Open letter to celebrity Christians
Correspondent | Tuesday May 19, 2015 12:11
The writer of most epistles almost close to 75%, of the New Testament in the bible, the apostle Paul was himself an honourable man who died for the course of Christianity.
It is a noble thing for one to be able to confess their faith, especially when they hold a celebrated status. My hope is that all our celebrity Christians will create time in their busy schedules to read this article, especially: Pastor Joel keitumele (Ntsoro), Kaone (K1), Vee Mampeeza and many others that are considering Christianity as a way of life. I am not only picking on you my brothers for any particular reason except that you made headlines recently in the light of Christianity.
The media has been abuzz that some of you have turned to Christianity in the mist of your own problems. It is reported that some of you have started churches while some are possibly exploring gifts of the Holy Spirit within the body of Christ (the church that is). I am, however, not writing this letter to congratulate you on your new lifestyles but rather to caution you on everything that you will do in the name of Christianity.
I believe you are tired of being judged and that it boggles your mind and that you are forever wondering why it should be a matter of concern to anyone when you do simple things like buying salt from a shop or expressing your misgivings to anyone at all. When Wesley Snipes decided to evade tax in America, almost the whole world was shocked to learn about his crime. I do not think you have forgotten about the Mzwaki Mbuli saga. The crimes of these guys were not any different from that of ordinary men but theirs was also a betrayal to their own followers. Camera men, the media and ordinary people will have their spotlight on you now even more, primarily because you guys identify with Christianity which identifies with honourable things and you guys are stars in the eyes of many.
Your Almanac the Bible is full of so much wisdom to advise all men whether they be rulers, subjects (the ruled),the learned or celebrities such that there may be order in any society. In the book of Luke 12:48 in the bible talks about this high expectation:”to whom much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more”.
Christianity, coupled with a celebrity status, can be a back-breaking undertaking if you guys do not walk a tight rope. All eyes are on you and this literally means that everything about your lives will be scrutinised and the public will demand explanations and apologies when necessary.
However, Christianity has also experienced a metamorphosis in the past few years where the church has seen much proliferation, the same old gospel that saw this country grow in leaps and bounds through mission schools and care for the less privileged has through some unscrupulous members of the society been turned into a cash cow. Staying in the city can be a wonderful thing but somehow cities can be hotbeds of all weirdness where everything is for sale including the gospel. The merchants of this product have differentiated it, packaged and marketed it very well. These people have given the church a bad name and it’s actually not surprising to see the state working hard to try and regulate worship. Some unfortunately have been found out in this game and my hope and prayers are that none of you are in it for the same reasons. Ecclessiastes_10:8 says, “he that diggeth a pit shall fall into it”; and I believe that this is common knowledge for you. And I also hope that you are fully aware that he who lives by the sword shall die by it.
I personally do not claim to live a perfect life but I have been saved by grace and am through experience aware of the possible pitfalls that you guys face and hope that one day you will leave legacies behind like good leaders such as the late Myles Munroe who was such a practical leader.
The church has been used by many as a platform for self aggrandisement such as politicians for wooing voters and I believe you guys are not in it to either sell merchandise, or to primarily expand your fan base. My hope as an ordinary member of the society is that the church will benefit from your talents and that the expansion of your market and or fan base should only be benefits of your commitment to the Gospel.
Yours Truly, Brother Wangera