other famous Jefferson.

Actor Sherman Hemsley, better know as George Jefferson from the CBS sitcom “The Jeffersons” which ran from 1975-85, filed for bankruptcy in 1999, owing, among other things, $15,500 in unpaid taxes.

Turning the television star debt dial to NBC, consider Gary Coleman, star of the 1978-86 sitcom “Diff'rent Strokes.” Coleman estimates that he earned $18 million from the show, but says his parents and former manager squandered the money.

In an attempt to raise money in 1999, he sold some of his personal items in an online auction, including his size 4 ½ bowling shoes and some Afro picks. On Aug. 18, 1999, he filed for bankruptcy.

Looking for a better credit card? Check rates in your area.

YOU CAN'T TOUCH THIS DEBT

No tragic saga of child stars would be complete without mention of the two Coreys from the '80s -- Feldman and Haim. Presumably, they made money from the “Call the Coreys Hotline” (a 900 number fans would call and pay to hear messages from Corey and Corey) and their films, yet both Coreys ended up in debt by their 20s.

Haim, the star of 1987 teenage-vampire horror film “The Lost Boys,” filed for bankruptcy in 1997 citing debts including nearly $104,000 to the IRS, $100,000 in state taxes and a variety of medical expenses.

While Feldman never declared bankruptcy, his mounting debt virtually destroyed his career.

Feldman, who had shown great promise as an actor in successful films including “Stand By Me” and “The Goonies,” was cast down to the pit of flop films. “I had earned a million dollars by the time I was 13 or 14, he told Bankrate in 2002. “But when I went to my bank accounts to see what my parents had put away for my future, there was $40,000 left.”

In a strange twist of fate, Feldman was married Oct. 30, 2002, to student Susie Sprague on the set of his new WB show, “Surreal Life,” with fellow debtor MC Hammer, now an ordained minister, presiding over the marriage.

Rapper Hammer's 1990 release of “U Can't Touch This” made him a star. But his money was spent on racehorses, legal battles and an entourage described by VH1 as “sizeable enough to successfully invade Switzerland.” In 1996, he declared bankruptcy.

Either Hammer doesn't learn from example, or he isn't a country music fan. He was probably too swept up in 1990 releasing “Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em,” to turn on the news and see what was happening to country music star Willie Nelson.

A TALE OF TACOS, TAPES AND TEXAS

In November 1990, the IRS raided Nelson's home in Texas and seized everything -- including his 44-acre home, gold records and his children's bronzed baby shoes.

Nelson blamed his financial predicament on mismanagement of his funds by his accountant. However, his lavish spending might have been part of the problem.

This spending included a huge entourage with all expenses paid entirely by Nelson. On the payroll was Paul English, who became recognized in the “Guinness Book of World Records” as the world's highest-paid sideman drummer. Texas Monthly reported that fans would stand outside concerts and ask, not for autographs, but for money for things like wheelchairs, iron lungs and funerals. Nelson's standard reply was reportedly “Will a personal check do?”

The IRS auctioned off Nelson's home and his property, though friends and fans bought most of his things and gave them back later.

Nelson released the mail-order album “The IRS tapes: Who Will Buy My Memories?” to help pay his taxes. Fans will remember this period as the Taco Bell years -- when Nelson lent his image to endorse of the fast food chain.

In 1993, Nelson settled the $16.7 million delinquent tax bill.

Despite Nelson's well-publicized example of what not to do, an ocean away, English rock star Elton John kept spending.

YELLOW BRICK ROAD OF DEBT

Over a 20-month period between 1996 and 1997 Elton John spent $205,774 on flowers alone -- and that's just a smidgen of his spending.

In 1999, the BBC reported that John asked a merchant bank to help him borrow $40 million to pay off his debts. A year later he admitted running up debts more than $2 million a month. His spending sprees were reported to include purchases of classic cars, clothing and jewelry.

John claimed his former accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, misappropriated millions of dollars. He filed suit. But defense lawyers seemed to think John's money problems lay elsewhere.

“I'm not a nest-egg person,” said John when defense lawyers questioned his spending habits. “I'm a single man. I like spending my money.”

The London Court of Appeals shot down John's lawsuit. The suit cost him an additional $11.8 million in legal fees.

HITS, FLOPS AND CONTRACTS

A disagreement over the film “Boxing Helena” pushed actress Kim Basinger into bankruptcy in 1993. The film flopped and the lawsuit began. Main Line studio said Basinger agreed to star in the film but pulled out.

The court ruled Basinger violated a verbal agreement. She was ordered to pay $8.1 million. Five days later she filed for Chapter 11. Eventually, Basinger appealed the Main Line decision to the court and won.

While that contract caused turmoil in Basinger's life, a 1999 contract gave Lorraine Bracco a new start.

Bracco, better known as Tony Soprano's psychiatrist, Dr. Melfi, racked up over $2 million in legal fees during a six-year custody battle with actor Harvey Keitel over their daughter, Stella. Bracco declared bankruptcy in 1999.

But 1999 ended up as a good year for Bracco -- she was cast in the HBO hit series “The Sopranos.”

“I was troubled with the separation from Harvey and I had two kids at home,” she told Mervyn Rothstein of The New York Times. Bracco said “The Sopranos” was “a big turning point. It allowed me to put myself back on my feet.”

Here's hoping everyone with debt problems will have the same luck.

*

Vanatized

Back in 1987 Ted Koppel - the host of ABC’s “Nightline” - was the graduation speaker at Duke University. He told the Duke University class, “America has been vanatized.” [see also #22680] Koppel was referring to the beautiful and incredibly popular woman of the TV game show “Wheel of Fortune”. Vanna White’s main job on the show is to push a button to light up those block letters when the contestant guesses them correctly and when she gets to the other side of the display board she claps her hands. Along with theologian James Montgomery Boice who has also commented on the “Vanna phenom”, I’ve often wondered how can someone who says and does so little and therefore is basically unknown to us be so phenomenally popular. She has consistently ranked at the top of those magical lists of America’s most admired people.

Since we don’t know what Vanna White is actually like, Koppel says, she’s whatever we want her to be. He says, “Is she a feminist or every male chauvinist dream? She is whatever you want her to be. Sister, lover, daughter, friend, never cross, non-threatening and non-judgmental to a fault.” Vanna White is popular, says Koppel, because we can project our own deep feelings, needs, or fantasies onto her TV screen image.

Now I’m not trying to knock Ms. White or her show but her phenomenon does illustrate how TV not only reflects contemporary culture but also shapes it, including the way we think about what’s important in life. In many ways, television is symptomatic of how American culture has become conditioned by and addicted to images meant to amuse us, entertain us, give us a certain feeling. Everything has become sensory; we have to see it, hear it, feel it, smell it, taste it; in other words something is only real or true or significant if we experience it.

Making Images [2 versions]

Habakkuk 2:18

Malcolm Muggeridge, the self-dubbed “fatally fluent” journalist, is remembered as one of the most notable figures of the twentieth century. Through more than fifty years in the public eye, his voice became a decipherable entity in print, over the radio, and on television. His wit and style made him both endearing and controversial. As a media personality for decades, Muggeridge understood the effect of publicity on the human ego. He understood, as one biographer notes, “the strange metamorphosis that turns an individual into an image.”(1) He once confessed, “There is something very terrible in becoming an image... You see yourself on a screen, walking, talking, moving about, posturing, and it is not you. Or is it you, and the you looking at you, someone else? ...Once, sleeping before a television screen, I woke up to find myself on it. The experience was quite terrifying — like some awful nightmare to which only someone like Edgar Allan Poe or Dostoevsky could do justice.”(2)

In our media-saturated, celebrity-producing culture, the thought is interesting. Though I do not think it is only the televised that find themselves in danger of becoming an image.

Some of the images we may have of ourselves, obviously come with the territory. A new mom learns to see herself as a mom. A journalist sees himself as a journalist. Muggeridge was speaking of images beyond this — namely, a journalist who starts to see himself as an icon, or perhaps, a person who starts to see herself as an image of success, grief, helpfulness, or humility. This is perhaps where many of us can relate.

God once asked the prophet Habakkuk, “Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it? Or an image that teaches lies? For he who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak” (Habakkuk 2:18). The dangerous thing about becoming an image is that we start to believe we created that image. “I’m the maker of my success.” “I’ve molded myself to be this kind of Christian.” Such images teach lies. Interestingly, God spoke these words to the prophet after Habakkuk had uttered a complaint, asking deep-rooted questions about who God is. Are you not from everlasting? Why are the wicked prospering? How long will you remain silent? But God replied to his pressing questions about who He is by asking Habakkuk to see again his creative power.

The images we create, even our images of Him, must be crushed by He who moves and speaks, He who spoke creation into existence. We can mold ourselves into lasting icons no more than we can mold a lump of clay into a god that speaks.

Thankfully, though sometimes painfully, God is continually at work shattering the images we fashion of ourselves and of Him. The Incarnation, which we prepare ourselves to receive anew this Christmas, is the greatest example. Coming as a baby, a man who wept at the grave of Lazarus and sweat blood in Gethsemane, Jesus brings us more of what it means to be human than we are yet able to emulate. Coming as God, the Word who was at the beginning of all things, he silences our questions of who God is with a face, a hand, and a Cross.

________

1. Gregory Wolfe, Malcolm Muggeridge: A Biography (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995), xi.

2. Ibid., xi.

________

=====================

Version from 12/13/06:

Malcolm Muggeridge is remembered as one of the most notable figures of the twentieth century. The wit and style of this self-dubbed “fatally fluent” journalist made him as endearing as he was controversial. His presence was a decipherable entity in print, over the radio, and on television. With over fifty years in the public eye, Muggeridge knew well the effect of publicity on the human ego. In the words of one biographer, he knew well “the strange metamorphosis that turns an individual into an image.”(1) He once confessed, “There is something very terrible in becoming an image... You see yourself on a screen, walking, talking, moving about, posturing, and it is not you. Or is it you, and the you looking at you, someone else? [...] Once, sleeping before a television screen, I woke up to find myself on it. The experience was quite terrifying -- like some awful nightmare to which only someone like Edgar Allan Poe or Dostoevsky could do justice.”(2)

In our media-saturated, celebrity-producing culture, the warning may well be appropriate. Though I do not think it is only the televised that find themselves in danger of becoming an image.

Some of the images we may have of ourselves, obviously come with the territories. A new mom learns to see herself as a mom; a journalist sees himself as a journalist. Muggeridge was speaking of images beyond this -- namely, a journalist who starts to see himself as an icon, or perhaps, a person who starts to see herself as an image of success, or grief, helpfulness, or humility. This is perhaps where many of us can relate.

God once asked the prophet Habakkuk, “Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it? Or an image that teaches lies? For he who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak”(Habakkuk 2:18). The dangerous thing about becoming an image is that we start to believe we created that image: “I’m the maker of my success.” “I’ve molded myself to be this kind of Christian.” But such images only teach lies. Interestingly, God spoke these words to the prophet after Habakkuk had uttered a complaint, questioning who God is: “O Lord, are you not from everlasting?” (1:12) “Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? (1:14). But God replied by asking Habakkuk to look again.

The images we create, even our images of God, must be crushed by He who moves and speaks, He who spoke creation itself into existence. We are not the images we think we are.

Thankfully, though sometimes painfully, God is continually at work shattering the images we fashion of ourselves and of Him. And the Incarnation, which we prepare ourselves to receive anew this Advent, is the greatest example. This is not the messiah we expected. This is not at all what we imagined he’d ask of us. This man who wept at the grave of Lazarus and sweat blood in Gethsemane is the very Word who was at the beginning of all things. Coming as a baby, Jesus brings us more of what it means to be human than we are yet able to emulate. Coming as God, he silences our questions of who God is -- with a face, a hand, a Cross. We can no more mold ourselves into lasting icons than we can mold a lump of clay into a god that speaks. But we can be molded into the image of the God who lives.

________

1. Gregory Wolfe, MALCOLM MUGGERIDGE: A BIOGRAPHY (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995), xi.

2. IBID., xi.

________

Christian Celebrities

This list of famous Christians mainly includes people in entertainment, such as TV, movies, sports and music. These are people who are famous because of their careers, not because they are Christians. Most of the names on the list are contemporary.

