Ben Kirby, the creator of the popular Instagram page PreachersNSneakers, recently argued that western churchgoers have demanded that their pastors be presented as celebrities.
Kirby, a former DJ, turned author and podcaster, had initially created the PreachersNSneakers Instagram page to highlight the expensive footwear worn by some of the celebrity pastors he followed.
Little did he know, his page would become a viral sensation, and Kirby would gain over 144,000 followers on Instagram in just one week. The page, which Kirby still runs, showcases the celebrity culture seen among high-profile pastors today.
In a recent interview with The Christian Post, Kirby argued that the celebrity pastor craze grew from the desires of church attendees who wanted a level of celebrity and entertainment from their leaders.
"I was literally on my couch ... using my phone, that's about all the effort I put into it and it blew up into this global conversation over the years," Kirby said.
Kirby shared that he never thought PreachersNSneakers would become the center of conversations about how people view capitalism, consumerism and celebrity in the church. He also insisted the page was not created with the intent of judging others.
"There are plenty of people in the comment section that judge all the time," Kirby said. "I still hold strong that I was never judging. I had questions and I had some critique about how you can present the Gospel better. But I'm resolute in the fact that I wasn't saying, 'You should never wear $1,200 shoes — that's evil.' I'm nobody to say who can [and can't] do what on stage. But I'm also very much allowed to ask questions about public figures and public facts."
He continued, "If they're celebrities, and celebrity pastors finding themselves saying, 'Oh, it's just a bunch of haters.' Well, sometimes it's wise to take a step back and see if there's any validity to the criticisms that keep coming up."
The PreachersNSneakers creator also noted that he's heard from "a bunch of pastors" about the page, without disclosing names in particular.
"Some were nice, some were understanding, others were incredibly mean and didn't want to talk — they just wanted to yell. Some were kind of passive-aggressive," he noted.
Kirby told The Christian Post that he understands the reaction from these pastors since some of them would receive critical messages from others.
"This touched on a nerve for a lot of people ... I think they weren't prepared — both the recipients and the givers weren't prepared to participate ... on social media," he explained. "For whatever reason, my showing the world that certain sneakers were worth $1,000 made everyone lose their mind and it forced people to contend with, 'How do I feel about this guy wearing $1,500 sneakers?'"
Kirby continued, "For some, it made people mean, for some people it made them question, and others, it made them feel happy for these guys and girls that they're so blessed," Kirby noted. "It ran the full range."
He pointed out celebrity culture exists in Western Christianity as church attendees "are demanding this kind of treatment or entertainment or setting."
"It makes sense since we're so obsessed with celebrities in general, and our image, and comfort and entertainment — that it would trickle down into the way a lot of us conduct our faith," he continued.
While acknowledging that some pastors have a higher platform than others, Kirby warned that it is 'idol worship' when the focus is taken off God. He also pointed out how it's a lose-lose situation when high-profile leaders experience a moral failure because it has a "devastating effect" on their ministry and the "overall look of Christianity."
"It allows other people to point to why they hate Christianity because it's another dude that's sleeping around or that's embezzling funds," he said.
Kirby recently published his first book, PreachersNSneakers: Authenticity in an Age of For-Profit and (Wannabe) Celebrities, which calls readers to examine whether they bought into celebrity Christianity.
Photo courtesy: ©Max Anderson/Unsplash
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
