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Celebrities for Jesus: How Personas, Platforms, and Profits Are Hurting the Church by Katelyn Beaty
tcreedy's review against another edition
5.0
It isn’t perfect but it’s beautifully honest, well written, and deeply human. I hope this book is widely read - I’ll be recommending it to others in the publishing group I work for.
lauracohran's review against another edition
4.0
So thoughtfully written. I love Katelyn Beaty's work and really appreciated her steady, careful consideration of this topic.
10_4tina's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.5
Kind. Critical. Faithful.
I appreciated the way Beaty carefully critiqued the problems with celebrities and the Church without bashing the individuals who are interlaced with the issue. The tone is compassionate and convicting. Famous Christians from Justin Bieber and Kanye to Billy Graham and Mark Driscoll are discussed. All of the stories point back to the biblical call to lead a quiet and simple life.
My friend and I have recently been talking about the more recent developments of influencer culture on faith development and the potential harms of people working out their private faith lives in the public eye and that conversation track has continued in my brain ever since our conversation started. Within a week of that conversation, I picked up this book and another similar book (The Preacher's Wife) to keep the conversation going with myself. Read them both and join me on this topic train.
Lines I'm still sitting with:
Opening:
-To have immense social power and little proximity is a spiritually dangerous place for any of us to be.
Chapter 3:
-(in reference to comments that the gospel is offensive) Not everything offensive is the gospel
Chapter 5:
-Celebrity is social power without proximity, the chance to influence without knowing or being known by those you're influencing.
-Augustine wasn't selling his confessions or books as products in the marketplace - it's our modern conflation of identity and gifting with a personal brand and the endless quest for platform that has compromised the original mission of Christian book publishing...discipleship is outsourced to gurus, authentic relationship is mediated through relatable and vulnerable storytelling, and spiritual maturity is measured by the number of followers and books sold rather than everyday integrity beyond the spotlight
-writing is a skill and not everyone with a valuable message or story has it...everyone has a book inside them which is exactly where I think it should, in most cases, remain
-Christian book buyers should be aware of why certain authors get the privilege of publishing a book. It's not always because they are called. Sometimes it's simply that they have cultivated an impressive appearance of calling.
Chapter 6:
-Burnout often occurs in a high pressure role without a place to be vulnerable
-Henri Nouwen's persona was thriving, but the person underneath was nearing what he would later call a spiritual death and then God intervened by inviting him to leave public ministry altogether - he moved to an intentional community in France caring for a young man with intellectual disabilities - an icon of belovedness - being just Henri, not a famous Christian reset his spiritual frame and sense of vocation - obscurity reconnected him with his true, beloved self; it saved him
-Celebrity costs implicate the fans and consumers when we turn to famous people to meet our own social or emotional needs
I appreciated the way Beaty carefully critiqued the problems with celebrities and the Church without bashing the individuals who are interlaced with the issue. The tone is compassionate and convicting. Famous Christians from Justin Bieber and Kanye to Billy Graham and Mark Driscoll are discussed. All of the stories point back to the biblical call to lead a quiet and simple life.
My friend and I have recently been talking about the more recent developments of influencer culture on faith development and the potential harms of people working out their private faith lives in the public eye and that conversation track has continued in my brain ever since our conversation started. Within a week of that conversation, I picked up this book and another similar book (The Preacher's Wife) to keep the conversation going with myself. Read them both and join me on this topic train.
Lines I'm still sitting with:
Opening:
-To have immense social power and little proximity is a spiritually dangerous place for any of us to be.
Chapter 3:
-(in reference to comments that the gospel is offensive) Not everything offensive is the gospel
Chapter 5:
-Celebrity is social power without proximity, the chance to influence without knowing or being known by those you're influencing.
-Augustine wasn't selling his confessions or books as products in the marketplace - it's our modern conflation of identity and gifting with a personal brand and the endless quest for platform that has compromised the original mission of Christian book publishing...discipleship is outsourced to gurus, authentic relationship is mediated through relatable and vulnerable storytelling, and spiritual maturity is measured by the number of followers and books sold rather than everyday integrity beyond the spotlight
-writing is a skill and not everyone with a valuable message or story has it...everyone has a book inside them which is exactly where I think it should, in most cases, remain
-Christian book buyers should be aware of why certain authors get the privilege of publishing a book. It's not always because they are called. Sometimes it's simply that they have cultivated an impressive appearance of calling.
Chapter 6:
-Burnout often occurs in a high pressure role without a place to be vulnerable
-Henri Nouwen's persona was thriving, but the person underneath was nearing what he would later call a spiritual death and then God intervened by inviting him to leave public ministry altogether - he moved to an intentional community in France caring for a young man with intellectual disabilities - an icon of belovedness - being just Henri, not a famous Christian reset his spiritual frame and sense of vocation - obscurity reconnected him with his true, beloved self; it saved him
-Celebrity costs implicate the fans and consumers when we turn to famous people to meet our own social or emotional needs
kstephensreads's review against another edition
5.0
This fast read resonated with me so deeply. The pull of celebrity culture affects us all- whether we have platforms large or small or simply follow those who do. As someone who has wrestled personally with the monetization of discipleship in the Christian publishing/ speaking/ blogging/ podcasting world, the chapter on the publishing industry was especially insightful.
midwifereading's review against another edition
4.0
I don't feel as though I learned anything new, and I wasn't really surprised. However, it validated my feelings and my perspective on the problems I have with celebrity in general, Christian celebrity in particular, and megachurches.
Everything I have wrestled with for years about Christian culture in America is neatly summarized between the covers of this short, readable, and compassionate book.
There is no judgment or condemnation here, but a deeply honest examination of this weird phenomenon of Christian celebrity. She offers no concrete answers or solutions, but points us back to Christ and him crucified.
I appreciated this book. I wish I'd thought to write it.
Everything I have wrestled with for years about Christian culture in America is neatly summarized between the covers of this short, readable, and compassionate book.
There is no judgment or condemnation here, but a deeply honest examination of this weird phenomenon of Christian celebrity. She offers no concrete answers or solutions, but points us back to Christ and him crucified.
I appreciated this book. I wish I'd thought to write it.
blythe_w's review against another edition
5.0
an honest warning and needed, gentle call to humility, integrity, and simplicity
nkonde98_'s review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0