Re: the cult of celebrity in evangelical churches

What is celebrity but the elevation of gifts over character? How many times have we seen this? "You can't question So-and-so's character (or ministry\calling) because he is so gifted and successful!" Gifts are wonderful when they are used to the glory of God, but it is character which determines the effectiveness of any church or of any school. We will stop exalting talented ministers without regard for truth or character when we demand that preachers give us Christ and the Scriptures rather than anecdotes and jokes, when we recover a sense of the glory of God in worship and put away our crass desire for entertainment, and when we trust God to give growth to the church rather than put our faith in men and programs. -- Tom Chantry