Pop Christianity is on life support By Joshua Gilmore, Voices Contributor for Christian Post
GNN Note – I don’t know what “pop christianiy” is – never heard of it, but if it’s anything like pop culture then need a lot less. If it means no more Hillsong satanic rituals on tour or abortion supporting Hillsong “ministers” – good riddance /END
I grew up in an “uncool church.” The sermons were not slick. The music was not modern. And the church’s position on societal issues certainly was not politically correct. But back then, churches like this were totally OK.
The church I grew up in was not ashamed of being counter-cultural. In fact, they celebrated their moral distinctions in contrast to the world’s ideas week in and week out.
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By and large, the aim of the church I grew up in was not to please pop culture; but the aim was to please God. Did my childhood church have issues? Absolutely! But conforming for the sake of “cool” was not one of them.
In recent years many “cool Christians” have publicly fallen. Sadly, these evangelical influencers disappeared from the world of Christian celebrity for any number of scandalous reasons. Some publicly deconstructed their Christian faith on social media and ultimately renounced their faith altogether, while others tragically left their spouses and families via extramarital relations.
Some were fired for prolonged verbal abuse and lying, while others were heartbreakingly discovered to have maintained a double life marked by criminal sexual deviance. Whatever the reason for their departure from the limelight of the evangelical stage, these former “Christian celebrities” all had one thing in common — they were once very popular.
Some were New York Times bestselling authors. Some filled arenas with their popular Christian music. Some were pastors whose sermons were broadcast across the globe. Some even served in Christian higher education! Today, their names are no longer mentioned among Christians except when expressed as a historical cautionary tale.
I receive no pleasure in recounting some of the ways prominent Christian leaders have fallen in recent years. Researching this topic has been gut-wrenching. Nevertheless, I was pleased to discover that Christ Himself speaks directly to the issue of “pop Christianity” in Luke 6:26. Jesus said, “What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds, for their ancestors also praised false prophets.” Jesus Christ, the founder of the Christian church, specifically warns his followers about being “praised by the crowds.” Let that sink in.
In a world where some Christian organizational heads utilize “crowdsourcing platforms” and “crowd management systems,” Jesus warned his followers of “what sorrow awaits” those who are praised by the crowds. Maybe, in view of Christ’s teaching, the crowds aren’t to be “sourced” or “managed.” Maybe they are to be “cautioned.”