What criteria is used to determine if a celebrity is a Christian? Basically, if a celebrity says they are a Christian, whether in published interviews or biographical sketches, we take them at their word. We haven't tried to measure how frequently they attend church or in what way God has touched their hearts or what kind of role model they are or what their beliefs are on any one issue. But as far as we know these are all people for whom their faith is important enough that they have identified it publicly, not just as as something they were raised in, but something significant to them as adults. [Asterisk indicates they are deceased]

ACTORS

Willie Aames - former actor, "Eight is Enough". members.aol.com/olfc/truestories2.html

Corbin Allred - actor, "Robin Hood: Men in Tights"; "Teen Angel"

Pat Boone - actor and musician

Billy Barty - actor, famed "Little People" activist, "Willow"

Justine Bateman - actress

Gary Burghoff - actor ("Radar O'Reilly" on M.A.S.H.)

Gary Busey - actor. www.naplesfl.net/~gobedo/busey.htm

Kirk Cameron - actor, "Growing Pains"

Carl Ciarfalio - actor ("The Thing", Corman's FF film)

Lacey Chabert - Actress from "Party of Five"

Anna Chlumsky - Actress

Deezer D - Actor on "E.R." & Christian rapper

Anne B. Davis - "Alice" on the Brady Bunch

Clifton Davis - movie star

Hazel Dawn - movie star

Laraine Day - movie star

Mark Deakins - actor ("Star Trek: Insurrection", Axum on "Star Trek: Voyager")

Donna Douglas - actress ("Ellie May Clampett" on "Beverly Hillbillies")

Roma Downey - actress on "Touched by an Angel"

Robert Duvall - actor

Aaron Eckhart - movie star ("The Pledge", "Erin Brockovich", "Possession")

Dale Evans* - actress

Kim Fields - actor, "Facts of Life"

Rhonda Fleming - movie star

Mel Gibson - movie star

Ryan Gosling - actor ("The Believer", Hercules on "Young Hercules") [Holwick: he was raised a Mormon but does not appear to practice any faith now]

Andy Griffith - actor, "Andy Griffith Show"

Charlton Heston - actor, "The Ten Commandments"

Tom Hanks - movie star

Dean Jagger - movie star

Dean Jones - movie star (Academy Award for "Twelve O'Clock High", etc.)

Danny Kamekona - actor (popular Hawaiian actor; "Hawaii 5-O"; Miyagi's rival "Sato" in "Karate Kid II")

Al Kasha - actor, two-time academy award winner. www.alkasha.com/bio.html

Richard Kiel* - actor; Jaws in "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Moonraker"

Carol Lawrence - singer/dancer/actress, once married to Robert Goulet

Bruce Marchiano - actor, Jesus in "The Gospel According to Matthew"

Gavin McLeod - actor, Captain Stubing on "The Love Boat"

Terry Moore - Academy Award-nominated actress ("Come Back, Little Sheba")

Tia and Tamer Mowry - Actresses on "Sister Sister"

Robert Newman - actor

Chuck Norris - actor, "Walker Texas Ranger". www.centuryma.com/bios/norris.html

Austen O'Brian - actor on "Promised Land"

Merlin Olsen - football player, actor ("Little House on the Prairie"; "Aaron's Way")

Jennifer O'Neill - actor

Kelly Packard - Wonder Years; Blossom; Step By Step; Baywatch; Boy Meets World

Austin Peck - Soap Opera actor

Pat Priest - actress ("Marilyn Munster" on "The Munsters" TV show; "Easy Come, Easy Go" opposite Elvis Presley)

Della Reese - actor, "Touched by an Angel". http://members.aol.com/jwbalkwell/della.html

Fred Rogers* - "Mr. Rogers Neighborhood"

Roy Rogers* - TV star

Mickey Rooney - actor

Jane Russell - movie star

John Schneider - actor, "The Dukes of Hazzard", founder, FaithWorks. www.faithworksproduction.com/front.html

Connie Selleca - actress

Christian Slater - actor (according to an article in the Calgary Sun on 9/11/2000)

Nancy Stafford - actress "Matlock", "MacGyver"

David Suchet - actor ("Hercule Poirot" on the PBS series "Mystery")

Mr T. - Actor

Russ Tamblyn - actor ("Peyton Place", "West Side Story", etc.)

Ben Vereen - Actor

Paul Walker - movie star ("Varsity Blues", "Meet the Deedles", "The Fast and the Furious", etc.)

Robert Walker - actor ("Strangers on a Train", etc.)

Lisa Whelchel - actress, "The Facts of Life"

Johnny Whitaker - actor ("Family Affair")

Demond Wilson - actor ("Lamont Sanford")

Marie Windsor - movie star

Elijah Wood - actor

Heather Young - TV star ("Land of Giants")

Loretta Young - movie star (Best Actress Academy Award for "The Farmer's Daughter")

RADIO

Warren Duffy - radio talk show host, KKLA. www.kkla.com/personalities/duffy.html

Bob Larson - radio talk show host

Dawson McAlister - radio talk show host. www.christiananswers.net/paradise/au-dawson.html

Janet Parshall - radio talk show host, "Janet Parshall's America". www.wava.com/jpa/janet.shtml

Michael Reagan - national radio talk show host. www.regan.com

Paul Harvey

TV/MOVIE PRODUCERS AND DIRECTORS

Don Bluth - animation director/producer (Land Before Time; Titan A.E.; The Secret of NIMH; etc.)

Richard Dutcher - director/screenwriter/actor (Girl Crazy; God's Army)

Keith Merrill (Academy award-winning IMAX director; "The Great American Cowboy; "Amazon", etc.)

Jerry Molen - movie producer (Schindler's List; Jurassic Park, Twister; Hook; Rain Man; etc.)

Richard Rich - animation director (The King and I; The Black Cauldron)

Ken Wales - producer, "Christy". www.lifesite.net/interim/august98/16hollywood.html

Michael Warren - producer, "Family Matters"

Martha Williamson - executive producer "Touched by an Angel". touched.com/martha.htm

John Woo - director, "Mission Impossible II", "Broken Arrow"

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT – OTHER

Kim Alexis - professional model

Jane Clayson - co-anchor, "The Early Show" with Bryant Gumbel

Howard Finster - former preacher turned artist. www.finster.com/biography.htm

Jeff Foxworthy - comedian

Kathie Lee Gifford - television talk show host. www.otherside.net/kathylee.htm

Johnny Hart - cartoonist, "B.C." comic strip

Michael Klausman - president, CBS Studio Center Hollywood

Mark Lowry - comedian

Deborah Norvill - "Inside Edition" anchor

Heather Whitestone-McCallum - first deaf Miss America. www.wpsd.org/deafawareness/hwhitestone.html

ATHLETICS - FOOTBALL

Bobby Bowden - college football coach

Dennis Byrd - former profession football player

Vince Carter - professional football player

Bob Christian - professional football player.

www.atlantafalcons.com/rb.htm

Randall Cunningham - professional football player.

www1.gospelcom.net/rbc/ss/ssm/archive/football/features/rcdec97.html

Joe Gibbs - former professional football coach.

http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/longterm/memories/gibbs/jg91fet2.htm

Rosie Grier - former professional football player

Tom Landry* - former professional football coach

Dan Reeves - professional football coach.

www.atlantafalcons.com/98coach.htm#reeves

Frank Reich - professional football player.

www.gospelcom.net/gci/sf/sports/profiles/frankreich.html

Eugene Robinson - professional football player.

www.intranet.ca/~sheehan/stbarts/xathlts.htm#Eugene

Deion Sanders - professional football player.

www.christianentertainment.com/feature112498.htm

Mike Singletary - former professional football player

www.christianentertainment.com/feature61698.htm

Gene Stallings - former college football coach

Emmitt Smith - professional football player

Kurt Warner - professional football player

Reggie White - former professional football player.

www.cbn.org/living/christianwalk/interviews/reggiewhite.asp

Lenny Wilkens - professional basketball coach.

www.nba.com/history/wilkens_bio.html

ATHLETICS - BASKETBALL

A.C. Greene - former professional basketball player

Hersey Hawkins - professional basketball player

Meadowlark Lemon - former basketball player, Harlem Globetrotters

www.christianentertainment.com/feature9898.htm

Pete Maravich* - professional basketball player.

www.gospelcom.net/gci/sf/sports/sportsministry/tracts/maravich.html

Dikembe Mutombo - professional basketball player.

www.nba.com/playerfile/dikembe_mutombo.html

Mark Price - former professional basketball player.

www.lifestory.org/sports.html#price

David Robinson - professional basketball player.

www.intranet.ca/~sheehan/stbarts/xathlts.htm#David

ATHLETICS - BASEBALL

Brett Butler -former baseball player.

www.intranet.ca/~sheehan/stbarts/xathlts.htm#Brett

Joe Carter - baseball player.

www.intranet.ca/~sheehan/stbarts/xathlts.htm#Joe

Gary Carter - former baseball player

Darren Daulton - former baseball player.

www.intranet.ca/~sheehan/stbarts/xathlts.htm#Darren

Dave Dravecky - former baseball player.

www.christianentertainment.com/feature81898.htm

Orel Herschiser - professional baseball player.

http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/ss/profile/oh-ra.html

Paul Molitor - professional baseball player

Terry Pendleton - professional baseball player. http://

www.gospelcom.net/gci/sf/sports/topstory/tsarchive/topstorypendleton.html

Andy Pettitte - professional baseball player.

http://newark.rutgers.edu/~lcrew/lambeth71.html

John Smoltz - professional baseball player

Walt Weiss - professional baseball player

ATHLETICS - GOLF

Paul Azinger - professional golfer.

www.gospelcom.net/rbc/ss/ssm/archive/golf/features/paulqa/index.html

Bernard Langer - professional golfer

Tom Lehman - professional golfer;

www.christianity.net/mp/8M4/8M4030.html

Larry Mize - professional golfer

Scott Simpson - professional golfer

Larry Nelson - professional golfer

ATHLETICS - SKATING

Janet Lynn - Olympic figure skater

Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz - Olympic winning Figure skating dance team

Rosalyn Sumners - Figure Skater

Paul Wyle - Olympic figure skater

ATHLETICS - TRACK AND FIELD

Gail Devers - professional track athlete

Jackie Joyner-Kersee - professional track athlete.

www.christianity.net/tcw/8W5/8W5046.html

Eric Liddell* - Olympic Gold Medalist, "Chariots of Fire"

Jesse Owens* - professional track athlete

ATHLETICS - OTHER

Davey Allison* - professional race car driver.

www.gospelcom.net/gci/sf/sports/sportsministry/tracts/allison.html

George Foreman - former professional boxer.

www.mrshowbiz.go.com/people/georgeforeman/content/bio.html

Mary Joe Fernandez - professional tennis player

Jeff Gordon - professional car racer

Evander Holyfield - profession boxer.

www.intranet.ca/~sheehan/stbarts/xathlts.htm#Evander

Todd Huston - mountain climber, motivational speaker, amputee.

http://199.227.134.77/index.html

Mary Lou Retton - former gymnastics athlete, Olympic Gold Medalist

Jesse Romero - world chamption kick boxer

Sheila Taormina - Olympic medalist, swimming.

users.erols.com/rpdigest/01499.htm

BUSINESS

Truett Cathy - founder Chick-Fil-A

www.chick-fil-a.com/content/about/aboutInnerFrame.htm

Cecil Day* - founder Day's Inn

Arthur DeMoss - businessman and author, founder, DeMoss Foundation

H.G. Heinz* - founder, Heinz ketchup

Leonard Lesord - founder "Guidepost Magezine"

Norm Miller - Chairman of the Board, Interstate Batteries

www.interstatebatteries.com/norm_miller/normtest.htm

Lowell "Bud" Paxxon - founder PAX-TV.

www.lifeatwork.com/journal/article.html?id=90

James Cash Penney* - founder, J.C. Penney department stores.

www.jcpenney.net/company/history/jcpbio/bio6.htm

Charlie Plumb - motivational speaker, former Vietnam P.O.W. http://

www.charlieplumb.com/

Tom Pryor - ICMS; ABM http://

www.icms.net/whois.htm

Dave Thomas* - founder, Wendy's

Sam Walton* - founder, Walmart

Zig Ziggler - motivational speaker

LITERATURE

Oswald Chambers* - author, My Utmost for His Highest;

www.intouch.org/INTOUCH/portraits/oswald_chambers.html

G. K. Chesterton* - science fiction, mystery, non-fiction, Orthodoxy

Tim LaHaye - author, "Left Behind".

