Celebrities and The Reformers: A Few Thoughts on Reformation Day

The Peg and the Pen: "Penning words in order to shape culture and to train women to hammer with a peg the tyrants that the Lord has placed in their path of obedience."

"I took it upon myself to look up in the dictionary the definition of a celebrity. Merriam-Webster provided me with two wonderful definitions. 

“1. The state of being celebrated.”

“2. A famous or celebrated person.”

Having examined these definitions some questions arise. What makes these people worth celebrating? Is it the fame or the fortune? Is it the fact that x number of people commented on their post? Is it the fact that x number of people purchased that person’s book? Is it the fact that thousands of people have given their opinion in favor of said person? What are celebrities doing that actually makes them worth celebrating?

When contemplating the idea of being one of these supposedly famous people, most Christians will tell you there is danger on that path. Most Christians will tell you that the life of fame and fortune has the ability to corrupt the souls of those who embrace it for the wrong reasons. Most Christians will tell you that we should not chase after fortune simply because we want to live that ever so coveted glamorous life. To which I heartily say amen. But most Christians do not live in the light of these truths they claim to hold. We claim to know our Bibles, know our Christian doctrine, and know the impact that Christ’s work on the cross has on our daily lives. But we do not authenticate these claims in our daily lives. We DO in fact long for the fame and fortune; we long to have the celebrated instagram, substack, or YouTube account. We long for our daily duties to be noticed and appreciated, but not for the right reasons. We hope for that more grand house, church building, or lifestyle worthy of a great instagram account. We place ourselves and our pride as idols in our lives and therefore worship ourselves, our comfort, and our desires above all else. We at the same time fear man rather than God and therefore we are constantly held captive to the desires of other sinful men. (Proverbs 29:25) We do whatever it takes to stay at the top of the “important” list. We strive to secure and maintain the attention of the celebrated people we so long to become.

Naturally we all long to feel important and to live with purpose, and in certain ways rightly so. God gave us purpose and a mission to live on in the beginning (Genesis 1:26-28) therefore we all have that desire. But why is the life of fame pushed as the answer to this desire? What are these celebrities actually accomplishing that is worth emulating or worthwhile? Is it simply the money that gives these people status? Is it simply the number of followers they have? 

Sadly, just as other religions have their icons or people they worship other than the One True Living God, we as Reformed Christians have adopted the celebrity or the celebrity life as our image to be worshiped. We worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator. (Romans 1:25) This failure to crucify these sinful desires wreaks havoc on our lives as Christians, affecting how we think about God and His world. 

Take, for instance, the Reformers. Where does one even begin? There are countless stories of God’s faithfulness in the lives of so many men and women, and through such difficult circumstances. Stories that inspire and stories that convict. Stories that bring tears to your eyes and chills through your body. The wonderful truth to this as well is the fact that the courage, joy, and conviction of those who stood so boldly during the Reformation isn’t simply contained to that time period. History is full of stories of the joyful obedience of Christians during every time period. But let us pause here a moment and contemplate, are the Reformers not in some sense famous? Are they not in some sense celebrated? We are about to embark upon a wonderful celebratory time remembering the lives of these faithful Christians. Therefore, the question must be asked: what sets the Reformers apart from our modern day celebrities? 

The answer is Christ. Now, I can hear the mass interjections being launched even now.  “Yes, I get the fact that Christ causes us as Christians to be set apart, but there must be something else. There must be a secret sauce that sets the Reformers and Christians throughout the years apart from celebrities.” To this I reply with all my heart NO. There is no other explanation. To believe so is a failure to recognize what it was the Reformers were even fighting for. Namely, Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone), Sola Fide (Faith Alone), Sola Gratia (Grace Alone), Solus Christus (Christ Alone), and Soli Deo Gloria (To the Glory of God Alone). It was the conviction to these truths based off of Scripture that sets the Reformers apart from celebrities. 

They were utterly convinced of the potency of Christ’s work on the cross, utterly convinced of the sufficiency of Scripture, utterly convinced of salvation by grace through faith, and utterly convinced that they ought to do all for God’s glory that God blessed their obedience in truly remarkable ways. They held so much conviction to the truths laid out in Scripture that they made disciples and not simply followers. These faithful Christians were fighting against the idea that salvation can be bought. They were fighting against the idea that we as people need a mediator other than Christ. They were out for God’s glory rather than their own.

That is what we will be celebrating on Reformation Day. The grace of God in the lives of so many men and women. The Holy Spirit at work in the lives of these believers such that their faith led them to die so that we might have the Holy Scriptures in our own language. We are celebrating the sovereign hand of the Lord at work in believers giving them such courage and boldness and discernment and joy. We are celebrating the remarkable stories the Lord wrote through His people. Stories of Christians who were not fighting for their own fame but were fighting to proclaim the Lordship of Christ.

Consider for a moment, what if the Reformers had been fighting simply because they wanted more money, simply because they wanted more fame, simply because they wanted their daily duties as husbands, fathers, wives, mothers, children, etc. to be praised? They would have failed miserably. They would have had no reason to hope; no reason to press own and no goal truly worth achieving. 

So if you read the stories of the Reformers and think you are somehow important because you read after Luther, Calvin or Jeanne D’ Albret you have missed the point. When you read the stories of faithful Christians in any time in history, see the Divine Author. See the grace and mercy He gives. See the potency of His Word at work in lives of Christians so much so that they are willing to die for it. At the same time, we can appreciate what the men and women did, but we must see that they would not have done it of their own accord. They would not have been able to withstand the beating, derision, and flames of the stake had it not been for the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Had it not been for the daily putting off and putting on. Had it not been for the daily obedience to God’s Word.   Although the Reformers were not perfect, God blessed their obedience. Obedience even when no one was watching. Ultimately, they knew they were serving God and proclaiming His Lordship in their actions even if no other human being took notice of what they did. 

So read the stories, celebrate the handiwork of God, and feast to the King who saw fit to give us such a rich history. Admire the courage and conviction of the saints in the past, and let us remember the foundation they stood upon and the cosmology they fought for.

 I would like to insert a quick note here. If you are one of those Christians who has been given the gift of being wealthy or your story is a story of more notoriety it does not immediately follow that you are sinning. Prosperity is a gift, and like any gift we ought to use it for God’s glory. We ought not to place our wealth or notoriety as an idol in our lives. We should use our gifts to take dominion more wisely. If you have been given wealth, you have been given your talent from God and He expects you to do something with it. So be a faithful servant and use whatever platform you have to show the world the truth, goodness, and beauty of The Creator. Be wholly committed to living out your theology as the Reformers did. Hold fast to Christ as the only sure foundation for that is what gives you the courage you need to fight the good fight. 

Therefore, celebrate Reformation Day, remember the faithfulness of not only the Reformation Christians but also the faithfulness of thousands of other Christians. Remember the same Spirit that God gave to the men and women of the Reformation is in you, so live like it. Remember their stories, remember the truths they died defending, and remember the Good Shepherd who led His people in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake (Psalm 23:3).

In short, what separates the Reformers from celebrities? The answer: the aim of the striving. So I pose the question to all of us: what is the aim of striving? If our aim is for selfish reasons, it will only end in bitterness and disappointment. “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36) But if our aim is Christ and His glory, my!—what blessings God graciously bestows to those who are faithful to Him and His word. So take up your cross daily, and show the world the hope we have in Christ."

By Lydia Edmonds