What about Celebrity Christians?
With the recent apostasy of Kanye West, the issue of celebrity Christians has once again surfaced. In addition to Kanye West’s high-profile religious rise and fall, we might think of Russell Brand’s recent profession of faith. Brand has been vocal on social media, extolling Jesus and the gospel, although at times, he has said and done things that leave believers scratching their heads, not quite sure how they fit with his claim to be saved. We have seen an exponential increase in amateur and professional athletes publicly thanking Christ after competitions. How should Christians respond when a celebrity publicly embraces Christ? Two responses often prevail when celebrities claim to have been converted to Christianity. On one end, we have people who excitedly embrace them, platform them, and treat them as de facto religious leaders. They see these celebrities as great spokespeople for Christ and the Christian faith. Having such cultural influencers on the side of truth will r...