Celebrity Idolatry
Outline of Dale Evans Rogers' book "ONLY ONE STAR"
It is quite possible to make an IDOL of just about anything.
You can idolize your money; you can idolize your home, you can
idolize your job, you can idolize your abilities and talents, and
you can certainly idolize personalities be they Hollywood Stars
or famous TV Evangelists.
The book "Only One Star" by Dale Evans Rogers, focusses on
making famous people your idol, be they from Hollywood or from
the Religious World.
While I would have some "theological" differences with Dale
and fundamental Christianity, the which she was part of, I
certainly agree with 99% of what she wrote in her book. It is in
fact a very FINE book to help people NOT to be involved in making
idols out of celebrities. As is written on the first opening
page, this book is written as "A Cure for the Celebrity
Syndrome."
Although written about 20 years ago, the issue of becoming
tangled up in Celebrityism can be just as real and dangerous as
it was for many 20 years ago. In our modern age of mass media in
various forms, Celebrityism will never be out-faded or out-dated.
It will always be a problem that Christians will have to face and
deal with.
This book "Only One Star" is well worth having in your
personal library, for you and your children to read many times
over as you live and move and inter-act with modern society. It
can be obtained for only about $5 at www.royrogers.com Website.
The chapter headings are:
PART 1 What's Gone Wrong?
How and why celebrityism is reaping the whirlwind
1. Only One Star - Only One Hope
2. What Star Do You Follow?
3. Dangers of Star Gazing
4. The Heritage of celebrityism
5. What We Can Learn from Fallen Stars
PART 2 How Can We Change?
Following Christ - the only Star
6. Everybody's Somebody in God's Sight
7. Live - Don't Just Talk - Humility
8. Buy the Truth and Spend Integrity
9. Take a Closer Walk with Him
10. Serve the Star, Not the Image
I will give print this from the chapter "Take a Closer Walk
with Him." The author is unknown:
I was walking down life's highway a long time ago. One Day I
saw a sign that read, "Heaven's Grocery Store." As I got a little
closer the door came open wide, and when I came to myself, I was
standing inside. I saw a host of angels; they were standing
everywhere. One handed me a basket and said, "My child, shop with
care." Everything a Christian needs was in that grocery store;
and all you couldn't carry, you could come back for more.
First I got some Patience; Love was in the same row; farther
down was Understanding - you need that everywhere you go. I got a
box of wisdom, a bag or two of Faith. I just couldn't miss the
Holy Spirit, for it was all over the place. I stopped to get some
Strength and Courage to help me run the race. By then my basket
was getting full, but I remembered I needed some Grace. I didn't
forget Salvation, for Salvation was free. So I tried to get
enough of that to save both you and me.
Then I started to the counter to pay my grocery bill, for I
thought I had everything I needed to do my Master's will. When I
went up the aisle I saw Prayer and I just had to put that in. For
I knew when I stepped outside I would run right into sin.
Peace and Joy were plentiful. They were on the last shelf.
Songs of Praises were hanging near, so I just helped myself. Then
I said to the angel, "How much do I owe?" He just smiled and
said, "Just take them everywhere you go."
Again I smiled at him and said, "How much do I really owe?"
He smiled again and said, "My child, Jesus paid your bill a long
time ago."
"Only One Star" is a fine book indeed to help you keep your
eyes, mind, and heart, on the ONLY STAR to idolize. It's one of
the best 5 dollar bills you could spend - Keith Hunt
Entered on this Website, April 2007
