Do You Really Need to Be Driving? Pt. 2: Celebrity News and Christian Reactions

In 2019, Kanye West announced that he had become a Christian. Social media exploded with takes. Some Christians rejoiced without hesitation, as if a celebrity conversion guaranteed revival. Others doubted immediately, as if skepticism proved discernment. Few seemed willing to wait, to watch, or to pray.

More recently, the assassination of Charlie Kirk revealed the same pattern. Within hours there were countless reactions: grief, celebration, suspicion, explanation. Everyone seemed compelled to speak. The event itself was tragic enough, but the online response made it worse. Instead of silence, reflection, or intercession, the digital church offered hot takes.

Our problem is not only speed. It is also celebrity obsession. The church has always been tempted to attach itself to personalities. Paul rebuked the Corinthians for dividing over teachers: “I follow Paul, I follow Apollos.” We have not outgrown that temptation. We still treat public figures as if their faith, or their downfall, is a win or loss for us. We turn individuals into mascots for the kingdom.

But the gospel does not need celebrities. It does not rise or fall with the reputation of the famous. Jesus builds his church with ordinary disciples, with quiet faithfulness, with lives that rarely trend. Celebrity conversions may draw headlines, but they do not change the mission. Celebrity believers are not avatars for Christianity.

Christians should be slow to claim, slow to judge, and quick to pray. We do not need to rush an opinion into the stream of reactions. We need to remember that every person, including Kanye and Kirk, is first of all a soul in need of Christ. The best response to public stories is not an instant verdict, but patient hope in God’s work.

Social media pushes us to react, but the Spirit calls us to discernment. If our first impulse is to comment, perhaps our second should be to stop. The kingdom does not advance on the timeline of Twitter. It moves at the pace of God’s faithfulness, and He is never in a hurry.