Paminsan-minsan ay may mga celebrity na napapasyal sa lungsod ng San Carlos upang magtanghal o makisaya sa aming pista o mangampanya para sa isang pulitiko. Pero ako talagang walang hilig tumingin sa mga ganun kaya sa buong buhay ko ay kakaunti pa lamang ang aking nakikitang celebrities. Ang mga celebrity na aking namasdan ay noon-noon pa nang ako ay batang paslit pa lamang. Baka nga hindi pa ninyo kilala yung mga nakita ko eh. Kilala ba ninyo ang mag-asawang Rodolfo “Boy” Garcia at Lucita Soriano ? Malamang hindi. Ang isa pang nakita ko nang personal ay si Yoyoy Villame.
Alam ba niyo kung saan ko sila nakita? Subukan ninyong hulaan.
Nakita ko sila… sa church!
It was a time when celebrities, upon profession of faith, were immediately brought to stage. They were immediately asked to testify; they were immediately asked to teach.
You could hear them in churches…
You could hear them on Christian radio…
You could watch them on Christian TV…
Some were basketball players…
Some were recording artists…
Some were celebrity fashion designers…
Some were beauticians…
Some were politicians…
I thought it was an ‘80’s thing , but I soon realized that the old mindset is still alive and kicking. When the song Pagdating ng Panahon were ruling the airwaves, I heard on Christian radio a church advertising a concert featuring Aiza Seguerra. I hope they have seen their faults now because after that concert, Aiza would soon reveal that she is a lesbian.
In a seminar that I attended a few months ago, one of the speakers said that they are persistently convincing Miss Connie Reyes to join their organization for that would surely achieve great things considering her wide sphere of influence.
I have nothing against celebrity Christians. Some of them are truly converted. Some of them are a true blessings to the church. My concern is this mindset that in order to win the world for Christ, you have to use the popular ones-- the stars.
Isa sa mga dahilan kung bakit laganap pa rin ang pananaw na ito ay bunga ng pag-usbong ng Church growth movement. Sinusukat kasi natin ang tagumpay ng isang iglesya o ng isang pastor sa paramihan ng mga dumadalo sa kanilang worship service. Ang mga tinitingalang pastor ngayon ay yung mga celebrity-type. Ang hanap ng karamihan ay hindi katapatan sa Panginoon kundi mga pastor na pang-showbiz ang dating. Yung bang kapag ngumiti ay puwedeng gawing endorser ng toothpaste (tipong Joel Osteen). Ang hanap ng mga tao ay yun bang mga pastor na iimbitahan ng mga pulitiko sa kanilang inaugural (tipong Rick Warren).
Ang iba naman hindi kuntento na yung pastor nila ang manguna ng panalangin sa presidential inaugural. Ang nais nila, yung pastor nila mismo ang maupong pangulo. Again I would say that I have nothing against Christians running for public office; my problem is the mindset that God’s servants must have political power in order to be more effective in the kingdom of God.
The idea is this: we would achieve more if God’s workers are the world’s most famous, most popular, most talented, and most influential.
It sounds so logical isn’t it? If you are a businessman, and your rival hired a superstar as a product endorser, you would not hire a starlet to endorse your product. You will hire an equally popular superstar.
It seems logical that if you are planning to conquer the world, you will not build an army of weaklings; you would assemble an army of tested warriors.
It sounds logical that if you are planning to win the gold at the Olympics, you will not form a team of bench-warmers, but highly skilled players.
It sounds so logical that we want to apply the principle to the church and to our ministries. Therefore we have this mindset that in order to win men for Christ, we would have to use the most talented, the most educated, the most articulate, and the most popular.
If God has not spoken on this issue, I would follow what seems logical. But since God has spoken, we have to listen; we have to bow down and trust the wisdom of our Creator. We must fall on our knees and say “Lord, my logic amounts to nothing. I trust your Word Lord.”
This series of posts is for everyone who wants to be used by God. In my next posts, I will lay down some principles on this issue drawn from 2 Cor. 4:7-12.
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