The New Evangelism: Celebrity Branded Religion

A trend is emerging which may foretell what will happen to religion in the U.S. when enough young people have left traditional churches.

The Kardashians and the Jenners are famous pop celebrities who wear the Christianity on their sleeves. I understand there are others as well. They are dropping their religion creds wherever it helps them. Protestantism, meanwhile is trending toward a style of worship that fits a celebrity-style religion. It is a concert style where there is Christian rock with a light dose of preaching. We can expect a package of branding that includes music, clothes, fragrances and concert style worship.

Some say if you ask a white teenager today who is a famous church leader he/she will not say Franklin Graham or Joel Osteen but one of these branded performing celebrities.

I think I'm correct in saying the old version of celebrity-type worship was the revival event or something like Billy Graham. It was to compliment churches not compete or take their place. From what I read, the new version is a replacement. I have a young relative who, as I understand it, is deeply involved is such a church performing music and preaching.

I would explain the change in this way. When churches were neighborhood gathering places people looked forward to seeing friends and relatives there. It was something fun. As time went on and neighborhood churches have closed. The larger churches need something more to make themselves fun because the old neighborhood links are not there. That something for younger people is good music and lots of it.

Music is so big in Christianity. Buddhists have their melodic chants, Muslims their prayers. But, as Steve Martin noted in his bluegrass number, "Atheists Ain't Got No Songs."

That's where we cannot compete.