We often get excited when a celebrity comes to faith in Christ—they can use their platform for the gospel. But what happens when pastors and Christian leaders become celebrities in their churches and communities? Isn’t there also a dark side to Christian celebrity? Is that an oxymoron, or should it be? We’ll answer these questions and more with our guest Katelyn Beaty in her new book Celebrities for Jesus. 

Katelyn Beaty is a journalist, editor, and keen observer of trends in the American church. She has written for the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Washington Post, Religion News Service, Religion & Politics, and The Atlantic and has commented on faith and culture for CNN, ABC, NPR, the Associated Press, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. She is cohost of the Saved by the City podcast (Religion News Service) and previously served as print managing editor at Christianity Today. She’s the author of Celebrities for Jesus: How Personas, Platforms, and Profits Are Hurting the Church (Brazos Press, 2022) and A Woman's Place: A Christian Vision for Your Calling in the Office, the Home, and the World (Simon & Schuster, 2016). 

Read a transcript of this episode at: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/think-biblically/2022/celebrities-for-jesus   

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Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith and Culture is a podcast from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, which offers degrees both online and on campus in Southern California.

Find all episodes of Think Biblically at: https://www.biola.edu/think-biblically.
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