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Christian conversation online after the Super Bowl Halftime Show is interesting–and not in a good way. The same is true after the GRAMMYs or any other significant event in music and entertainment. It seems that celebrities, artists, and entertainers are the Christian community’s favorite group of people to criticize. Here’s how I got clued into this phenomenon.

There’s A Better Way Than Pointing The Finger

In 2014 Bruno Mars performed the Super Bowl 48 halftime show–and did an amazing job, by the way. In the days following, I noticed different Christian bands I follow on social media, who had posted about how much they enjoyed Bruno’s performance, having to defend themselves to their fans who claimed that Christians shouldn’t listen to that kind of music or endorse some of his lyrics…The complaints went on.

Some longtime fans even went so far as to say that they would no longer listen the music of these Christian bands…all because of one Facebook status acknowledging the talent and great performance of a mainstream artist.

I wish I could say this was an isolated event, but some expression of this same “freak out moment” amongst some Christians happens a few times a year. Even when the internet is not talking about a major event in the arts and entertainment world, you can find certain Christian publications making scapegoats out of celebrities in their articles.

They paint them as the cause of the moral problems of this generation. They publicly shame them because they were raised in Christian families or were once strong in faith, but now don’t seem to be following Christ. They condemn these entertainers for how they dress, roles they play, lyrics they sing, public failures. None of those responses are loving, helpful or glorifying to Jesus.

What I see in the Gospels is Jesus graciously loving, reaching out to, and protecting people from a religious crowd who let their distorted view of God’s heart compel them to shame others instead of loving them and graciously pointing them to the truth of Jesus and His Word.

Christians Should Fight For Celebrities and Entertainers, Not Against Them

If you’re wondering why I care about this so much you can read more of my heart and story on my About Page and my blog on the GRAMMYs, or watch this TikTok video for the shorter version. My two passions in life are Jesus/the Church and arts/entertainment. I have a Music Industry degree and I work in full-time ministry. You see the trend.

The people I care most about in the world are Christians and people who have who have yet to come into relationship with Jesus, and people who create art. It breaks my heart that my two worlds don’t always get along and understand each other well. And I want to help the Church and artists appreciate, love, and serve each other better.

Here are three tips on how Christians should treat entertainers and celebrities.

1. Appreciate their work.

I’m not saying that we should mindlessly endorse everything that people do. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t discern what ideas and practices align with God’s Word and which ones don’t. I am saying that appreciating someone’s talent and art is not automatically an endorsement of every way they express that art or every aspect of their lifestyles. Christians can enjoy and appreciate the art, talents, and contributions of both Christians and those who don’t profess to be Christians, whether their work is expressed in an overtly faith-based context or not.

There’s a common teaching in Christian circles that it is inherently compromising for Jesus followers to enjoy or create “secular” art or entertainment, but biblically it is not. It’s a personal conviction issue. I think this misconception is part of what drives the harsh way some Christians view artists and celebrities. However, the Bible teaches that everything God created is good and should be received with thanks.  (1 Timothy 4:4-5)

God’s goodness, truth, and beauty can be expressed and experienced in all aspects of life. Sure, in some situations people will use a good thing in ways that contradict God’s truth, but that doesn’t mean we throw out all expressions of art, entertainment and culture because of those instances. I’m so grateful for the beauty, creativity, and stories artists contribute to the world and the connection between people they foster.

So, recognize and celebrate the God-given talents of artists and entertainers and celebrities. Value their contributions and the impact of those contributions on our lives. Celebrate the good things they do. Encourage them. Point people to their work (as long as it’s not in conflict with God’s ways). 

2. Treat them with respect.

Celebrities and entertainers are people too. They are not objects at which we can point the finger for our own enjoyment. They are regular people, living the same human life on this earth that we all do. They just happen to have very public, glamorized professions. That fact causes some to wrongly conclude that because their profession, and subsequently their lives, are very public, we have the right to be as condemning and harsh in our criticism as we want to be. We don’t.  (Read last week’s post for more about careless criticism)

Celebrities are no less human than you or me.  They are just as much created in the image of God. They are just as much loved by God. God desires relationship with them just like He does with every person He created. Their work is not less meaningful or less holy than other professions. They are gifted and passionate about their work because God gifted them, gave them the passions they have, and gave them the strength to develop those gifts and passions.

Jesus doesn’t call us to shame, write hurtful and condescending articles, or go on social media rants. He does call us to love everyone (Matthew 22:39), pray for everyone (1 Timothy 2:1-6), and to carry the gospel message that people can be reconciled to Him through repentance and faith in Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:18-21).

In both moments of affirmation and celebration and moments when you might need to express disagreement or critique, do you have the fear of the Lord in how you’re treating and talking about these people Jesus created and loves?

3. Pray for them.

We need to pray for entertainers and celebrities who are Christians (in both the Christian and mainstream markets) to stay devoted and growing in their faith in Jesus and to be witnesses of Him in their field. We need to pray for the ones who don’t know Jesus yet to come into relationship with Him. Christians often spend a lot of energy condemning both groups instead of fighting for them wherever they are in their journey with Jesus.

As I observed the way celebrities are regarded amongst some Christians, my heart broke with compassion for them and God gave me the idea to start praying for celebrities by name regularly. It has been a major part of my passion and prayer life for the last few years. Here are some practical tips to help you do this too.

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. (1 Timothy 2:1)

• Put the names of celebrities on your prayer list.

Some ways to do this:

• Artists you listen to, actors in shows or movies you watch, athletes on your favorite teams etc. – Choose ones who are your favorites or who God really puts on your heart and focus on those.
• Use the cast listing for TV shows and movies you watch as a prayer list. (IMDB is a great resource for this. Search a movie or show and it gives you access to the names of the cast and a bunch of other information.)  You can use the names of artists on your music platforms this way too.
• Hollywood Prayer Network highlights an entertainer to pray for specifically each week on their site.

*For more on how to make a prayer list, read this blog.

• Commit to pray regularly for them.

It could be daily, once a week, once a month. You decide.

• Pray biblical prayers for them.

You can pray the phrases from those verses verbatim or use them as the foundation of your prayers. Also ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in what to pray. Praying prayers based on the foundation of Scripture helps us to pray positive, hopeful prayers that are rooted in God’s will and His truth instead of our own opinions. Here’s a blog on 3 practical ways to pray for others.

• Pray that those who don’t know Jesus would be saved and come into a relationship with Him.
• Pray for Christians in the industry to stay grounded and continue to grow in their faith in Christ.
• Pray that God would place strong Christian community around them that can share Christ, disciple, and mentor them in their unique situation as celebrities and entertainers.
• Pray for God’s wisdom and help as they navigate their careers and for needs and circumstances going on in their lives.

For more on praying the biblical prayers: Access the exclusive content, How To Pray The New Testament Prayers, in the Free Resource Library

Let’s change the narrative on this together. Let’s love and pray instead of condemning. Let’s celebrate talent and great art. Let’s call others to do the same.

Let’s Talk: How is God encouraging you or challenging you in how you view celebrities and people of influence through this discussion?  Discuss this post in the comments below.