Celebrity

This past Sunday at Cafe Church we looked at what the Christian faith has to say to the world of celebrity, and it was really challenging, so I thought I would post (a very abridged) version of my talk to see what you all think!

When we were in New York last September, we were shopping at Macy’s, when we saw a big commotion- it turns out Fergie, a famous pop singer, was in the store meeting and greeting fans- but here was the trick- you had to spend $100 on her new clothing range if you wanted to get past the sea of security and sit down with the lady herself. Now I bet you, at least 60% of the people who met Fergie that day, had no intention of spending $100 on her clothing range, but the opportunity to spend a fleeting minute in the presence of such pop royalty was too good an opportunity to pass up- even if it did cost them a fair bit of their hard earned cash. The simple truth is there is something about celebrities that many of us find irresistible and that we live in a society obsessed by celebrity and fame. We watch it, we read about it, we dream about it and we participate in it. The simple fact is so many people are desperate to become famous, and treat celebrities as role models. In a recent survey by the Association of Lecturers and Teachers more than a third of pupils wanted to be famous for the sake of being famous.

Celebrity, it seems to me, is a celebration of being famous, it is a state where the subject lives two lives, the one played out in the media, and the one they live behind closed doors. It is a virtual reality, a narrative of life created and maintained by the media. The media creates the story, sustains the story and gives it its twists and turns, and we lap it up. The question I want to ask though, is why do we care?

Firstly, I believe celebrity shapes values. More often than not celebrity stories are painted by the press as morality tales, with all their ins and outs, ups and downs. In their images and stories we see possible ways of living, of being attractive, being successful, being male or being female. We care because we see life being reflected back to us through celebrities. They allow us to take positions, form moral opinions and make judgements on others. Lets take Paris Hilton as an illustration of this. To some she is the height of taste and fashion; to others she is a spoilt rich kid with the morality of an alley cat. In short the way Paris is portrayed as a celebrity forces us to make a choice about her- and we like that! We like being able to judge others as it deflects attention from our own shortcomings, and allows us to think ‘actually I’m not all that bad’.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells his followers; “How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.” Yes, its hyperbole, but it also makes a powerful point. What right do we have to take pleasure in judging and condemning others? We all know we do things that are wrong, and cause others pain and hurt- and yet we are more than happy to point the finger at others, knowing so little of what really is going on.The bottom line is, it’s easier to criticise a celebrity than face up to our own shortcomings. Thankfully the Bible shows us a way to transform our lives instead of avoiding the truth. It tells us to love God with everything we have, and to love others the same way too- this is the best form morality can take, and the world would change overnight if we genuinely took this teaching to heart

Secondly, in a world where life is can be hard and truth can be painful, an escape into the media led virtual reality of celebrity can be appealing. But this is a mistake! Hiding away from truth never solved anything, and in fact leads us to miss out on so much that life has to offer. Jesus says, in John 10:10 “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Life with Jesus, loving God and others with all you have is the best way to live. It is how you truly find yourself and who you are- it is far superior to the empty promises of celebrity and fame. The reason life with Jesus is so fulfilling is because the Bible says we were hardwired to have a relationship with God, and that all the wrong things we do, block that relationship and mess it up. If we were to use the picture language of the Bible it is almost like we are stumbling round in the darkness looking for what we are missing. Jesus says he has come to restore our light so that we can see properly."I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Following Jesus is the only way to have a truly fulfilled life. That’s not to say we cant find partial fulfilment in our family, or our work, or the things we buy, or many of the other things we enjoy, but without God our lives we are missing the solution to our longings.

So at the end of this brief look at celebrity, what can we conclude? Well basically don’t get too sucked in by the plethora of celebrity stories out there, there is life to be lived beyond OK magazine and Heat. More than that look to the needs of others before yourself, and don’t judge others before taking a long hard look at yourself. Ultimately though, what we see from celebrity is that life cannot be lived through other people, but can instead be found, in all its fullness in Jesus Christ.