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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 January 2024
Today, within the Christian culture, the celebrity has replaced the idea of the saint. Very strangely, the celebrity is the dire opposite of the classic notion of the saint. Even more strikingly, the idea of celebrity runs contrary to Jesus' teachings. Of course, in Jesus' day, there were no celebrities, as we know them today. What passed for celebrities in his day were the rich and wealthy. They were the ones that everyone looked up to and admired, but Jesus tells us that they are actually the most unfortunate, and that wealth is the most dangerous of any of the idols that possess us and keep us from the fullness of life God has for us.
1 Luke 16:19–26.
2 Matt. 6:19–21.
3 Luke 6:24.
4 Matt. 13:22; also see Mark 4:19; Luke 8:14.
5 Matt. 19:24; also see Mark 10:23–25; Luke 18:24.
6 Luke 12:16–21.
7 Matt. 6:24.
8 1st Tim. 6:10.
9 Ibid.
10 Mark 10:15, Luke 18:17.