The Perils of Fame

There are two articles I read recently that carry a very similar theme, albeit from two very different perspectives and circumstances. The first article references Susan Boyle, the singer who got so big on "Britain's Got Talent" and began to struggle with her fame as she was not ready for the harsh glare of the lights and aggressive coverage that goes with our celebrity making & breaking obsession. Here's a quote from the article:

"Being famous is not all it's cracked up to be, and the idea that you can have a personal life and a media life is often pretty conflicting," said David Moxon, a health psychologist who specializes in stress. "It must be difficult to walk down the street and be mobbed by people. "I don't think Boyle did that (deliberately pursued celebrity). She was pursuing a love of singing that she had and that is the sad part of this story. But it is a cautionary tale for people and it shows fame has its price."

Fame and being famous is not all its cracked up to be. Yet our culture pursues and celebrates the pursuit of celebrity. We have celebrities now that are famous just for being famous. They have no real accomplishments. It is a sad state of affairs. But I don't think Christians can look down our noses at the world on this one. There is no difference, except to say that it is extra sad for a people who really really ought to know better. But we elevate people to quickly and get excited about "celebrity" Christians whether they be in acting, or sports, or music, or politics. We celebrate, elevate, and then find ourselves stuck when their behavior falls short and puts Christ and the church in a negative light. And often, the fact that we elevated them in the first place is part of the reason they fell. That brings me to the second article. It details the story of John James, a founder and former lead singer of the Newsboys. In a long and honest (and gut wrenching) article, he details how the fame of being in a hit Christian band destroyed his walk, life, and marriage. Praise God that he has revived and is right with God. He has a great perspective:

The industry is not the problem. The problem is people's lives in the industry that have become messed up and lost perspective of what it's all about. It's become about the money, the industry, the success, the fame. We've lost focus. I want people to understand because sometimes people ask me, 'Are you bitter now on success, money, fame, position?' I say, no of course I'm not. Influence, money, success, position.those are powerful, incredible tools we can use to influence masses of people. Mighty tools! Those things aren't the problem. Money, success, is not the problem. It's when we allow our hearts to be seduced by those things, where it becomes all about the money, all about the success, all about MY career, MY ministry. That's the problem right there!

A cautionary tale indeed. As Christians we need to not only guard against our own desire for fame and success, but also be careful not to lavish such things to strongly and blindly on others. Jesus and Paul warned about those who wanted to sit in the seat of honor, and of being a person to played into that. Enjoy the articles and be wise.