I often sit and observe with amusement and introspection the effect that social media seems to have on the clergy. Many use it quite well and maintain the attitude of John the Baptist, who said of Jesus, "He must increase, but I must decrease."
Others, though, seem to have become nothing short of full-tilt ecclesiastical divas.
The pulpit is heady enough. Add to that pulpit a radio ministry, TV program, YouTube channel, videos going viral on Facebook, 100,000 Twitter followers and you have a potential recipe for a head too big to fit into the baptistry.
I recently described it to my church this way: The ministry often becomes just like a Hollywood red carpet, only with a lot more flab. Making that statement (off the cuff, mind you) immediately made my mind start racing with visuals. And so
"Here we are, Karen, at the 39th annual Moses awards. The paparazzi is in place, the red carpet is rolled out, and the church buses are rolling in."
"Right you are, Bob, but these aren't your grandmother's church buses, and these aren't your grandfather's preachers. These Luminaries of Laws and Letters will be arriving in style, and strutting their stuff for all to see. Look! The first Bentley bus has just pulled into place. Is that
"Yes! Our first preacher to stroll the red carpet tonight is Thom Truffle, stepping out now, foot first, Brooks Brothers Edward Green Malvern III Suede and Leather Wingtips shining."
"That's quite a sight, Karen, and he sure does know how to work the crowd. He's taken three selfies since he got out of the vehicle, posted all of them, and one has already gone viral. Wait, look! Pulling up now is the gold-plated limo that could only belong to Fennigan Phabulous!"
"You're right, Bob. That limo caused a bit of a stir when he first bought it but, as he explained, "I can't be a big blessing if I'm poor!"
"Look at him preen, Karen. If I didn't know better, I would think he had spent hours learning how to walk just like Angelina Jolie and tilt his head and smile for the camera like he's shooting a Colgate commercial."
"Good call on that, Bob. Wait, wait, now we really will have a sight to see. Here comes the Ford F-1750 limo bus of Bubba Hornblower. Would you look at the suspension on that thing!"
"It needs it, Karen, have you ever seen Preacher Hornblower? He got famous for a video he made cursing people from the pulpit, 'in the name of Jesus,' as he put it. The man must weigh at least 700 pounds, at least that is how big he appeared to me in a video of him preaching his famous message, 'Don't Give In To The Flesh.'"
"It's all quite a spectacle, Bob, what do you make of it?"
"Well, Karen, truthfully, it makes me scratch my head just a bit. I seem to recall Jesus washing the filthy feet of his disciples, touching the lepers and not being concerned with wealth or fame. And his preaching seemed different, too. He preached really hard against sin, and was very specific, yet I always got the sense that he loved every sinner he was preaching to.
"And his disciples, great preachers in their own right, seemed to emulate that humble spirit. I don't recall an ounce of self-promotion in any of them, they all seemed perfectly content to be unknown as long as Jesus was known."
"That's something to ponder on, Bob, but I need to interrupt you, for now it looks as if a clergical catfight has broken out: Thom Truffle accidentally got in between Bubba Hornblower and a camera, and Bubba is currently sitting on him."
Bo Wagner is pastor of the Cornerstone Baptist Church of Mooresboro, N.C., and the author of several books that are available at wordofhismouth.com. Contact him at 2knowhim@cbc-web.org.