www.leftbehind.com/authors/tim_lahaye.html

C. S. Lewis* - author of fantasy, science fiction, and non-fiction religious

books such as Mere Christianity;

www.intouch.org/INTOUCH/portraits/cs_lewis.html

Catherine Marshall* - author, "Christy".

www.intouch.org/INTOUCH/portraits/catherine_marshall.html

Norman Vincent Peale* - author, Power of Positive Thinking;

www.guideposts.org/gp2/about/about_guideposts.shtml#founders

Frank Peretti - author, This Present Darkness;

www.bookpage.com/9907bp/frank_peretti.html

Charles Sheldon* - author, In His Steps

Charles Spurgeon* - author

Danielle Steele - author

J.R.R. Tolkien* - author, The Hobbit

Joni Eareckson Tada - author, Artist & Speaker. Quadriplegic.

www.jafministries.com/about/tadabio.htm

COUNTRY MUSIC

Johnny Cash* - country musician

Charlie Daniels - country musician.

www.charliedaniels.com/frames.asp?main=spotlight.htm&left=sidebar.htm

Barbara Fairchild - country singer

Ernie Ford* - country musician

Larry Gatlin - country music singer.

www.christianentertainment.com/feature9198.htm

Barbara Mandrell - country musician

Dolly Parton - country musician

Kevin Sharp - country music star

MUSIC

Steve Amerson - musician, "To the Ends of the Earth"

Randy Bachman - member of Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive; "Takin'

Care of Business"

Tal Bachman - contemporary, guitar, Emmy winner

Backstreet Boys - singing group

Philip Bailey - musician, formerly with the band Earth Wind & Fire

Margaret Becker - contemporary Christian musician.

music.crosswalk.com/artists/bio/1,1146,106,00.html

Jody Benson - Broadway star; voice of "The Little Mermaid"

Ray Boltz - contemporary Christian musician

Boyz II Men - singing group

James Brown - singer

Jeremy Castle - Oklahoma country singer/songwriter

Alice Cooper - rock singer

Rick Cua - formerly with the band "The Outlaws", contemporary Christian

musician

Carman - contemporary Christian musician/evangelist

music.crosswalk.com/artists/bio/1,1146,208,00.html

Steven Curtis Chapman - contemporary Christian musician;

music.crosswalk.com/artists/bio/0,1146,236,00.html

Bob Carlisle - contemporary Christian musician

Dino - contemporary Christian musician

John Elefante - formerly with the band "Kansas", contemporary Christian

musician. www.praisetv.com/profiles/elefante.asp

Michael English - contemporary Christian musician.

www.michaelenglish.com/bio/index.html

Mark Farmer - formerly with the band "Grand Funk", contemporary Christian

musician

Don Francisco - contemporary Christian musician

Bill Gaither - traditional Gospel singer.

www.billgaither.com/

Gloria Gaither - traditional Gospel singer.

www.billgaither.com/

Keith Green* - contemporary Christian musician.

www.keithgreen.com/learn.htm

Steve Green - contemporary Christian musician.

www.stevegreenministries.org/

MC Hammer - rap musician.

www.mchammer.com/pg4.html

George Frideric Handel* - classical composer

Christian Jacobs - lead singer of the Aquabats

Kim Hill - contemporary Christian musician.

www.jamsline.com/b_hill.htm

Whitney Houston - singer, actress

Francis Scott Key* - composer

R. Kelley - Mainstream singer

Gladys Knight - of "Gladys Knight and the Pips"; pop; R & B

Patti Labell - Singer

Mylon Lefevre - contemporary Christian musician.

www.mylon.org/biopage.html

Glen Leonard - of the Temptations

Willie Lewis - singer, "The Platters"

Kerry Livgren - formerly with the band "Kansas", contemporary Christian

musician. //users.aol.com/guitarron/kerry/kerry.htm

Babbie Mason - contemporary Christian musician

Denise Matthews - formerly "Vanity" with Prince.

www.capitaljournal.com/stories/030299/fea_relmatthews.shtml

Rich Mullins* - contemporary Christian musician

Larry Norman - first Christian rock performer.

www.ccmcom.com/ccmmag/95oct/1095norm_troub.html

Stanford Olsen - opera tenor

Twila Paris - contemporary Christian musician

Leon Patillo - contemporary Christian musician. Formerly with the band

"Santana"; www.leonpatillo.org/Bio.htm

Christopher Parkening - classical guitarist.

www.musdoc.com/parkening/cpbio.html

Charlie Peacock - contemporary Christian musician

Elvis Presley - singer

Smokey Robinson - singer

Run DMC - rap group

SHeDAISY - contemporary group

Ryan Shupe and the RubberBand - contemporary fusion/ethnic

Michael W. Smith - contemporary Christian musician

Noel Paul Stookey - singer with "Peter, Paul, and Mary"

John Tesh - musician.

www.christianentertainment.com/feature41498.htm

Randy Travis - country singer

Vanity - Former singer for Prince

CeCe Winans - contemporary Christian musician.

music.crosswalk.com/artists/bio/1,1146,1482,00.html

BeBe Winans - contemporary Christian musician

POLITICAL

George Bush - former U.S. President.

www.csdl.tamu.edu/bushlib/papers/1992/92082000.html

Jimmy Carter - former U.S. President.

www.CarterCenter.org/pcbio.html

Abigail Adams - first lady, wife of U.S. President Samuel Adams

John Ashcroft - former Missouri Gov. & Senator

Christopher Darden - Lawyer, prosecutor in O. J. Simpson case

Elizabeth Dole - director, American Red Cross.

www.edole2000.org/moreabout.cfm

Stonewall Jackson*

Alan Keyes - U.S. Presidential candidate.

www.alankeyes.com/bio.htm

Steve Largent - U.S. House of Representative from Oklahoma, former

professional football player. www.house.gov/largent/hall_fame.html

Robert E. Lee* - Confederate General

Abraham Lincoln* - U.S. President [Holwick: Lincoln's faith is problematic]

Don Nickles - U.S. Senator, Oklahoma

J.C. Watts - U.S. House of Representative, former college football player

Dan Quayle - former U.S. Vice President.

www.quayle.org/

Clarence Thomas - U.S. Supreme Court Judge.

www.berkshire.net/~ifas/fw/9107/thomas.html

George Washington* - U.S. President

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND EXPLORATION

Robert Boyle*

George Washington Carver*

Christohper Columbus*

Kenneth H. Cooper - "Father of aerobics"

Michael Faraday*

Jim Irwin* - astronaut, Ark Hunter

Samuel Morse*

Isaac Newton* - inventor, scientist

Louis Pasteur*

Hugh Ross - physicist

Francis Schaeffer* - theologian and thinker (1912-1984)

Carol Swain - political scientist, author of Black Faces, Black Interests and

The New White Nationalism in America: Its Challenge to Integration (a

convert to Evangelical Christianity)

Wright Brothers*

People who are well known because of their efforts or careers in ministry include:

Kay Arthur, Jim Bakker, Gary Bauer, David Berkowitz, Bill Bright*, Larry Burkett*, Ryne Hart Bonke, Corrie Ten Boom, Michael Brown, Tony Campollo, David (Paul) Yonggi Cho, Chuck Colson, Kenneth Copeland, James Dobson, Elisabeth Elliot, Jim Elliot, Tony Evans, Charles Finney, Jerry Fallwell, Franklin Graham, Billy Graham, John Haggee, Hank Hannigraf, Marilyn Hickey, Steve Hill, Benny Hinn, Rees Howells, Bill Hybels, Calvin Johnson Jr., Grant Jeffries, Ben Kinshlo, Paul Krouch, Nicky Cruz, Hubert Lindsey, Hal Lindsey, David Livingstone, Crawford Loritz, Max Lucado, Peter Marshall, Bill McCartney, Josh McDowell, Walter Martin*, Dwight Moody*, George Mueller*, Larry Poland, Oral Roberts, Pat Robertson, Dave Roever, Robert Schuller, Demias Shekarian, Robert Slairden, Charles Stanley, Chuck Swindoll, Hudson Taylor*, A.W. Tozer*, Kevin Turner, John Wesley*, Susana Wesley*, David Wilkerson, Ravi Zacharias.

*Deceased

--------------------------------------------

Sources:

http://members.truepath.com/testimony/featured.html

http://www.inertiafilms.com/testimony/featured.html

http://members.tripod.com/~StrongConvictions/famous.html

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Crete/6111/pneumatikos/famous1.htm

http://www.naplesfl.net/~gobedo/goodnews.html

=============================================================

Another source from http://www.christianadvice.net/famous_christians.htm

Famous Christians - list of famous Christian Men & Women in Media & Biographies

There have been lots of famous Christians past and present. I've collected

a list of names below. Many people may say they aren't Christians because

of something they've seen and heard on TV or in newspapers or things done

in the past. This is wrong. Remember..... "ALL have sinned and come short

of the glory of God." We all mess up and should never judge someone elses

Christianity. "There is only one Judge". As far as we know these famous

Christians are all people for whom their faith is important enough that

they have identified it publicly. OK - here goes....

Great Britain’s most famous Christian

Sir Cliff Richard - in the UK Cliff Richard is the foremost Christian

entertainer that springs to mind. Not least because he is one of very

few entertainers that is celibate and vows to remain a single Christian!

He is a great and strong guy who stands up for Christian values and

still manages to remain respected in the secular pop world!! Check out

his life story and biography.

famous Christians – General

KIM ALEXIS: Supermodel

JOHN TESH: Musician and former Entertainent Tonight Anchor

CONNIE3 SELECA: Actress

POCAHOTNUS: Indian

JOAN OF ARC: Saint

DEION SANDERS: Football Player

AC GREEN: Basketball Player

PAUL WYLE: Olympic Figure Skater

JANET LYNN: Olympic Figure Skater

REGGIE WHITE: Football Player

ROMA DOWNEY: Actress

DELLA REESE: Actress

AUSTEN O'BRIAN: Actor on TV's Promised Land

MOTHER THERESA

THE BACKSTREET BOYS: Mainstream singing group

BOYZ II MEN: Mainstream singing group

WHITNEY HOUSTON: Singer

MICKEY ROONEY: Actor

ROY ROGERS: Late TV star

BRUCE MARCHIANO: Actor, played Jesus in "The Gospel According to

Matthew)

EVANDER HOLYFIELD: Boxer

KATHIE LEE GIFFORD: Talk show host

DAVID ROBINSON: Basketball Player

JIMMY CARTER: Former United States President

JON SCHNIDER: Actor (Dukes of Hazzard)

ELVIS PRESLEY - US entertainer

MC HAMMER - USA singer

GARY BUSEY - American actor

JUSTINE BATEMAN

ALICE COOPER - American pop star

ROSALYN SUMNERS: Figure Skater

AUSTIN PECK: Soap Opera actor

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

TIA AND TAMER MOWRY: Actresses on Sister Sister

EDITH STEIN: Saint and Holocaust Victim

VANITY: Former singer for Prince

KIRK CAMERON: Actor

SHAE-LYNN BOURNE AND VICTOR KRAATZ: Olympic winning Figure skers

ANNE B.DAVIS: ?Alice? in the Brady Bunch

MARY LOU RETTON: Olympic Gymnast

LACEY CHABERT: Actress from Party of Five

DEEZER D: Actor in E.R & Christian rapper

BEN VEREEN: Actor

PAT BOON: Singer

R.KELLEY: singer

PATTI LABELL: Singer

ANNA CHLUMSKY: Actress

CHRISTOPHER DARDEN: Lawyer

DEBORAH NORVILL: Inside Edition anchor

FRED ROGERS: Mr. Rogers Neighborhood

famous Christians in Arts & Entertainment

Willie Aames - former actor, "Eight is Enough".

Billy Barty - actor, "Willow"

Justine Bateman - actress -"Family Ties"-("Malorie")

Gary Burghoff - actor ("Radar O'Reilly" on M.A.S.H.)

Gary Busey - actor.

