Escaping the idolatry of celebrity

Matt Dirks looks at the cult of celebrity in the United States. His post ought to remind Christians that we ought not to get swept up in the vortex:

There’s a strange mix of desires that drives us to consume more and more celebrity news. We’re fascinated by the rich and famous and infamous. We love to imagine ourselves in their $5000 shoes and $20 million cribs. But we’re also jealous of the pampered lives they lead and the undue attention they receive (especially the celebrities who aren’t famous for their acting ability or sports skills, they’re just famous for being famous), so we love to see them suffer and make fools of themselves.

So is this really the kind of stuff we want to be thinking about all the time? The well-known verse from Philippians 4 is relevant here: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Amen.