Hero Worship

The King- of pop or Calvin?

This week we observed (like it or not) the passing of a pop star, who according to family members at the public service- or concert if you prefer, was persecuted by the very same paparazzi, press and public that deified and worshipped him to begin with. This week's funeral extravaganza was described by national news headlines as, " We've lost a Hero."

Hero? A talented entertainer perhaps. Hero? Not if you take the definition of the word seriously. A hero is defined as one who is, "someone distinghished for exceptional courage, fortitude or bold enterprise." While worship is to be reserved soley for God, we can admire heroes of the faith like missionaries and martyrs who knew and know what persecution really means and sacrifice all- life and limb in particular, for the cause of Christ and His kingdom. A hero is a young boy- two actually, who lost their heads - literally, in Somalia earlier this year for refusing to divulge information about a church leader to terrorists.

Though flawed, another hero of the faith is John Calvin, whose 500th birthday is celebrated today. Calvin broke away from the apostasy of Roman Catholicism, to lead a movement to return the church to the authority of the inerrant, infallible Word of God and to a better understanding of the doctrines of grace, a theology which extolled the rightful sovereignty of God over all- including salvation and justification by grace alone and faith alone in Christ alone. Calvin's ministry influenced western civilization in general and America in particular, with his emphasis on the individual and liberty for all - economically and even politically, as an extention of the Lordship of Christ.

Ultimately the hero and master I wish to worship is the One- the only, Jesus Christ. Psalm 146:3-5 summarizes hero worship best, when it says, "Do not put your trust in princes (or kings of pop), in mortal men who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they retun to the ground. On that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed is he whose hope is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God."