Kirk Cameron -actor, "Growing Pains"

Anne B. Davis "Alice" on the Brady Bunch

Donna Douglas - actress ("Ellie May Clampett" on

"BeverlyHillbillies")

Kim Fields - actor, "Facts of Life"("Tootie")

Andy Griffith - actor, "Andy Griffith Show"

Charlton Heston - actor"The Ten Commandments"

Gavin McLeod - actor Captain Stubing on "The Love Boat"

Chuck Norris - actor"Walker Texas Ranger".

Mickey Rooney - actor

Mr T. - Actor-("I pity the Fool who ain't know Christ")

Ben Vereen - Actor

Lisa Whelchel - actress, "The Facts of Life"("Blair)

Desmond Wilson - actor ("Lamont Sanfor

Famous Christian Sports people and their stories

Dikembe Mutombo - professional basketball player.

Joe Carter - baseball player.

George Foreman - former professional boxer.

Meadowlark Lemon was probably the best-known Harlem Globetrotter of all

time. But Meadowlark gave his life to Christ and now preaches the gospel.

He has own television program on TBN.

Jimmy Blacklock is another former Globetrotter who is now a Christian.

By the way, the inventor of basketball, James Naismith, was an ordained

minister. He invented the game in 1891 as a way of curing the wintertime

boredom of the boys he taught.

Turning to football, Florida State coach Bobby Bowden is a devout

Christian. So is Joe Gibbs, coach of the Washington Redskins. Former L. A.

Ram and actor Roosevelt ("Rosey") Grier preaches the gospel, and recently

went to minister to O. J. Simpson in jail.

Mike Barber, formerly a Houston Oiler starter, now ministers the gospel to

inmates in prison and has a program on TBN. Football lineman Reggie White

is an ordained minister. Former Baylor star and Chicago Bear Mike

Singletary is supposed to be a Christian, as well.

Natalie Nalepa, an All-American track star at Baylor, is a Christian.

Pro golfer Corey Pathen was Jewish, but was saved 1991. The list of

Christians in pro baseball includes some of the top stars of the sport.

Orel Hershiser of the L. A. Dodgers had his Christian testimony printed as

a gospel tract by the American Tract Society. Brett Butler of the Dodgers

is also supposed to be a Christian. Other Christians in baseball are Rod

Booker and Terry Pendleton.

Few stories are more compelling than that of former pitcher Dave Dravecky.

He lost much of his shoulder to cancer. But he did what was considered

impossible: trusting in God, Dravecky came back to pitch again--only to

have his bone in his throwing arm snap in mid-pitch. Dravecky now goes

about telling his testimony to groups across the country.

In the field of boxing, one can surely not ignore the likes of George

Foreman and Evander Holyfield. Foreman, of course, pastors his own church

in Houston. Holyfield retired as heavyweight champ not long ago because of

potentially life-threatening heart problems. But he recently claimed to

have received a physical healing by the power of God. Indeed, doctors have

found a marked improvement in his condition.

On that note, let me close with a mention of actor/singer/dancer Ben

Vereen, best known for his role in the TV mini-series "Roots." A few years

ago, he had a stroke while driving, resulting in multiple car accidents in

which he received life-threatening injuries. However, after years of

suffering, Vereen testifies to having been divinely healed and now being

able to dance again.

As I said before, I cannot vouch for the faith and commitment of all these

who ascribe to Christianity. Some, as often happens, might cling to Christ

during hard times and fall away when things get better.

But this is an important lesson for us. We sometimes might seem to "have

it all." We might imagine ourselves able to take whatever comes. I could

contrast the list above with a list of all those celebrities who took

their own lives in despair, such as Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe.

Business

H.G. Heinz - founder, Heinz ketchup

Sam Walton - founder, Walmart

Literature

T.S Elliot-poet

C. S. Lewis - author of fantasy, science fiction, and non-fiction

Christian books such as Mere Christianity

J.R.R. Tolkien - author, The Hobbit

Music

MC Hammer - rap musician."he's a dancin machine"

Run DMC - rap group

John Tesh - musician.

Political

George Bush Jr.-current U.S. President

George Bush - former U.S. President.

Jimmy Carter - former U.S. President.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Abraham Lincoln - U.S. President

George Washington - U.S.President (he's old.)

John Adams: 1735-1826 American Statesman

Helped draft the Declaration of Independence. Second President.

"Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is

wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

Patrick Henry: 1736-1799 American Statesman

Lawyer, legislator and later governor of Virginia.

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great

nation was founded, not by religionists but by Christians; not on

religions but on the gospel of Jesus Christ!"

Famous Christians in Science, Technology and Exploration

Christohper Columbus

Samuel Morse -morse code dude

Isaac Newton - inventor, scientist

Wright Brothers

Arthur Eddington, an important mathematical cosmologist, was a Quaker.

Georges Lemaî´²e, a Roman Catholic priest, proposed the Big Bang theory.

Henry F. "Fritz" Schaefer is one of the foremost theoretical chemists of

our day.

William Phillips was co-recipient of the . 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics

Francis Collins (also here) is the director of the U.S. Human Genome

Project.

Rustum Roy, one of the world's foremost materials scientists, holds

three chairs

Nicolaus Copernicus: 1473-1543 Polish Astronomer

Developed the heliocentric theory of the solar system.

Galileo Galilei: 1564-1642 Italian Physicist

"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us

with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use."

Johannes Kepler: 1571-1630 German Astronomer

The 3 laws of planetary motion. Advanced Copernicus' heliocentric

theory.

"Since we astronomers are priests of the highest God in regard to the

book of nature, it befits us to be thoughtful, not of the glory of our

minds, but rather, above all else, of the glory of God."

Blaise Pascal: 1623-1662 French Mathematician

"There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be

filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known

through Jesus Christ." (Pensees)?

But by Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ, we prove God and teach doctrine

and morals. Jesus Christ, then, is the true God of men."

Newton Isaac: 1642-1727 (born Dec 25) English Mathematician

Laws of gravitation and motion, developed calculus. Major contributions

to optics, physics, math and astronomy.

The solar system itself could not have been produced by blind chance or

fortuitous causes but only by a cause "very well skilled in mechanics

and geometry."

Michael Faraday: 1791-1869 English Chemist

Discovered Benzene, electromagnetic induction, lines of force,

relationship between polarized light and magnetic fields. Strong

believer in the literal interpretation of Scripture. Deacon and elder in

his church.

"Since peace is alone in the gift of God; and since it is He who gives

it, why should we be afraid? His unspeakable gift in His beloved Son is

the ground of no doubtful hope."

Lord Kelvin: 1824-1907 (William Thomson) British Physicist

First and second laws of thermodynamics. Absolute temp scale.

Trans-Atlantic cable.

"I believe that the more thoroughly science is studied, the further does

it take us from anything comparable to atheism."

The Meek Shall Inherit Malibu

Job 20:19

In Malibu, California, people don't talk about Mel Gibson, Jennifer Aniston or Barbra Streisand. Instead, they refer to their fellow citizens as “Mel,” “Jennifer” and “Barb.” And so it is only natural that the mayor of the coastal city just goes by his first name, “Winston.”

The average household income of Malibu probably is more than the GDP of some countries. But that doesn't mean that the city isn't bustling with the impoverished, including a sizable homeless population. And Winston isn't your typical “Mayor Moonbeam,” speaking about social justice for the homeless at cocktail parties. Instead, Winston is repulsed by those who will sign on for campaigns for global economic justice but can “hardly get involved with the poor here.”

Winston is with the homeless and the impoverished on virtually a daily basis, helping with economic emergencies and, even more important, learning names and listening to the homeless as people who share a common image of God. Winston says his mission to the homeless is rooted in the ministry of Jesus: “Jesus walked around and helped a lot of people, and that's my thing: To be like Jesus you've got to walk around and help people.”

But there's one more thing that you should know about Winston.

When he walks into a room people stop to stare -- but not because of any pervasive fame or striking good looks. Winston himself is homeless. Every night he is without a home or a bed on which to sleep, and every morning he wakes up thinking about how he is going to eat that day. The people of Malibu never elected him mayor, but the homeless of that city call him their mayor nonetheless. This may be because he does for them all the things they think a mayor should do. Above all, they know their appointed “mayor” is out to serve their best interests, whether they know yet what those may or may not be.

The tongue-in-cheek title of an unknown impoverished man living in anonymity against the backdrop of one of America's richest cities ought to remind American Christians of an ancient -- but often forgotten -- biblical truth. James tells us that care for the poor is not a matter of pity, but rather of eschatology. After all, James writes, Christians' hyper-attention to the wealthy ignores the fact that God has chosen the poor who are rich in faith to be “heirs of the kingdom” (James 2:5).

This is Jesus' point when He notes that the one who is faithful in little shall be given responsibility over much (Matthew 25:23). The issue here is ruling over the universe in a restored new creation. The New Testament churches were reminded not to assume that God apportions ruling responsibility on the same basis as the present world system.

Perhaps the homeless of Malibu intuit just such a truth: Winston ought to be governor of something. Nothing could seem farther from reality in a culture obsessed with wealth and celebrity -- especially in a state that elects mayors named Eastwood and governors named Schwarzenegger.

But the churches should listen to Winston's title, even as they pray for the day in which the triumphant King Jesus will give us all a new name (Revelation 2:17) and a new sphere of responsibility over some aspect of the universe. Perhaps then we will all call Winston “Mr. Mayor,” or something even better.

Until then, let's remember that how we treat the aged and newly unemployed contractor or the lady collecting cans along the highway tells us more than simply what we believe about “charity.” It tells us what we believe about the Kingdom of Christ. So let's guard our hearts against a celebrity culture that values glitz and cache. And let's keep in mind that the meek shall inherit the earth. And that means they inherit Malibu, too.

*

Here Comes the Bride ... Again and Again: What's Behind Successful Marriages?

The glossy, coffee-table book was grandly titled THE GREATEST WEDDINGS OF ALL TIME. It featured media stars like Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio, Ted Turner and Jane Fonda.

Sadly, most of relationships, like those, didn't last very long — which is probably why the book celebrates great weddings instead of great marriages. Many of these couples apparently had no idea what qualities to look for in a spouse, or how to keep a marriage together.

This is tragic — not only for the people involved, but also because many of our young people idolize those they watch on television or in films. And they're imitating what they see — one reason the divorce rate even among Christians is so high.

What is the Church doing about this? Not nearly enough. Too many churches have allowed their role to deteriorate to being little more than what author Mike McManus labels “wedding factories.”

In his book MARRIAGE SAVERS, McManus explains how many churches help couples prepare for elaborate wedding ceremonies but not for lasting marriages. This is a scandal. The Church needs to boldly proclaim the biblical teaching on marriage and offer practical help to engaged couples and to couples in strained marriages.

In MARRIAGE SAVERS, McManus identifies a number of excellent resources churches can use. For engaged couples, there’s a program called FOCUSS. A couple fills out a questionnaire that provides an objective snapshot of their relationship's weaknesses and strengths. Then, older couples, who have been married for many years, teach them concrete strategies for tackling the weak areas.

Churches can also train what McManus calls “back from the brink” couples — those whose marriages nearly broke up. After their own relationships have been healed, these couples can mentor other couples in crisis.

For separated couples, there is a program called “Reconciling God's Way.” A support partner meets for twelve weeks with the spouse trying to save the marriage. When a separated spouse takes part in this program, the chances are better than 50 percent that he or she will be able to restore the marriage. And churches can help stepfamilies by creating stepfamily support groups.

Has your church become little more than a “blessing machine”? Why not introduce your pastor to programs like FOCUSS? And if your own children are marrying, find them a church with rigorous premarital programs and support for couples after they marry.

Current trends notwithstanding, God intends for marriages to last a lifetime. It's up to God's people to begin teaching couples HOW to have a marriage that endures.

________

*

Reality TV Meets the Local Church

1 Corinthians 2:1

The casting call might as well read, “Evangelical Christian ministers need not apply.” Oh, it doesn’t, but the warning issued by the producers of a new reality show means just that.

In what is billed as potentially groundbreaking television, the producers of “Pulpit Masters” will host a 10-week preaching competition to ferret out the next Billy Graham, or at least the nation’s next inspirational guru. You need not be a Christian preacher to participate in this contest. Welcome imams. Welcome rabbis. Welcome Krishnas. Welcome secularists and Scientologists.

