“Cool Preacher” is an Oxymoron

I just read an interesting article about Carl Lentz. I discovered that he is Justin Bieber’s pastor. Or was. Not surprising.

Who is Carl Lentz? If you don’t know, good for you. I’ll tell you, though. He is part of the hip preacher movement. I used to attend Trinity Church in Miami, and the head pastor’s son, Richie Wilkerson, was a hip preacher who networked with Lentz and other hipsters such as Judah Smith. Their message? “Make me rich.” Well, there was more to it than that. It was more like, “Think I’m cool and make me rich.” They were extremely ambitious people, and their main mission in life was self-promotion. Quite honestly, they were also very ordinary people without much talent or brains.

These kids want to make Jesus cool. Remember, now, Jesus was crucified. He was not popular. He never sought admiration or acceptance. He was the head, not the tail. He led. He never followed. He said what God told him to say, and when people got mad, he didn’t care. Jesus said, “The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” The hipsters think they know better than Jesus.

Actually, they may not think they know better than Jesus. They probably have no idea what Jesus said. They don’t know a whole lot about God or the Bible. They’re very busy flying around to conferences and pumping up their profiles. They don’t have a lot of time for God.

Lentz allowed himself to be interviewed by Joy Behar. That’s amazing. This woman is openly hostile to Christianity. I can already hear the excuses. “Jesus wanted to use her platform to get the word out. Jesus wanted to use Carl to plant a seed in her heart.”

God hates excuses, and he doesn’t need Joy Behar’s TV cameras. Paul and the apostles spread Christianity around the world on foot, without cameras, in a few decades. The idea that God has to go to Joy Behar or any other TV host for help is absurd.

Carl Lentz didn’t go to Joy Behar to convert her or help humanity. He went to drum up business.

Hip preachers have a disturbing crush on celebrities. If you’re famous, they want you to come to their churches, and they don’t care whether you’re sincere. Richie’s dad welcomed Kanye West and Kim Kardashian–the famous sleaze merchant–into Trinity Church, and he bragged about them on Instagram. Richie glommed onto them and officiated at their wedding. Meanwhile, Kim Kardashian went on posing naked. Richie had no problem with that. He couldn’t get attention on his own, so he stuck with her and fed on the dirty crumbs that fell from her table.

If God wanted Richie Wilkerson to get attention, he would give it to him, just as he gave it to Paul. The fact that Richie had to kiss up to two of the most ungodly celebrities in America to get attention proves that God was not on his side.

I’ll tell you what life at Trinity Church was like. They had a green room behind the stage. When anyone remotely famous (or wealthy) showed up, the Wilkersons took them into that room and sucked up to them, trying to get them to join the church and give money. They did it to the Wests, Luther Campbell, various professional athletes, and more than one college athlete. They tended to be clumsy and transparent, and famous people are used to being conned, so the Wilkersons didn’t do very well except for the Wests. Kanye West is not the smartest person on earth, and he has mental issues, so maybe he was especially vulnerable.

Is that how life is at Carl Lentz’s church? I don’t know, but I know that any minister who allows himself to be associated with Justin Bieber, and who allows people to get the impression he approves of Bieber’s lifestyle and personality, is useless and corrupt. Bieber is all about arrogance, sexual confusion, self-promotion, and rebellion. A pastor who is a role model to kids should not pal around with someone like that.

I can hear the response already. “Judge not. Take the log out of your own eye.” You know what kind of people respond to criticism that way? People who want to keep on sinning and who resent being exposed. That’s a little tip for you. Serious Christians love correction.

When I was associated with Trinity, Lentz came and spoke. Church volunteers always helped with events and speakers. The church runs on free labor. People had unpleasant things to say about Lentz. They said he was a diva. They said his favorite shirt didn’t make it to Trinity, so he made someone drive around looking for the same shirt before he would speak.

I am thinking about Lentz because a recent story says Justin Bieber is engaged to a famous model, and Lentz is not enthusiastic. They say Bieber and Lentz had a falling out. I’m not sure what to think. Is this a good thing? Does it mean Lentz started to feel cheap and realized courting celebrities made him look desperate?

Somehow I doubt it.

Bieber just put a photo on Instagram. It’s Bieber and his fiance in a hot tub. They are wearing very little. The model is sitting on his lap, straddling him. They are kissing. This isn’t the kind of thing informed Christians put on social media. It may be a testimony to the weakness of Carl Lentz’s doctrine.

Lentz belongs to Hillsong, a huge, profitable corporation that plants megachurches and sells bad music. Hillsong is becoming the default church for hip young celebrities. That tells you everything you need to know about it. Modern celebrities are extremely ungodly. If they flock to a denomination, it has to be because they know they will not be required to repent.

Without repentance, there is no closeness with God. There is no revelation. There is no power. There is only pride and foolishness.

Christians need to learn to get away from Christian celebrities. Famous preachers do a lot of harm. They have a conflict of interest. They love fame and money, and they turn Christianity into a business. When Christianity becomes your job, and money and fame are your gods, you will do just about anything to keep the business running.

God wants to work through all of his children, and he doesn’t want us to make Christianity a job. It’s not necessary. People who think God needs cameras and money have no faith. Jesus used to gather crowds in the thousands, and he didn’t even have a bullhorn.

God doesn’t want Christianity to be cool. It never will be. We’re against fornication, pride, and rebellion. We’re against greed. How can we ever be cool when we reject everything cool people love?

Jesus told us we would be rejected. Anyone who tries to make his words fail to come to pass is a fool and isn’t obeying him.

I wish the hip preachers would take their salesman skills and leave the church. They should sell cars or real estate, or they should become motivational speakers. They would do a lot less harm.