As Jon Acuff, author of the website “Stuff Christians Like” points out, Christians like famous Christians. Most can only think of two now that Mel Gibson has gone off the deep end. Chuck Norris and Kirk Cameron, he of the defending-Todd Akin-embarrassment-to-the-rest-of-us fame. The problem with Christians who like famous Christians is that the famous Christians they pick are like the Mrs. Rochesters we’d rather keep locked up in the attic. They’re crazy. Ok, that’s a little harsh. The point is, they tend to represent a thin slice of the Christian pie, leaving a large portion left unspoken for in terms of “famous Christians” to represent us.
Personally, I don’t think we need representation. Jesus can speak for Himself. Ideally, people would judge Christianity on Jesus and the Bible. But we do not live in an ideal world, and many people judge Christianity based on the people they know who claim to be Christian, or worse, they judge Christianity based on the stereotypes they see in the media. And some of those stereotypes, I’m sad to say, are Christians’ fault. I’m looking at you, greedy evangelists, and all the TBN/700 Club demagogues who say things like natural disasters are God’s way of punishing us.
But, I’m happy to report that there are some famous Christians who I think are doing good things. Most of them are probably not people who would come to mind when you think of famous Christians because either you haven’t heard of them, or they’re not people you associate with Christianity even though they are practicing Christians. Here are some Christians on my thumbs-up list:
Sam Childers
The subject of the recent(ish, remember I was in Tstan for two years) movie, Machine Gun Preacher, Childers is a former criminal who is now a preacher and the founder of an orphanage in South Sudan. He is an inspiring example of redemption and courage to do what you believe is right no matter the cost, although some Christians may question whether violence is ever appropriate. The film is based on his autobiography Another Man’s War.
Shane Claiborne
Perhaps a polar opposite to Sam Childers, Claiborne is one of the founding members of The Simple Way in Philadelphia. He is a proponent of the New Monasticism movement and he promotes non-violence. I read his book Jesus for President while I was in Tstan and really enjoyed it. I’m not sure if I agree with everything in it, but I’m not sure I disagree, either. The book really made me think about some of my theology. One of the most poignant passages asks, “what would have happened if America had turned the other cheek after 9/11?”
J. R. R. Tolkien
Okay, he’s dead, so he’s a little out of place on this list. However, with the first of the Hobbit movies coming out this month, it’s apropos to bring up the author who brought us both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Seventy-five years after The Hobbit was first published, Tolkien’s work is still going strong and is proof that Christians can and should be writing much better stuff than what’s being offered in most Christian bookstores these days. Just as significant as his literary contributions is the fact that Tolkien was instrumental in C.S. Lewis’s conversion from atheism to Christianity. And Lewis, as any Christian worth their salt can tell you, was a first rate Christian apologist, and, as any child worth their salt can tell you, gave us Narnia.
Stephen Colbert
Here’s where some people might question the requirements to get on this list, since Colbert holds some views that many Christians would oppose. But when someone becomes a Christian they don’t instantaneously change (there’s a process the old-timers call “sanctification”), I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt since he is openly a practicing Catholic and Sunday school teacher. More importantly, he aims to help the disenfranchised not only by donating his own money but using his celebrity to raise awareness, including speaking to a congressional subcommittee about migrant workers. In answering what his purpose was for being there, he said,
“I like talking about people who don't have any power, and this seems
like one of the least powerful people in the United States are migrant
workers who come and do our work, but don't have any rights as a result.
And yet we still invite them to come here and at the same time ask them
to leave. And that's an interesting contradiction to me. And, you know,
'Whatsoever you do for the least of my brothers,' and these seem like the
least of our brothers right now... Migrant workers suffer and have no rights.”
You can watch a clip of these proceeding here http://lippmannwouldroll.com/2010/09/24/stephen-colbert-breaks-character-in-congressional-testimony-to-advocate-for-migrant-workers/
Clearly Mr. Colbert’s passion for social justice is informed by his reading of the Bible.
Bono
Talk about using your celebrity to do good in the world. I love U2, and I really appreciate Bono’s honest lyrics when it comes to spirituality. But to me, Bono is a superstar not because he fronts one of the world’s most successful bands, but because he’s managed to get politicians like George W. Bush to care about Africa. A three time Nobel Peace Prize nominee, he’s worked with and established organizations to help with both AIDS and debt-relief for African nations.
Though not in-your-face about his spiritual life, Bono doesn’t hide it either. For someone who has done a lot of good works, he clearly understands that good works are an external showing of faith, not what saves us, as evidenced in this quote from Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas , “You see, at the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics-in physical laws-;every action is met by an equal or an opposite one. It's clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the universe. I'm absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that "as you reap, so you will sow" stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff… I'd be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge. I'd be in deep s---. It doesn't excuse my mistakes, but I'm holding out for Grace. I'm holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don't have to depend on my own religiosity…The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That's the point. It should keep us humbled; It's not our own good works that get us through the gates of heaven.”
In many ways the people on this list are more authentic in their faith and presentation of the Gospel than many “official” spokespeople for Christianity. Maybe because most of them are laymen and the ones who aren’t, are the kind of pastors that don’t get a lot of press, the kind who do their best to honor God sans Rolexes and crystal cathedrals.