Just bring your smile, your motivational melting pot of ideas about the spiritual and you, too, can be the next big thing -- the person the American people look to for guidance on matters eternal. All you have to do is avoid preaching a message of “hate” and “superiority.” If you can’t comply, just climb up into your favorite recliner and watch the show like the rest of America. Watch as syncretistic religion at its finest is rammed down the nation’s throat.

The concept for the show is tragically amusing, and a virtual guarantee that people will watch. (The show's producers are searching for a network home.) People will look for the tension between the proponents of different faiths. They’ll side with their favorite contestants. They’ll applaud when the winner is announced. They might stay up late to see their favored orator land a spot next to Jay Leno on “The Tonight Show.”

But let’s hope that “Pulpit Masters” implodes within its first few episodes. Why, you ask? Won’t this type of show be insightful? Won’t it measure the pulse of Americans’ faith in “God” -- as they see Him -- and the “great beyond?” Better yet, might this program possibly be a good thing?

A reporter asked me similar questions only a few days ago. He was interested in my response because I was one of the few people he’d spoken to who wasn’t enthralled with the idea of ministers competing for votes from viewers who know little or nothing about the Bible. The entire time we spoke I imagined judges similar to American Idol’s Simon, Paula and Randy “giving props” on “hot” messages, and labeling contestants part of the ministerial “dawg pound.”

Note to reader: “Dawg pound,” while it may seem derogatory as most pounds are filled with mangy, flea-infested critters, is actually an accolade. Never mind that the animals that don’t get picked up are ... er, well, “removed.”

My objections to the program are simple. First, I believe this type of television show cheapens the call of God to preach the Gospel. People don’t -- well, shouldn’t -- enter the ministry out of a desire to impress people with eloquent speech or their appearance behind the pulpit. They preach because they are sure of God’s call and can and would do nothing else.

One of the plagues of American Christianity is that people often are attracted to the glitz and glamour of television preachers. In a way, it’s comical -- men with blinding smiles in $2,000 Hickey Freeman suits, their hair and/or toupees slicked back and wearing the finest jewelry. Their performances in the strictest sense are a departure from reality because they appeal considerably more to the camera than to those whom they serve.

Consider the great preachers of American history, such as George Whitefield, Dwight L. Moody, Billy Sunday, Billy Graham, and others. They did not rise to prominence because of their eloquent delivery or appearance, though none could argue that these men were not great orators. They were given their platforms by God to preach the message God wanted preached -- Christ and Christ crucified.

Further proof for this goes back some 2,000 years. Paul admitted in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 that he was a very poor speaker. He said, in fact, that he approached the church at Corinth “in weakness and in fear and trembling.” His preaching, he said, was not even “persuasive” by human standards.

The people of Corinth, however, accepted Paul’s message because the power of the Gospel was evident in his life. He had been changed and they wanted to be changed likewise -- evidence that the greatest testimony a minister can offer is a contrite and gracious spirit.

This is not to say that delivery of the message isn’t important. I have heard on numerous occasions from one of Southern Baptists’ most skilled orators that “it is a sin to be boring.” But words that drip with honey and are sweet to the ear are in no way as important as the content of the message itself. God moves in the message, and His word does not return to him without having accomplished His purpose (Isaiah 55:11).

Second, preaching Christ and Christ crucified, and other messages from the content of Scripture, is all that can be considered reliable and trustworthy preaching. All else is preached in vain. And this is why it concerns me that this “contest” is open to people of other “faiths.”

I am not ready to allow my children -- the little sponges that they are -- to soak up messages based on the Koran or L. Ron Hubbard’s “Dianetics,” because I know those who preach Christ are the only preachers with a reliable, consistent and abiding message. I know that the Gospel is the only hope for the salvation of any and every human being.

Such a comment, you might guess, would get an evangelical Christian “voted off the island” just about as quickly as the contestants could gather up their tiki torches and head off to tribal council. Why? Because the nature of the Christian message, by itself, excludes all other mediators, methods and modes for salvation. And as you’ve been made aware, contestants, messages that are exclusive have an air of “superiority” and “negativity” (read “hate”) that the producers just won’t tolerate.

Thinking back over the reporter’s question of whether a televised preaching contest could possibly -- possibly -- be a good thing, I must confess that I would have to say “yes,” but only on one condition: that it is a message of hope in Jesus Christ that is proclaimed.

The Apostle Paul dealt with a similar question in his day. In Philippians 1:15-18, Paul cited several people who were preaching the Gospel out of strife and envy, and some who were preaching out of love. Both means of delivery were considered valid by Paul as long as the message was authentic and point by point a description of the glories of Christ Jesus and his ability to save sinful man.

We do not need, as Roy Fish stated at the Southern Baptist Convention recently, more “doses of psychological uplift” from smiling faces. I’m afraid that’s about all America will receive from “Pulpit Masters.”

One of the last questions my reporter friend asked about the program was whether or not I would encourage seminary students to be involved in the program. Should they heed the casting call and give their all in a three-minute audition before a panel of judges? I don’t believe so.

God does not call young men to seminary to become television stars. He calls them to learn how to exercise the gifts he has given them for use in the local church. Those local churches will extend their ministries into communities around the country and touch people the way a 30-minute or one-hour television program never could.

Alternative Salvation

Psalms 24:1

In a very perceptive book called LIFE: THE MOVIE, author Neal Gabler argues that entertainment has conquered reality. All of life has become a stage, and the way to success is through the pathway of becoming a celebrity. Gabler suggests that we spend our life buying and shopping according to images and ideals that we hold as we seek to shape ourselves for our own performance. The constant use of significant celebrities to model lines of clothing, sporting goods, and cosmetics tell us subtly that if we own these items, we too can be like our heroes. We are strategically convinced that we don't have to simply WATCH the rich and famous; the democratization of credit and the availability of easily-accessed goods guarantee our ability to play the part or parts we choose.

The practical aids are many. Easy credit and finance options bluntly inquire, “Why wait?” In earlier times people had to consider whether they could afford such things, and they might have had to delay while they saved. The time between viewing and having was often considerable, but not anymore. We can have it if we want it, and we can have it NOW. It comes, of course, with a huge price tag in terms of increasing debt and anxiety. But even as the social crisis ticks like a time bomb in many homes, the waiting has been taken out of wanting.

It has become the job of the advertising industry to keep us in a state of permanent dissatisfaction and restlessness with who we are or what we have. The answer is always bigger, better, faster, or more like someone ELSE. Words like “enough,” “sufficient,” and “wait” are derided in favor of having what you want now and immediately becoming who you really want to be. We are informed of our lack of something and then told it is ruining the quality of our lives. But the voices of the media then tell us salvation is at hand! The new product or service will liberate you from your problems. It will initiate you into a new world, a new life, an alternative salvation.

Is it possible that we are trapped in a web of deception, and that we are being conditioned to blindly follow the pied pipers of Madison Avenue and Hollywood as they determine who and what we are and how we should live? Is the bottom line to make money at all costs? Is happiness really being able to get what you want when you want it? It is time to recognize that life is far more than these trivial yet powerful views. It is time to call foul, to insist that real life is something far more nuanced, focused, and holistic than what the prophets of materialism have to offer.

The Christian view and alternative is that we are the products of a personal, loving creator, and that our life, opportunities, and resources are a gift to us. We interact with nature and the material world, but we also have other dimensions to our nature. “The earth is the Lord's and all it contains; the world and those who dwell in it” (Psalms 24:1–2). Because we have been made by God and for God, our ultimate fulfillment is found in Him.

The pretensions of our culture are many, the seductions vast, and the attractions powerful. Yet in a world of invasive desires, intrusive demands, and restless indulgence another voice can be heard: “Come unto me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The answer is not in a product but in a living person. “He who has the son has the life, and he who does not have the son does not have the life” (1 John 5:12). Which answer do you hold?

________

*

They're Dead, But They're Still Rakin' In Dough

Elvis Presley tops the annual Forbes list of celebrities who are the top moneymakers after they have died.

Singer Elvis Presley, who died in 1977, made an estimated $45 million in the past year.

Cartoonist Charles Schulz (2000) is next on the list with $35 million.

Musician John Lennon (1980), raked in $22 million.

Artist Andy Warhol's (1987) take was $16 million.

"Cat in the Hat" author Dr. Seuss (1991) made $10 million.

Actor Marion Brando (2004) with $9 million.

Actress Marilyn Monroe (1962) with $8 million.

________

Source: Peninsula Daily News, October 28, 2005, http://peninsuladailynews.com

Time Makes Heroes But Dissolves Celebrities

Luke 17:10

What makes a hero? Is our culture so superficial that we no longer recognize heroic qualities anymore? I like this quote by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Daniel Boorstein about the difference between heroes and celebrities:

“The hero reveals the possibilities of human nature. The celebrity

reveals the possibilities of the press and media. Celebrities are

people who make news, but heroes are people who make history. Time

makes heroes but dissolves celebrities.” [1]

________

1. Daniel Boorstein (Former Librarian of Congress, Pulitzer Prize winning historian). Cited in Quote, “The Speaker’s Digest,” August 1995, p. 216.

Make Me Immortal: Teens and the Celebrity Culture

It is almost impossible to get away from the media’s fascination with the self-destructive tendencies of modern celebrities. Whether it is the tabloid splashing a picture of Britney Spears in and out of rehab, or a video circulating across cyberspace of Amy Winehouse using a crack pipe, the trend seems ever-with-us.

And whether we realize it or not, teenagers are always the ones to bear the brunt of such trends, especially celebrity trends. In fact, it is marketed to them. Take for instance the string of suicides in a small mining town in the South Welsh Community of Briggend. At last count, 21 young people had committed suicide, most of them by hanging.

Investigators have not found a suicide pact, but they have found something that the teenagers shared in common. They each used the popular social-networking site called Bebo, similar to MySpace and popular among youth in that area. After the suicides of the first of these teens, memorial websites were created — sites where these teens who took their own lives enjoyed a kind of celebrity status. Many of those who subsequently killed themselves were among those who left messages of grief and visited these sites — and then ended their lives in a copy-cat style.

Child psychologist Kimberley O’Brien fears such sites could add to the appeal of suicide. She warns, “The web pages are usually placed in really beautiful positions, and it gives them some sort of notoriety.” And Cathie Sherwood, a social-networking commentator, warns, “The fact that these people have achieved some kind of status through their deaths” may lead teenagers to see suicide as a way to fame.

What’s wrong with this picture? It isn’t the fact that imitating is a significant part of teen culture. We know that: From our earliest years we learn to imitate others, for good or ill. What is wrong is that teens more readily identify with celebrities and people they meet over the Internet than they do with their own parents, community, and church members.

What are these teens really looking for? I think it may be something that God imprinted on every human’s heart: and that’s the desire for immortality. In their own way, whether it is the celebrities or the teens who imitate their destructive patterns, they are crying out in one voice, “Make me immortal.” Even in suicide, it is strange how often immortality is the real longing of the human heart.

As Christians, we ought to know, however, that immortality does not mean that our glory lives on forever in the memories of others — or even on memorial websites. Immortality means sharing in God’s glory — living in His presence — forever.

And that is the danger of the celebrity culture for our teens: It presents a horrendously false view of what truly matters — not just now, but eternally.

In light of such serious trends, it is obvious that young adults need to know how their deepest desires can be fulfilled. And for that, they need not only loving role models, but also solid grounding in the countercultural truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

________

A Supermodel Discovers Jesus [2 Versions]

John 12:21

Kathy Ireland was one of the original “supermodels” and was featured in 13 straight Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues from 1984-1996.

At the beginning of her career she was 18 years old and modeling in Paris, which was not as glamorous as people would think. She was bored, lonely and suffering from jet lag when she picked up a Bible her mother had packed in her suitcase. Kathy had been brought up in church but she was scared of God as a child. She says she felt like there were two Gods: the God she knew in my head and loved, and the God from church whom she didn’t much care for. But as she started reading the Bible her mother had packed, she was blown away. Jesus was nothing like she had thought — He wasn’t condemning. He was loving and leading. As an 18-year-old, she thought, HE’S REALLY COOL! Kathy became a Christian and Jesus became her best friend.

