How Should Christians Respond When Famous People Find Faith?
It's always exciting when some celebrity we've been following (and maybe even praying for) decides to become a Christian and ask Jesus to be their personal Lord and Savior. Celebrities, especially Christian ones, have challenges that the rest of us really don't have.
Imagine people always hanging around your house with their smartphones, maybe peeking in the windows, following you whenever you get in the car to drive somewhere, thronging you with their phones as you walk down the street, go to a restaurant, do your grocery shopping or do some other mundane (or fun) activities. They're always looking for just one awkward or ugly moment to publicize in some publication and splash all over social media.
While we may feel like we're always under surveillance at work if people know we're a Christian, it's not the same as what celebrities deal with every day. However, they still need to be mentored, encouraged, prayed for, and even extended grace when they fall, just like the rest of us. Below are some ways we, as Christians, can pray for and perhaps respond to Christian celebrities without idolizing or being judgmental.
Rejoice
Jesus draws a comparison between lost sheep and lost people in Luke 15:7: "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance."
Heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents, and we should, too, even if they are a celebrity. Heaven doesn't rejoice more over someone who happens to be a celebrity. Neither should we. And of course, there isn't anyone who doesn't need repentance. He was talking to the Pharisees and scribes who thought they could gain righteousness with God and entry into Heaven through works. The Bible makes it clear that nobody is righteous, and salvation isn't by works (Romans chapter 3, verse 10; Ephesians chapter 2, verse 9).
For the Church encourages Christians to believe the best about them when they go public with their profession, just as we would with a friend or family member for whom we've been praying. God sees each person's heart and knows all things.
Remember to Extend Grace
When a baby is a newborn, no one expects it to be able to take care of itself or know how to act like an adult in public. It needs to be nurtured, taught, and, as it grows, disciplined. Likewise, new Christians need to be mentored and taught to read the Word of God and apply it to their lives, interact with other Christians, and function in a world that constantly puts stumbling blocks in front of them.
There's a constant battle that we all face. We want to do good, we want to be more like Jesus, but we just stumble sometimes and end up sinning anyway, whether we are a new Christian or whether we have been walking out the Christian life for a while. Paul expresses this frustration in Romans chapter 7, verses 21-25. Even Paul stumbled from time to time, as expressed in verse 24, "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" The answer is in the very next verse, "I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
New Christians stumble a lot. As we mature in the Lord, we get stronger and stumble less, but we still stumble. Also, it takes time to have our minds renewed by the Word of God. The more we read the Word, the less we'll think and respond the way the world does to various life situations (Romans 12:2).
Maturing is a messy process. There may be things new Christians do because they don't know any better. It's important to restore with gentleness, just as a parent helps a child to understand the proper way to act in public.
Give Them Space to Grow and Explore
Blogger and Pastor of Guest Services at the Summit Church in Durham, North Carolina, Danny Franks, goes to a large church that apparently gets visited by celebrities on a somewhat regular basis. Franks has served there since 2003 and says in his blog that over the years, they've had "collegiate sports stars, local TV personalities, up-and-coming NBA players, NASCAR drivers, big-time politicians, and even the occasional musical prodigy" visit their church.
He goes on to note that there's a part of him that wishes he could meet such people at their car before they go into the building so He can give them a bit of a warning: "Before you walk through that door, let me go ahead and ask your forgiveness because you're about to see a bunch of Jesus people lose their ever-lovin' minds."
Frank goes on to point out that just as we don't know how to treat celebrities when we see them outside the church, we don't know how to treat them when they visit, either.
"My argument," Frank says, "is that we should decrease the culture of fame inside our churches so that we can increase the fame of Jesus."
He goes on to suggest that celebrities need to be given space to be themselves before the Lord. So people shouldn't point, stare, whisper, or try to "get" anything from them. Rather, there needs to be a mentality of giving and being warm and welcoming. He also suggests staying away from splashing it all over social media that they visit. In this way, their privacy is being respected.
Pray for Them
Christian celebrities desperately need the prayer of the church, especially when they're just getting started in their walk with the Lord. Since they're constantly in the public eye, the good they do can be seen by all, but they're also very vulnerable to temptation. They especially need prayer to recognize that the Lord has given them a platform, and need prayer that the Lord will show them how He wants them to use it.
Katelyn Beaty is a writer and speaker, as well as an editor at Baker Publishing Group. She was interviewed by Firebrand Magazine about a book she wrote called Celebrities for Jesus.
"The vast majority of Christians for the past 2000 years have not had platforms; they have no fame, no celebrity status. Ordinary people are how God has chosen to work, to heal, bless, restore, and to point people to his goodness and grace," she said.
"I believe we are all made for proximity. I believe we're all made for relationship, rootedness, stability, and being known. That's what we need in order to thrive and flourish—all of us. It doesn't matter if you're a very important leader or not."
She went on to note that she believes the North American church is going through a time of purification. Though it's painful, it's necessary. God is convicting hearts about wrong focus and wrong motive.
"[We should acknowledge] that there are things that, as humans, we import into the church. We can't help doing that. Much of [what we do] is culture that we need to examine and perhaps change and repent of because it does not reflect the beauty of the bride of Christ in an eternal sense."
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Caiaimage/Tom Merton
Originally published March 13, 2025.
