One of the biggest dangers of our obsession with church size is the rise of the Christian celebrity culture.
As our De-sizing the Church series continues, I interview Katelyn Beaty, the author of Celebrities for Jesus: How Personas, Platforms, and Profits Are Hurting the Church. Katelyn defines celebrity as “social power without proximity.” In this conversation we talk about what that means, why it’s a problem, and why we in the church are so susceptible to the lure of celebrity.
There’s also great hope for those who have been led astray by Christian celebrity culture, whether you’re the one following a celebrity, or if you’re the one desiring to be followed.
Look for upcoming De-sizing the Church interviews with Scot McKnight, Winn Collier, and others.
De-Sizing the Church is now available wherever you buy books, either electronically or in print. If you’ve read the book and you’d like me to speak to your group about the issues I raise in it, reach out here.
Links from this Episode
Support This Work
Click here to support this work on a one-time or ongoing basis. This will help us continue to put these resources into the hands of the ministries that need them the most.
Want More?
Listen and subscribe to the podcast on all major platforms including
APPLE | SPOTIFY | YOUTUBE | AMAZON MUSIC | iHEART RADIO | GOOGLE PLAY
New episodes are available every two weeks.
If you click here to subscribe to our free weekly newsletter you’ll get all the breaking podcast news early!
Also, if you have any other ideas or guests that might fit this podcast, let me know in the comment section below.
Credits
Producer
Veronica Beaver | [email protected]
Editor
Phil Vaters | [email protected]
Music
Composed and performed by Jack Wilkins | JackWilkinsMusic.com
Logo
by Solomon Joy
Correspondence
Shelley Vaters | Shelley@KarlVaters.com
How Congregations Can Help Pastors Overcome Declining Well-being
Pastors may be surrounded by people, but that doesn’t mean they have their support. It takes a church for a pastor to rest well.
De-Sizing the Church (pt 4): Unintended Consequences of the Church Growth Movement, with Bob Smietana (Ep 072)
While the Church Growth Movement created larger churches and opportunities, it also created larger dangers.
De-sizing The Church: Overcoming The Arrogance/Shame Cycle
“In the first twenty years of the movement, research focused on principles; lately the focus has been on discovering new techniques, programs, or methods.” (Elmer Towns)