Her faith influenced her career. Shortly after she became a Christian, she had a job and the photographer asked her to pose without a shirt on. She grew up in Southern California, on the beaches, and so swimsuits were second nature to her. But in Southern California, if you take your top off, you get arrested! She did not feel comfortable posing like that. He was not accepting her answer, wasn’t taking ‘no’ for an answer. He became very pushy. In fact, he physically pushed her. Kathy had to physically push him back and walk off the job. She knew that God was with her and she could do anything else for a living.

Today Kathy is an entrepreneur whose business includes her own line of modest clothing. All of her businesses generate over one billion dollars in sales annually.

________

Adapted from "Kathy Ireland: Designing Woman," by Julie Blim for The 700 Club, August 20, 2002

==========================

"Supermodel Turned Supermogul Kathy Ireland: Jesus Loves Women and Honors Them," by Jennifer Riley, Christian Post Reporter; July 30, 2012.

Supermodel-turned-business-mogul Kathy Ireland would be the first to tell you that the beginning of her modeling career in Paris is more glamorous sounding than it actually was. But out of that lonely, uncomfortable time, her life changed forever because she found a new best friend: Jesus Christ.

Inhabiting what her housemates referred to as “the dungeon” – the room at the end of a long, dark hallway – the then 18-year-old Ireland discovered that her newly Christian mother had secretly planted a Bible in her suitcase. Overcome by jet lag, loneliness and boredom during her first days in Paris, Ireland read the Bible her mother packed in her bag.

“I picked it up and randomly opened up to the Gospel of Matthew. And as I read, my life was forever changed,” recalled Ireland in a new “I Am Second” video. “I was a rebellious teenager. I was questioning authority – who really knows the truth? Who really knows what is right and what is wrong, who’s to say? And I knew that what I was holding in my hands was the truth.”

Ireland, now CEO of the $1.4 billion empire Kathy Ireland Worldwide, shared that as a child she went to a church where the pastor yelled a lot and she didn’t feel God’s love. But when she read the Bible for the first time at aged 18, she was surprised that Jesus wasn’t anything like she had imagined.

“He (Jesus) wasn’t condemning, he wasn’t yelling. He was loving and leading,” she said in the video. “And particularly as a young woman out in the world for the first time, in a world where it often felt like it was dominated by men of questionable character, it gave me such comfort to know that Jesus loves women and honors them. And Jesus Christ became my Lord, my Savior, my best friend.”

Although Ireland continued to read the Bible and Jesus remained a part of her life thereafter, she admitted regrettably that she remained a “baby Christian” for a long time. She read passages she liked repeatedly, while choosing to dismiss ones that she didn’t like as typos or not applying to her.

“Yeah, if you asked me I was a Christian. He was in my life. I loved him. I had him. But I was trying to mold God into what I wanted Him to be, rather than allowing Him to mold me into the person He made me to be,” she said.

Even after she allowed God to mold her as He sees fit, she struggled with being too self-reliant and being a “control freak.” Several years ago at a women’s retreat, Ireland felt God convict her while she was praying: “You say I am your first priority, but I’m not.” She acknowledged that she would say her faith was her first priority, then her family. But in reality, her kids were the top priority.

“And anything that comes before God is an idol, even if it’s something good,” said the devoted mother and wife.

At that moment she prayed to God about her difficulties, “With three kids, different ages, different needs, the business, I just felt so pulled in every direction. And I said, ‘I don’t know how.’ And He said, ‘Trust me in this. Put me first and I’ll give you more time with your kids. I’ll give you better time with your kids.’

“And He is so faithful. He’s just so faithful. For me, I just started getting up earlier and spending time with Him. And it would start out gradually and now I can’t get enough.”

The supermodel who became an evangelical Christian at aged 18 concluded, “When people ask me what are your goals, my goal in life is to grow closer to Jesus each day. To follow His lead for me. To stay on His path. To be obedient. And it’s just day by day.”

Think You've Got Troubles?

Ruth 1:18

Each of us seeks the cottage with the white picket fence, that restful abode by the shore where love is present and strife is beyond the sea. Perhaps that’s why we love movies; they keep alive the dream of a happy ending, where love and acceptance, peace and respect are attainable.

We feel good at the end of “The Wizard of Oz,” not just because Dorothy got home to kith and kin, but because we figure if that kid in Kansas can attain happiness somewhere over the rainbow, then so can we. But that’s not always how it is, is it?

Some actually do have that cottage by the sea, their lives seemingly untroubled. But don’t let their possession of things fool you into believing they have no worries. “Well, I’d rather have money and problems than just problems.” Can’t argue with that. But more than not, it’s the money that leads to problems.

I’ve read nearly 200 biographies of celebrities over my lifetime. I learned something about facing life from, of all people, Robert Mitchum and Frank Sinatra. In “The Robert Mitchum Story: It Sure Beats Working” author Mike Tomkies writes, “The only man in this town I wouldn’t want to tangle with is Frank Sinatra. I might knock him down, but he’d keep getting up ‘til one of us got killed.” That identification of Old Blue Eyes’ determination is a poignant evaluation of a man’s character. At times life seems little more than a schoolyard bully, bent on knocking you down. What labels your character, however, is what you do once you’re lying face down on the playground asphalt. With his art, Sinatra taught: If you keep getting up, you begin to stand for something.

I’m amazed that I was able to glean such perception from that bio tidbit. I was only 19 and quite frankly, dumber than a bagful of hammers (if I may borrow a perceptive description from another sage).

Yet over the years I found by reading bios of the rich and famous that movie stars, even Mitchum and Sinatra, had problems. Not even the beautiful and the famous are able to avoid dispute and pain. What’s more, their success, brought on by an unaccountable charisma and a considerable talent, is often the genesis for their stress and strain.

Errol Flynn went on trial for statutory rape and, while pronounced innocent, he suffered from the exploit both at the box office and in his personal relationships. John Wayne lost a mansion and mementoes to fire and faced near bankruptcy because of an accountant’s mismanagement. While the Duke was able to rebuild his fortune and went out with his best performance (“The Shootist”), he was still unable to escape death. He died emaciated and in pain from cancer. Marilyn Monroe suffered depression and was found dead at age 36 under mysterious circumstances. Pregnant Gene Tierney shook hands with a measles-infected fan, caught the ailment herself and gave birth to a mentally challenged child; years later Ms. Tierney herself underwent shock treatment.

If we can’t escape problems no matter how rich, famous, bright or beautiful we are, then maybe there’s a reason for these inescapable adversities. As Christians, maybe our struggle through toil and trouble is one of the main reasons we are here, for these woes cause us to trust in God.

By studying Scripture, one must come to the conclusion that the only way to please God is through faith. “And without faith it is impossible to please God....” (Hebrews 11:6). We see through a glass darkly, but remember, we’re not alone and forgotten in the shadows. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you and help you: I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

Does God bring on the catastrophes? Does He cause the little child to die of leukemia or allow a blue-collar worker to lose his much-needed income? Does he bring heartbreak? These puzzles befuddle even the most brilliant theologians, so don’t expect too much profundity from this humble movie critic. But from my studying His nature through the Word, God isn’t petty, unforgiving or vindictive. And when the next ordeal overwhelms you, remember you are not alone in this travail. Others have been right where you are. And our Lord does promise to be beside us. “For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand, and says to you, do not fear; I will help you” (Isaiah 41:13).

Who knows the big picture? Think you do? As believers, we won’t understand it until we see Christ face to face. (“The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them” Psalms 25:14). Until then, rest assured, the big picture is made up of billions of little pictures, for God, who cares for the little sparrows, is in the details.

In Matthew, Jesus reminds us, “and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” I hope Robert Mitchum and Frank Sinatra finally came to that conclusion. I pray you do.

[see also HolwickID #33269]

Why We Mourn Celebrities We’ve Never Met

If you were to venture into the deep recesses of my stairwell closet, you would find several boxes labeled “Jared’s Basketball Stuff.” In one of those boxes is a Kobe Bryant figurine still in its original packaging, one of many pieces of NBA memorabilia I amassed growing up. Kobe Bryant was no ordinary basketball player, and so his was no ordinary figurine. It was a prized collectible. The six-inch statue was my way of feeling close to an NBA superstar who was far away.

Like so many, the news of Kobe’s passing stunned me on Sunday. Surely it was some kind of awful prank or unfortunate misreport. As the minutes ticked by it was confirmed by several news outlets that Kobe Bean Bryant, age 41, passed away unexpectedly in a helicopter crash, along with his daughter and several others.

As Sunday afternoon wore on, I found myself profoundly bereaved at Kobe’s passing. This wasn’t a general sadness, but something deeper and more personal. How can I be so despondent over a person I’ve never met? And why is anyone ever upset over the unexpected passing of a celebrity they don’t personally know?

Judging from the collective reaction and responses since the news broke, it seems clear my sadness is shared by many. Kobe’s death is a cultural moment unlike anything we’ve seen in recent years.

Here are a few brief considerations as I process this most recent celebrity passing.

First, we grieve because celebrities influentially display God’s image in man.

Kobe wasn’t the only person to pass away yesterday, and I’m not just talking about in the helicopter accident. Some estimates show that roughly 150,000 people die per day in the world, and about two-thirds of these are age-related deaths, meaning they’re expected and therefore not as tragic. This means that around 50,000 people died tragically on Sunday.

But of Sunday’s 150,000 deaths, Kobe is the only one that left the greater population forlorn, although every one of the 150,000 people who passed away were just as precious. This is because Kobe influentially displayed God’s image in man.

Celebrities, through their public lives, become mascots of the imago dei. As their talents bless us, we see God’s incredible creative ability displayed in humanity. When a celebrity passes away, we’re forced to pause and reflect upon the beauty of life and the impact a person can make in the world.

Second, we grieve because we’re reminded that death doesn’t discriminate.

We think of celebrities as immortal. We believe they are impervious to normal things like the flu or debt or in this case, a tragic passing. When a celebrity passes away, we’re reminded of the potency of the Fall’s curse as it manifests itself in death. We feel that if it can happen to a famous person, then there’s nothing to stop it from happening to us. So, we hug our loved ones a little tighter the day a celebrity passes away.

In this sense, a celebrity who is seemingly outside the jurisdiction of tragedy suddenly, through tragedy, becomes a reminder of our own fallibility. We’re left to grieve their passing as we consider the imminence of our own.

Finally, we grieve because of unfulfilled hope -- and share the hope within us.

Celebrities are celebrities because they spend their lives sharing their gifts with the world. Through media, they are in our homes more than some of our own friends and family. Whether it’s a singer, an actor, or in this case, a basketball player, celebrities grace us with their lives. They’re like gifts, but their premature passing means the gift can no longer keep giving, and that leaves us feeling empty.

But it’s more than this. In Kobe’s case, he leaves behind a wife and three young daughters. We grieve for lost celebrities not merely because of unfilled hopes of an album that won’t be produced or a movie that won’t be filmed, but because of children that won’t be fathered or mothered or spouses that become widowed.

I did not know Kobe Bryant personally, but I grieve him as if I did. And I think that’s a good thing. Celebrity deaths have a unique way of reminding us of God’s image in man, of showing us the difference we can make with our lives, and that we all need the hope of Christ as we navigate our way through a fallen world.

As followers of Christ, we have a unique opportunity in this moment to share the hope within us. As Kobe’s death prompts reflection -- as our friends and family members ponder their own mortality and the frailty of life -- there may be a window of openness to the Gospel. Even as we grieve alongside them, let’s be ready to point toward the One who will one day wipe away every tear.

________

Jared C. Wellman is pastor of Tate Springs Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas.

Bear Grylls and His Faith In Jesus Christ

Mark 2:15

Bear Grylls may be known for his wild ways and impressive survival skills, but there’s a side of Bear Grylls many haven’t seen. Bear Grylls believes in God. And if you meet him in person, you’ll quickly learn that he’s unashamed to tell you so.

But Grylls doesn’t claim to be a perfect Christian. In fact, he admits that many of his life’s deepest struggles are what caused him to turn to Christ.

Edward Michael “Bear” Grylls was born on June 7th, 1974, in Donaghadee, County Down, Northern Ireland. At one-week-old, Grylls’ elder sister and only sibling, Lara Fawcett, gave him the famous nickname that’s stuck to this day: “Bear”.

