Making Gods Among Us

“In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, ‘Stand up on your feet!’ At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.  When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, ‘The gods have come down to us in human form!’  Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.

But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: ‘Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. In the past, he let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.’  Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them. Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.  But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.” (Acts 14:8-20 NIV)

Two things caught my attention last week that draw me to this passage this morning.   Due to her scheduled Super Bowl performance, there was a lot of news coverage of singer Katy Perry.  Born to Christian parents and once a contemporary Christian music artist, Ms. Perry years ago pointed her life in another direction.  In an interview, her father said he has attended a few of her concerts and was saddened to see so many people on their feet, shouting with their hands raised. “They are worshiping the wrong thing,” he said. This was the first thing. The second was the announcement that one of the founders of the Christian band, Newsboys, had rejected God and was now an atheist. George Perdikis had left the band in 1990 to pursue a solo career, and said he had been questioning the existence of God for a long time. Finally, he said, “By 2007, I renounced Christianity once and for all and declared myself an atheist."  Why he now decided to make a public declaration, one can only guess.

The focus on two performers in the same week who had given up their faith in the Lord started me thinking.  I remember years ago, a famous singer, B.J. Thomas (“Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head”), became a Christian and began touring as a contemporary Christian artist, until he gave it up a short time later, complaining of all the expectations placed upon him by Christian audiences.  The adoration and the lack of grace when he made mistakes in his life were too much to handle.  

Isn’t this what we tend to do with famous Christians.  We raise them up onto a pedestal (or a stage) and, because of what they do and how well they do it, we begin to treat them like gods.  In our eyes they can do no wrong—until they do.  Paul and Barnabas were greeted in Lystra as gods for the miracle they did, but not long after, the crowd was stoning them.

In the midst of the fan worship, I can almost hear the cries from the performers’ hearts, similar to those of Paul and Barnabas: “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you.”  But instead of rushing into the crowd or walking off stage, they continue to perform, pressured by the expectations of recording executives, as well as those of their adoring fans.  But away from the noise, the lights, and the fog machines, they know all too well the truth of their shortcomings.

I wonder if that is why performers sometimes walk away from their faith, or pastors fall prey to greed, lust, or power.  We as their admirers raised them up to be idols, showering them with adoration that should be reserved only for the one true God.  The expectations we had for them and the attention we gave them was too much for a normal fallen human being to handle.  And their faith collapsed under the crushing weight of it all.

Perhaps I am wrong on the specifics, but it is clear to me that we put way too much attention and hope in men and women on stage or in the pulpit who are just as flawed as we are.  By doing so, we put both them and ourselves at risk.  We place them in a position that is impossible for them to maintain, and we risk disobedience to the First Commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3)

Today, consider how you view your favorite Christian artists or bands, and the pastors that speak to you either from the pulpit or through their books.  Are you treating them as gods, worthy of your worship and adoration?  If so, know you are doing them a great disservice and endangering your own heart as well.  

© Jim Musser 2015