are we mere men?

I'm generally leery when mankind wants to argue hard and fast rules about faith. If we're talking about an issue that God has already settled (through written or revealed word), there's really not much room for discussion, if in fact you ascribe to His word as truth. But Christians often develop a greater sense of "the way things are" without His input.

This may paint me as a rebellious creature -- if so, this isn't the first time I've worn that suit, and it probably won't be the last: I want to vomit when I hear about modern Christian leaders.

My disgust is less about the leaders than the followers [something I've officially dubbed "The Coldplay Principle"]: we can't stop talking about some dude. It's always Francis Chan this and John Piper that, or Rob Bell wrote this and Rick Warren promoted that. I'm sure that they're fine individuals, and each have something valuable to say. My beef is not with any particular individual.

Rather, how often are they placed in the center of our conversation, and how often do these conversations lead to a greater understanding of Christ? Sure, it's inevitable that a leader will gain a certain notoriety for their actions, and this can be advantageous in spreading the Gospel. After all, Paul must have been the early church equivalent of a rock star.

But this is a stale phenomenon: since God has called "His people," they have desired a tangible, human representative that they could honor. We all want to be the kid that tweets, "I know him personally!" as if Pastor X just changed the entire landscape of Christianity. And while none of these leaders' works will ever match the first foreign missionary of the Gospel, Paul had this to say:

Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly -- mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are not ready. You are still worldly? For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men?

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe -- as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building...

...Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness"; and again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile." So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future -- all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God. (1 Cor. 3:1-9, 3:18-23)

Perhaps I am asking too much of modern leaders, but I would welcome a similar retraction. It is true that we cannot prevent mankind from placing leadership on a pedestal; this sin predates Christ. But it would be awesome if we were reminded that they are not the Story, and I'd love to hear the rebuke from them.

Paul suggests that such petty arguments and leader-worship are a sign of spiritual immaturity. When our faith must be given a human face, we absorb these words and implications as a substitute for the simplicity of the Gospel. We relish the wisdom of mankind. It's totally vogue in the 21st century to say something fresh, but we must remember that Christ still redeems lives. That's a topic I could discuss for a good while without boredom or regurgitation.