Born to conservative politician, Sir Michael Grylls and his wife, Lady Sarah Grylls — daughter of politician, Patricia Ford; it’s safe to say that Grylls had a fairly prestigious childhood.

When he was 4 years old, Grylls’ family shifted to Bembridge village on the easternmost point of the Isle of Wight — it was there that young Bear’s wild ways would begin. From an early age, the adventurous little tyke learned to climb and sail with his father, who was a member of the prestigious Royal Yacht Squadron. But Bear’s curious ways and tendency to run towards danger made him a difficult child to raise.

Grylls admitted, “I behaved badly at school, perhaps in part because Dad was working very hard, and often late. My mum, as his assistant, worked beside him. I remember once biting a boy so hard that I drew blood, and then watching as the teachers rang my father to say they didn’t know what to do with me. My father said he knew what to do, and came to the school at once. With a chair placed in the middle of the gym, and all the other children sitting cross-legged on the floor around him, he whacked me until my backside was black and blue.”

Bear became a Cub Scout at the age of eight, earning a "dan" black belt in Shotokan Karate when he was eleven, and learned to skydive as a young teen, and also was one of the youngest in the world to scale Mt. Everest at 23. Grylls’ formative years were quite impressive, but all the while, he clung to his faith in Jesus Christ.

“I had a very natural faith as a kid,” Grylls told Relevant Magazine. “As a really young kid, I never questioned God. I just knew God existed and it felt like He was my friend.”

Young Grylls’ adventurous spirit and wild heart didn’t make it easy on his parents — and he has an endless amount of escape stories to prove it.

Grylls shared, “My mother was forever having to lock me in my bedroom for trouble-making, but she would then get concerned that I might run out of oxygen, so she had a carpenter make some air-holes in the door. I worked out that, with a bent-over coat-hanger, I could undo the latch through the air-holes and escape. It was my first foray into the world of adapting and improvising, skills that have served me well over the years.”

In high school, Grylls came across several ‘believers’ that distorted his view of Christianity, and over time, Bear abandoned his faith.

“When I got to school it [Christianity] became a lot more religious and I thought, ‘I don’t like this,’” he told CBN. “It was all about church-going and people telling you not to smoke behind the bike shed. I thought, ‘If this is God, maybe I’ve got the whole deal wrong.’ So I kind of ditched my faith.”

With stories like miraculously surviving a sinking mud-pit, and getting dismissed from prep school for kissing the headmaster’s daughter; Grylls’ teenage years make even the wildest teenagers appear to be saints.

Bear reflected back on his rebellious ways, “I would explore all the forbidden areas of the school and grounds, and I knew I was faster and more agile than any of the security guards. One night, I attempted an ascent of the 120-foot-high school library dome. Sir Ranulph Fiennes, a pupil before me, had conquered it by improvising a stepladder. I used the lightning conductor.”

But everything changed at age 16, when Grylls lost his godfather — who had been like a second father. Crushed with grief and not knowing where else to turn, Bear looked to God.

“I remember wanting to pray, but not knowing how to,” he recalled to CBN. Grylls climbed up in a tree and poured his heart out to God. “Will you be that friend to me that you were at five or six when it felt natural?” he asked.

It was that simple prayer of surrender that finally led young Grylls to “finding his faith” in Jesus Christ once again. Grylls says he soon learned that religion has nothing to do with entrusting your life to Christ, and in fact, Jesus Himself was “the least religious person you’ll meet.”

Bear told Relevant Magazine, “It was no more complicated than that. And actually the amazing thing is that all God asks is that we sort of open the door and He’ll do the rest. So often we kinda hide behind our yearning for love and acceptance with loads of complicated theological questions, and actually once that’s stripped away, what we really are is just somebody who wants to have that relationship with your Father.”

With a restored faith in Christ, Grylls joined the ‘Territorial Army’ (Army Reserve UK) after high school and worked at the Special Air Service unit of the army for three years. While there, Grylls was a combat survival instructor and learnt demolitions, parachuting, unarmed combat, evasive driving and trauma medic.

During a SAS skydive in 1996, Grylls survived a horrifying parachuting accident in Zambia. His parachute ripped at 16,000 feet, partially opening, causing him to free-fall and land on his back. The accident partially crushed three vertebrae — and almost took his life, but by the grace of God, Bear survived.

According to his surgeon, Grylls came “within a whisker” of being paralyzed for life and it was questionable whether he would ever be able to walk again. Grylls spent the next 12 months in and out of military rehabilitation at Headley Court.

On 16 May 1998 — just 18 months after his horrific accident, Grylls achieved his childhood dream of climbing to the summit of Mount Everest in Nepal.

Twenty-four-year-old Grylls registered his name in the ‘Guinness Book of Records’ as the youngest Briton to climb Ama Dablam, a peak described by Sir Edmund Hillary as “unclimbable”.

But a world record wasn’t the only gift Everest brought him. Grylls met his future-wife while training to climb the world-famous mountain — and it took a special kind of woman to capture the adventurous heart of Grylls.

Bear met his wife, Shara, at a very inconvenient time. He had finally recovered from his parachute accident and was focused on preparing and training for the climb of his life – the summit of Mount Everest – which was only months away.

That’s when he noticed her. Grylls was attempting a “training hike” for Everest, and with every step, the danger grew. All of the girls began to get frightened, some even to the point of tears, at the difficult terrain. All but one — a beautiful young lady by the name of Shara Cannings Knight persevered and kept her composure. It was indeed, love at first sight. And from that moment forward, the two wild-hearted adventurers were inseparable and have been together ever since.

The match-made-in-heaven tied the knot in 2000. Soon after, the couple went for relationship counseling — despite many of his friends thinking they were ‘nuts’ for doing so. Grylls explained, “We figured that if [marriage] was the most important thing we were ever going to do, we should do everything we could to stop it breaking in the first place. At our wedding, we asked our guests for their best marriage advice. We got some gems of replies but the best came from a couple who had been married for 50 years. It was also the simplest: ‘Never stop holding hands.’ That’s what Shara and I have always tried to do, both physically and metaphorically.”

But within a year of their wedding, Grylls’ father – the most inspirational figure in his life – passed away at the age of 66. And a few months later, Shara also tragically lost her father. The newlywed couple was crushed and devastated beyond belief.

“Losing my dad when we had just got married was a really tough one,” he admitted in an interview with The Telegraph. “Suddenly it was like, ‘Bang! OK. How are we going to pay the electricity bill? How are we going to look after our mothers?’ I felt totally thrown in the deep end. It always felt too early. We had to lean on each other, and that was when our marriage really started.”

In an emotional interview, Grylls could barely talk through the grief and struggled to describe just how much his father meant to him.

It was at this low point that the couple decided to attend the “Alpha Course” in Christianity; a 10-week course on the basics of Christianity launched by the Rev. Charles Marnham in London. God sovereignly used this Christian course to cement the couple’s faith.

Grylls told CBN, “It helped us in a very low-key, un-pressured way to explore some big questions. Faith has been the wildest ride. And Jesus — the heart of the Christian faith is the wildest, most radical guy you’d ever come across. He was always hanging around with the prostitutes and the tax collectors and having parties and banquets, and I found myself drawn to that character, not the kind of fluff that we like to box as religion.”

And despite all of his accomplishments, Bear Grylls considers his faith and family his greatest joys. Bear shared that he’s committed to honoring his bride, and plans weekly date nights.

He explained that activities don’t have to be “expensive or fancy” — it’s more about spending quality time together. “Togetherness is what it’s all about,” he added.

Bear and Shara have three sons, Jesse, Marmaduke and Huckleberry — the last of whom was born on their Thames River houseboat — the same “fixer-upper” they purchased just before their wedding. As a family man, Grylls points to his and Shara’s shared faith as the foundation of their marriage.

“We’ve been married almost 10 years, and that’s been a great glue to our family, actually. I look back now and I think it’d be really hard without that faith together — that sustained us.”

Recently, Grylls shared that he believes that husbands and wives should love their spouse “above everything else” – even the children.

Grylls explained, “Couples often think that the kids should always come first, but smart couples know that the best foundation for the family is their relationship. In protecting that, they can then best love their children.” Grylls added, “If you ever think the grass is greener on the other side of the hill ... it’s time to start watering your own.”

He’s hosted eleven successful television shows, authored several books, and accomplished dozens of personal goals such as hiking Mount Everest, becoming the youngest Chief Scout ever (at the age of 34-years-old), wrestling an alligator, and holding the world record for the “Highest Open-Air Formal Dinner Party” — held in a hot-air balloon at 7,600m.

But despite his many achievements, Bear Grylls remains a humble family man who honors his wife and trusts in his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Bear Grylls told Relevant Magazine, “Sometimes it’s hard for us to believe, really believe, that God cares and wants good things for us and doesn’t just want us to go off and give everything up and become missionaries in Burundi. And some people are just scared, and they go, ‘Oh, God just wants me to be religious,’ but actually He just loves us. He just wants us to be with Him, and that’s been a journey to discover that. That’s one of the big questions I asked, was that, you know: ‘If You do exist, are You cozy? Are You what my heart really aches for?’ Christianity is not about religion, it’s about faith, about being held, about being forgiven. It’s about finding joy and finding home ... I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t want to be forgiven or held or find peace or joy in their life. We try loads of other stuff — we think booze or foxy women or whatever will fill it — but it doesn’t fill the hole.”

“The simple things is what I try to keep my faith like: Jesus is unchanging and we are forgiven ... I for one, do not want to reach the end of my life in a perfectly preserved body. I want to come flying in sideways, covered in scars, beaten up and screaming: ‘Yahoo! What a ride!’” – Bear Grylls

Praise God for His redeeming love and grace! While listening to Bear Grylls’ inspiring story, I just couldn’t help but think of Colossians 1:13-14 which reads,

“God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son He loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating.”

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The Religion of Ringo Starr [2 Articles]

Amos 5:4

Ringo was born, like the rest of The Beatles, in Liverpool, England. Starr is a great drummer, a decent actor, and a charismatic person in general. But, in almost every aspect, including his religious and political views, he is the most boring of The Beatles.

Starr was raised in an Anglican/Evangelical household. During his 8 years with The Beatles, Starr seemed to go with the flow, joining the band in India and studying under Hindu yogi Maharishi Maresh, but he (and John Lennon) weren’t as into it as the other two, particularly George Harrison. Ringo was actually the first Beatle to leave the Maharishi sessions and rejected the yogi’s Transcendental Meditation.1

When The Beatles were talking about being atheists/agnostics, Ringo followed along:

Paul McCartney: In America, they’re fanatical about God. I know somebody over there who said he was an atheist. The papers nearly refused to print it because it was such shocking news that somebody could actually be an atheist ... yeah ... and admit it.

Ringo Starr: He speaks for all of us.2

But on Starr’s 70th birthday, he reported that he had “found God,” and admitted to mistakes in his life regarding drug and alcohol use. He said:

I feel the older I get, the more I’m learning to handle life. Being on this quest for a long time, it’s all about finding yourself. For me, God is in my life. I don’t hide from that. I think the search has been on since the 1960s. I stepped off the path there for many years and found my way back onto it, thank God.3

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“The religion of Ringo Starr," .

1. Ringo Starr attended an Evangelical church in Liverpool. Christiantelegraph.

2. Beatles Interview: Playboy, February 1965 (Page 2). Beatles Interview Database.

3. Ringo Starr Thanks God He Finally Found Religion. Aceshowbiz.

===============

Following the news that former Beatles drummer, Ringo Starr, has announced that at the age of nearly 70, he had “turned to God,” comes the revelation that, as a child, he attended an Evangelical Anglican church in Liverpool, reports Dan Wooding, founder of ASSIST Ministries.

Ringo was reported to have said, during an interview at a recent event at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, that he had “found God” after taking a long and winding road to this change in his life.

Ben Todd, writing in Britain’s Daily Mail (www.dailymail.co.uk), said that Liverpool-born Starr admitted he lost his way when he was younger, both as a Beatle experimenting with marijuana and LSD and afterwards when he suffered alcohol and cocaine problems in the late 1970s.

“But the musician, who has since become teetotal and quit his 60-a-day cigarette habit, says that religion now plays an important role in his life,” said Todd.

