drew moser: When lists get stupid...

journal : : field notes

When lists get stupid...

10 January 2007

I've been noticing a list making it's way all over the web: The Church Report's 50 Most Influential Christians in America. Why? Why are we drawn to rankings like this? C'mon! Let's take a step back and look at how ridiculous this is: WE ARE RANKING PASTORS. Does anyone else see a problem with this?

Thus, in response. Here's my own list. Enjoy the top 10 things that are stupid about a list ranking pastors:

10. It simply bolsters the superpastor image, one that needs to be shattered and tossed. As we've seen in recent events, power and influence so often corrupts, and turning pastors into gigachurch celebrities, with all the branding of the next best toothpaste smacks of superficiality.
9. It's a reader chosen list, which is dumb (not that readers or dumb, nor that that collective wisdom is faulty). However, there's a difference between influence and popularity. This was a popularity contest, a grown-up version of choosing prom king/queen. Or American Idol. Same diff.
8. It's saturated with health and wealth gospel pastors. If this doesn't reveal that the church in American needs some serious work, I don't know what does.
7. It reminds me of another famous list: Forbes' Billionaires. Looking at trends, the rich are getting richer, and the superpastors are getting super-er (or something like that).
6. How do you respond if you're on the list?: "Oh, man. . . I slipped to 12th this year. I'm losing influence. How'd that guy get ahead of me? My book sold more copies! Next year I'll be on top. . . Look out Joel! I'm gunnin' for ya!"
5. Why not have a pastor playoff? Wouldn't that be more fair? It could be comprehensive, comparing number of books sold, speaking gigs, size of congregation, and how many people download your sermon every week via iTunes. American Christians can then have a Christian version of the March Madness college basketball bracket. Official brackets could be sold at a Christian bookstore near you. What? Does this seem ridiculous? EXACTLY.
4. Only 5 on the list are women? Excuse me? Glass ceiling?
3. Only 6 are minorities (from what I can gather). . . again...this speaks for itself.
2. 3 on the list are Christian television executives. That stuff on Christian TV is influence? Uh oh.
1. I wonder how Jesus reacts to such a list. How does a man who 'made himself nothing' view a ranking list? How does a humble carpenter from Nazareth rank? Where would a guy like Jesus, who never wrote a book, never started any official 501c3 ministries, never owned a house...rank? Jesus certainly wasn't popular, nor did he have a mega-gogue (a big ol' synagogue). He was a homeless, itinerant rabbi, with a small following and a big message for the world. He formed a community, and through his community, his message, his good news, and his influence spread.

Just curious...I'm not ripping on most of the individuals who made the 'cut'. I'm simply attacking the notion that our Christian sub-culture loves junk like this (along with mints with verses on them, and t-shirts that rip off name brand logos). I'm not attacking the incredible things God has done through some on this list. It's the idea of the list, how it's formed, and what implications it has that trouble me.

(drew steps off his soapbox and calms down)

Labels: church, culture