I mentioned last week that Joe Carter of The Evangelical Outpost was doing a series of posts on “Christians you should know and why you should know them. (the evangelical variety that is)
Joe is picking people that have influenced him, mostly.
But the people have spoken.
The religious executive people that is.
Well, the religious executive people and their inhouse magazine reader people.
What is with these lists?
The best of…
The most influential…
The most beautiful…
The richest…
Church Executive Magazine picked these 50 in 2002.
What is wrong with this picture????
That is scary.
I’ve already said all I need to say in my bounce post with Joe, and with full knowledge the most influential Christians couldn’t care less.:^)
Where is a good satirist when you need one?
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Scary indeed! I either have to stop calling myself an evangelical or pray more for my American sisters and brothers in Christ. *grin*
You shouldn’t go giving us shocks like that BD.
now, now, now, #35’s my pastor, don’t be a hippie hater!
William: LoL!
Such lists are ridiculous! We all are going to get some huge surprises in heaven when God reveals who the most influential Christians have been.
I think Jesus said something appropriate to all of this Christian obsession with superlatives: The last will be first and the first will be last.
I don’t suppose the lists are ridiculous to those who make them, and sadly not to some of those who are on them.
I’m glad Jesus gets the last word. Blog on!
Bene,
***Joe is picking people that have influenced him, mostly.***
Actually, I am picking people that have influenced American evangelicals. Mostly. ; )
There is some overlap with those that have influenced me, but not that much.
Mark — ***Such lists are ridiculous! We all are going to get some huge surprises in heaven when God reveals who the most influential Christians have been.***
In fairness to the list, it is about Christians who have the most influence on America, not necessarily on the Kingdom.
***I think Jesus said something appropriate to all of this Christian obsession with superlatives: The last will be first and the first will be last.***
While I agree, I think we have to be careful about dismissing the influence of Christians just becasue they are “influential.” Do we assume that because a Christian has attained a measure of popularity that they aren’t having an impact for God? Should we dismiss the work of Timothy and Barnabbas since they have too much “name recognition” within the church?
Also, “influence” can be for the good or for the bad. Looking over the list I can honestly say that it would be hard to dispute the influence of the the top 10.
Okay Joe, we’ll mostly agree on mostly.:^)
Interestingly, in reading the list (though I don’t like that they would do this either), I found very few to no one that I would have put on such a list if I were making it out. Of course, the list may be “accurate” in the pop-Christian culture.
I guess a list like this is a pretty good picture of where Christianity is in America today…like it or not.
I suspect that these are Christians who happen to have public influence as judged by whomever compiled it, rather than Christians who -ought- to be influential because of what they say or do. It is certainly a mixed bag!
As to Joe’s list, half of them are neo-orthodox, NOT evangelicals, and two are anathematized heretics who are not even within the Great Tradition of Christianity - Catholic, Orthodox, Coptic and Protestant.