Todd reported that Starr, who turns 70 later this year, said: “I feel the older I get, the more I’m learning to handle life. Being on this quest for a long time, it’s all about finding yourself.

“For me, God is in my life. I don’t hide from that. I think the search has been on since the 1960s.

“I stepped off the path there for many years and found my way back onto it, thank God.”

Now British writer, Steve Turner, author of The Gospel According to the Beatles, has told me that, at the time of writing his book, “Ringo had an album with a track called ‘Oh My Lord’ on it which was very gospelly sounding and didn’t refer to Krishna.”

Turner went on to say, “He’s certainly changed from the old days when he didn’t care about religion at all - not even much for TM (Transcendental Meditation). If you remember, he was first out of the meditation camp.

“As a child he [Ringo] attended an Anglican church near his home which had an evangelical tradition, but only because they had nice toys at Sunday school and you got paid to sing in the choir!

“Of course I hope that he has had a true conversion but I always fear that it’s just another love-peace-togetherness and a-higher-power kind of thing. I think I sent him a copy of my book when it was published but I might now send it again.”

Ringo Starr is due to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this Monday (February 8, 2010) and his many Christian fans trust that his new life with God continues and grows into a deep, personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

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"Ringo Starr attended an Evangelical church in Liverpool," Christian Telegraph, February 9, 2010; .

America's Religion -- Pop Culture

Amos 2:4

Christianity, according to surveys, is the religion of choice among most Americans. However, while people say one thing to a pollster, many live out a very different reality.

For many in the United States -- even those who claim to be followers of Christ -- another religion now takes precedence over Christianity. And, like any religion, its influence is palpable.

Interestingly, many adherents of what I believe is the predominant religion in America are wholly unaware of their status as disciples. They do not realize that daily decisions, and even life-altering choices, are being impacted by this pervasive religious reality.

The religious phenomenon that shrouds America has no founder and it is not organized. And while its presence is inescapable, one must still choose to embrace it. What is it? It is none other than popular culture.

It is the religion of our age. Many now seek meaning and purpose in that which is deemed to be en vogue. The unpardonable sin in the church of pop culture is to be out-of-style, culturally clueless or, in my words, uncool.

“Etched onto our consciousnesses, in the universal shorthand of Hollywood and Madison Avenue, is the notion that life is either wild or boring; cool or uncool; unzipped or straitlaced,” observed Diana West in her book “The Death of the Grown-Up.”

To be accepted in the church of pop culture, one must forever keep up with the Joneses, culturally speaking.

The church of pop culture has a pantheon of deities. Those who have achieved the status of celebrity are worshiped as gods and goddesses. And it seems talent is not needed to achieve such divine status in the religion of pop culture. The power of personality, it seems, is enough to become a pop culture deity.

As with any pantheon, the gods and goddess of pop culture are not all equal. Some have greater status and power than others, but they all vie for the attention of the masses.

In fact, the most admired deities in the church of pop culture are the ones that have learned best how to manipulate the masses. And they do so by using the priests of pop culture to their full advantage.

Yes, the religion of pop culture has its preachers and priests. They are the media moguls and advertising pitchmen and they communicate the truths, the dogma and the tenets of the pop culture pantheon to its ardent followers.

The most popular gods and goddesses use pop culture’s priests and preachers to mesmerize their followers. They titillate, entertain and create excitement where there is none. The alchemists of old would be jealous at the “gold” of influence these cultural clergy are able to conjure.

If the gods and goddesses of pop culture deem something to be acceptable and fashionable, the disciples of the pantheon will soon adopt it as en vogue or cool.

During the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, two pop culture goddesses kissed. Singers Madonna and Britney Spears intimately embraced to an ecstatic ovation. The televised kiss encouraged what is now recognized as a pop culture practice known as “flexisexual,” which is described as females who simply like to play sexually with women, though they do not identify themselves as lesbian or bisexual.

Just let the goddess known as Oprah bestow her blessings on a book and overnight it becomes a best-seller. If the cultural deity known as Lady GaGa deems a lifestyle to be legitimate, her followers will worship her decree as divine truth.

Besides being influenced by the gods and goddesses of Pop Culture, practitioners are very religious. They arrange their schedules around their favorite television programs so they can worship with specific regularity. They look forward to the next concert, song or album release, movie premier or cultural event with the same fervor that a Christian might anticipate the second coming of Jesus Christ.

The religion of pop culture might be exhilarating in the short term, but ultimately it is lacking. Adherents are constantly anticipating the next big thing. When their gods and goddesses die, they are left with nothing more than memories and an emptiness they don’t understand.

A life that is void of eternal perspective and purpose seeks meaning in experiences, which is all the religion of pop culture has to offer. Christianity, on the other hand, flows from a relationship with Jesus Christ and makes an abundant life possible each and every day -- regardless of what is going on culturally.

The adherents of popular culture are really nothing more than slaves to the whims of the capricious gods and goddesses popular at any given moment in time. Jesus came to set people free, especially from the empty, ever-changing religion of pop culture.

The Celebrity Trap

Ephesians 6:10

Chuck Colson once warned a successful young Christian artist years ago about the dangers of celebrity. How right he was. I’ll explain ...

One of the first times Americans over the age of twelve saw Miley Cyrus on television was an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show. During the Q&A, the 14-year-old Cyrus told Winfrey that her favorite Bible verse was Ephesians 6:10-11: “Finally, my brothers, come close to the Lord for if you put on the full armor of God you can stand against the wiles of the devil.”

Well, given her more recent television appearances, especially at the recent Video Music Awards, ironic doesn’t begin to describe her choice of that scripture.

What has gone unnoticed in the many incidents since her VMA “performance” is that Cyrus is only the latest example of a very sad trend: pop stars who grew up in solid Christian homes and then, having achieved “stardom,” became at least as well known for their transgressions as for their music.

As Wikipedia relates, before telling the world that she kissed a girl and liked it, Katy Perry attended Christian schools and camps and participated in her parents’ ministry. Justin Bieber is now better known for antics like making obscene gestures at one photographer and threatening to beat the expletive out of another, than he is for his professed Christian faith.

And before giving birth to two children out of wedlock, Jessica Simpson was celebrated on her reality television series for saving herself for marriage.

While it’s presumptuous to speculate on any of these folks’ relationship with God, it isn’t unreasonable to suggest that their stories illustrate the difficulty of reconciling celebrity status with Christian virtue.

This is especially true in the world of pop music, and even more true when we’re talking about people who became celebrities when they weren’t even old enough to legally sign a contract.

Someone who understands this all too well is Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley’s dad. Five years ago, he believed his family’s Christian faith would protect them from the temptations of celebrity. Well, it didn’t turn out that way. And so in 2011, he told GQ magazine that he deeply regrets the decision to let his daughter became a child celebrity. He says that the decision “destroyed [his] family,” and if he could, he’d “take it back in a second.”

Well sadly, he can’t. But his honesty can serve as a warning to other Christian parents whose children dream of being celebrities. You may think you’re the exception and that somehow being a celebrity will “glorify” God.

Don’t fool yourself. It could hardly be otherwise. What Jesus said about the dangers of wealth is just as true about celebrity in our postmodern age, and for most of the same reasons: It distorts our sense of self, both in relationship to others and to God.

And that’s before we take into account the hyper-sexualized nature of most of pop culture.

So the best advice I can give Christian parents is, to paraphrase Willie Nelson, “mama, don’t let your babies grow up to be pop stars.”

Now, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t encourage their interest in creative endeavors such as music, theater, and the visual arts. Quite the contrary. As Eric Metaxas and I have said many times on BreakPoint, we need more Christians in all these fields, pointing people to Truth and beauty through their work. But there’s a world of difference between being a celebrity and being an artist. The celebrity draws attention to himself, the artist to his work.

The celebrity thinks success is being famous. The artist knows success is being faithful. The celebrity chooses style over substance. The artist knows looking good is never as important as being good.

While artists can glorify God, celebrities, almost by definition, probably won’t. Because more often than not, there’s only room for one star in their firmament.

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Heartbreaking Struggles Restored His Faith In Jesus Christ

James Corden, host of The Late Late Show on CBS, might be famous for making us laugh harder than any other late-night TV host these days — but there’s a side of the British comedian most people never knew existed, until now.

Since taking over The Late Late Show in 2015, James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke segment has become one of the most popular sketches in late-night TV.

Although the British comedian seems to have it all, Corden’s secret struggles tell the story of someone who’s faced unfathomable tragedies in life — and overcame them with a strong faith in God.

I’ve always loved James Corden, but after hearing his testimony, I love him even more! His story of salvation is truly inspiring, and it’s guaranteed to give you goosebumps and tears.

James Corden was born on June 17, 1978, with a devout Christian upbringing. His mother, Margaret, was a social worker and his father, Malcolm, was a musician in the Royal Air Force, and they were both very active in the Salvation Army and their local church.

Corden discovered his passion for performing at an early age, and he began studying his craft at an after school program that gave children acting and dancing lessons.

“I wanted to entertain people, to act, sing, dance; everything and anything that would mean people would look at me and smile,” Corden recalled.

Corden was only 17-years-old when he landed his first professional part in a production of the musical Martin Guerre. Shortly after, Corden landed several substantial roles on television.

Although Corden was raised in a Christian home, he found his walk with the Lord getting detoured by the devil with all of the toxic temptations the new-found fame had brought him.

However, James Corden now credits the prayers of his Christian parents for saving him from a life of depression, partying, and alcohol.

The British comedian realized how far he had fallen from his Christian foundation after exhibiting “ungracious, ungrateful and brattish” behavior at the 2008 BAFTA awards.

“The person I had become wasn’t the person I wanted to be. I had drifted so far from family and friends that I didn’t really know how to pick up the phone and talk to them anymore. I was lost and needed to find myself,” Corden revealed.

Corden was sitting alone and depressed in his London apartment when his devout Christian parents made an “out of the blue” visit, claiming they were “worried” about him.

“My dad said, ‘I’m going to say a prayer for you. It will be all right, but you can’t carry on like this and only you can decide what happens now,’” Corden recalled.

“They sat on the tiny two-seater sofa and I sat on the floor. I was just talking to the floor really. I felt embarrassment that they were seeing me like this, so embarrassed about so many things – about the way I’d behaved or acted at points over that seven or eight-month period,” he said.

When I heard what Corden’s parents did next, I realized God was using this man in extraordinary ways...

“My dad just stood up and walked across to where I was, and he just put his arms around me and said, ‘You’ve just got to get through this, son.’ I started to cry. Just as you do when your dad hugs you and you are 30. My mum came over and joined us and we sat there. My dad said, ‘I’m going to say a prayer for you. It will be all right, but you can’t carry on like this and only you can decide what happens now,’” Corden revealed.

“Every tear that left my eyes made me feel a little lighter. Dad said a prayer as he kissed my forehead, and Mum came over and joined the hug. I’ve no idea how long we stayed there, but it felt like a lifetime. When they left later on, Dad turned to me and said: ‘You’ve so much to be thankful for, James. I know it’s been a tricky year, but you can’t carry on like this,’” the British comedian recalled.

It’s been four years since Corden put his damaging ways behind him thanks to the power of prayer. He now has two children with his wife, Julia, and his career is better than ever.

Corden hosted the Tony Awards earlier this year, and last summer, he was awarded an OBE by the Princess Royal at an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Not to mention, his “Carpool Karaoke” segments have been going viral every time.

Despite his success, Corden remains humble as a reflection of his Christian faith. When opening The Late Late Show in 2015, he expressed his gratitude to viewers and the audience in an admirable way.

“However shocked you are that I am doing this job, you will never be as shocked as I am. It really isn’t lost on me what a privilege it is to be given a show like this, and I will really do my best not to let any of you down. I promise it will be fun,” Corden said.

James Corden’s testimony reveals the salvation and peace that can only be found in Jesus Christ. In addition, his parents’ devotion to heal their son through the power of prayer illustrates the importance of community and compassion.

When the devil tried to detour Corden’s gift of entertaining with traumatic temptations, Corden’s devout Christian faith empowered him to persevere and reach heights most comedians will never see.

The world needs more celebrities like James Corden – ones that shine the light that can only be seen through Jesus Christ, in the midst of deceptive darkness.