#WildGoose13: How can Christians transcend celebrity culture?

Last updated on: July 17, 2014 at 2:03 pm by Morgan Guyton

#WildGoose13: How can Christians transcend celebrity culture? 2014-07-17T14:03:22-05:00 Morgan Guyton

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Wild Goose has been an interesting phenomenon so far. The theme of this years’s festival has been “re-membering the body.” To this end, there have been several random people going around passing out cards inviting us to engage in random acts of hospitality like sharing food with strangers. But it’s such a hard thing to transcend the well-trod paradigm of American culture where we sit in our lawn chairs as a crowd of individuals who aren’t making any effort to know each other and only share in common our adoration of the rock star on the stage. What would have to take place to create an environment in which strangers really could re-member the body of Christ together?

It’s possible and perhaps even likely that the body of Christ is happening in smaller venues that I just haven’t been privy to. One of the distractions I’m struggling with is the implication of the orange wristband I was given to wear. It means that I’m supposedly one of the rock stars (people who aren’t performing on a stage other than the open-mic tent have yellow wristbands; volunteers have blue wristbands). So I thought my orange wristband meant that when I introduced myself to other rock stars that I only know from cyberspace, they would give me a big hug or something.

Yeah not so much. It was more like “Hey great to meet you in person; let me catch up with you later.” It was kind of similar to the experience I had when I was so excited to get my own login at Huffington Post and quickly learned that hundreds of religion bloggers have logins. It’s one thing to have an orange wristband at Huff Post. It’s an entirely different thing to get a featured post (which are the ones that sometimes viralize, especially if it’s a topic like the top ten stereotypes about evangelicalism that we haven’t already covered before). You only get a featured post when you’re a real rock star. An orange wristband by itself doesn’t make you a Christian Kardashian.

I don’t fault any of the famous dudes I tried to talk to. I suspect that it’s some combination of genuine busyness and exhaustedness on their part and perhaps an emotionally needy vibe that I’m putting out which causes them to think “Oh dear” when they see that I’m a little too excited about introducing myself to them. So why the hell do I need for the orange wristband people to accept me? Why can’t I just enjoy the music and the speeches?

Celebrity Christian author Philip Yancey was talking earlier today about the way that we shouldn’t want to be celebrities because the celebrities he knows (other than himself) have become who they are because of a desperate need for affirmation from other people on account of a void that they feel on the inside. I’m not sure that completely describes me; I’ve begged God over and over to crucify that part of me. And what I keep seeming to discern is that I have a legitimate tenacious hunger to speak a truth that I’ve been given to share with a wide audience. It seems that I have a genuine prophetic vocation. So I feel like I’m supposed to try to network with the big dogs, the orange wristband people who are actually legit, as part of how I pursue my vocation. And it ain’t working so well.

It’s hard to untangle my personal junk enough to ask the right analytical questions about what’s going on here. But what would a national progressive Christian gathering look like that was intentionally anti-celebrity? What if we got our books signed by the yellow wristband strangers sitting next us whom we actually got to know instead of the celebrity authors for whom we try to come up with some intelligent comment in that ten-second window when they ask who they should write it out to? What if the “conversations” that we’re supposedly having at these gatherings weren’t panel discussions between orange wristband people but actual conversations in which yellow wristband people interacted in small groups? What if marginalized people themselves really were in the vanguard at these types of gatherings instead of just the “experts” who study them? I almost want to take back everything I wrote in my last post defending the emergentsia for its whiteness.

I realize I haven’t looked closely enough into the more intimate venues where the body of Christ might actually be re-membered here. But whatever is going on with my personal sensitivities, I couldn’t help but notice two juxtaposed images as I was walking down the road at Wild Goose earlier today. At the open mic tent, a woman was playing guitar for a single listener who seemed like he was probably her husband. Just up the road I saw the most massive line I’d seen the whole time I’ve been here. It was for a book-signing, presumably by someone wearing an orange bracelet. I didn’t see who it was, but it must have been a real rock star.

Previous Post

August 7, 2013

#WildGoose13: What should emergent Christianity do about its whiteness?

Next Post

August 10, 2013 #WildGoose13: Why my impossible music genre doesn't work

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Advent Beauty Will Save the World Bible Big Picture: Ephesians Bloggers Book Christian salvation and the Beautitudes Culture Daily Office Danceable Homiletics Deadly Sins Deep Roots: Genesis Devotions Dominican Republic May 2011 El Principio Misericordia (The Mercy Principle) Five verses God tattooed on my heart Fundraising FutureGospel Good Biblical Words Henri Nouwen Interview Jennings' Christian Imagination Jesus inside the beltway Jesus Is My Candidate Jesus vs the Pharisees Jesus vs. Plato Journey to Eternity Looking Back on 2012 Love Actually Monday Merton Monday Merton Music Occupy the manger On Earth As It Is In Heaven Original Sin Podcast Poetry Politics Prayer Psalm 119 Radical Jesus 101 Reviews Sermon on the Mount Sermons Spanish Bible study Special Series Spiritual but not religious Synchroblog Theology Things that made me think Thomas a Kempis Ugliness Into Beauty Uncategorized Viaje Dominicano 2013 Walking in the Valley (Lent) Welcome: It's More than a Mat Wild Goose 2013 Wrestling

Select a Month March 2022 January 2022 December 2021 September 2021 April 2021 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does the name "Isaac" mean?

Select your answer to see how you score.

He fights He laughs He prays He rules