Personality Cults are nothing new - history is littered with them. Their folly, associated tunnel vision, and inappropriate adulation are all well captured by the 'Emperor Has No Clothes' fable. In today's culture, with bigger physical platforms multiplied by online platforms, the problem is ever more acute.
Sadly the Christian faith has its own sordid litany of cults led by personalities who have done unimaginable harm to those caught into their spheres of influence.
But in our current day we have an additional development that should surely concern us: the apparent rise of the Western Political Personality Cult. Again political personality cults are not new - Roman Emperor's claimed 'God status' for themselves, as effectively does a leader today in a Far Eastern dynasty cult. What is surprising is the apparent emergence of such cults in Western countries that, until quite recently, were considered to be stable Western democracies.
The true ministry of the gospel is as far away from all this as the East is from the West. It is to clearly but calmly continue to preach Jesus is Lord. For that we do not need any kind of platform, or a well-oiled social media machine. Instead we just need to be faithful and clear in our witness to whoever we find in front of us.
Paul gave wisdom to Timothy when he wrote:
preach the word ... for the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather round them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear - turning away from truth to myths.
[2 Timothy 4: 2 - 4]
Whilst we might find them surprising, abhorrent, and truly concerning, our call is not to try to other-throw such cults (God has that on His job description ...). Instead it is to continue to preach Jesus ('preach the word'), with great patience and endurance. That is to discharge our duties of ministry (verse 5). These cults will rise and fall - perhaps the bigger the platform the bigger the crash! But meanwhile and whatever, we point to the True King.
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