When Caroline turned ten, she declared her destiny involved being a Disney Channel star. She found a camp for young, talented kids in Los Angeles that basically coached the youngling in acting, voice, and dance, and guaranteed auditions for proposed Disney shows. I have no doubt that she could have pulled it off and been the next Hannah Montana.
We battled for years over her camp attendance. Stardom twinkled in her eyes as much as glitter covered her nails. I patiently explained the tragic outcomes faced by many child actors, and this life was not for her. Yes, she even pulled the “God wants me to do it” card. The compromise reached was when she graduated from high school, if she still dreamed of stardom, she could pursue Hollywood when she possessed more maturity and hopefully a developed frontal lobe.
Ironically, while on the dance team at LSU during college, Caroline finally got her taste of fame. She posted on TikTok a silly video I made where I lost my mind in true southern mama fashion before a football game. 11 million viewers later and boom - Caroline had her “stardom.” She had multiple TikToks with millions of views and earned thousands of dollars from endorsements all pre-NIL. As she walked across LSU's campus, people greeted her by name. In airports, people knew her face and struck up conversations. In the grocery store, at church, at Chick-fil-A, people stared and whispered. She lived her fifteen minutes of fame and hated most of it. She did like the rush of popularity. That was alluring. But the creepy DMs, and the creepier looks, and the creepiest notes on her car nixed the fame bug. She even thanked me for never taking her to Disney Camp.
Background on the Church of Pergamum
Pergamum was the Disney of the ancient world - a virtual amusement park of idol worship and debauchery. On the acropolis, or the highest point of the city, stood the temple and altar to Caesar. Pergamum actively worshiped Caesar above all others, but there was more. The sacred way wound as a paved Roman road from the top of the acropolis all the way down the side of the hill, through the town, into the temple of Asclepius. If one walked along the sacred way, one could stop at any of seventeen temples and engage in all sorts of “activities.”
At the top of the sacred way stood the temple of Dionysus - the god of wine and fertility. When teaching drama, I dedicated an entire lesson to the festivals of Dionysus. These festivals originated theater. Every spring, playwrights would perform their works over the course of the week as a contest to honor the god. The winner of the play contest became a national hero! I let the students fill in the blanks as to what other activities occurred during this festival. Dionysus was the god of wine and fertility after all. When I dramatically told the students his Roman name - Bacchus - they usually could connect the dots to the origins of Mardis Gras. Imagine the peak of Mardi Gras festivities then multiply times 1000 and you get the Festival of Dionysus.
If a pilgrim wanted to walk the sacred way, he/she literally started the hike wandering across center stage in the theater at the Temple of Dionysus, popped into temples to Zeus and many others, then ended at the literal hospital of the day. That’s how hard they partied. They needed the god of healing - Asclepius - to help them recover from their week of reverie.
So how in the world did Christianity find a foothold in this place?
Jesus tells the church that his message is from “the one who has the sharp, double-edged sword.” Revelation 2:12. The double edged sword functioned as a primary weapon of judgment for the Roman Centurion - good for disemboweling, cutting out tongues, and other nasty punishments. Jesus establishes Himself as the True Judge. He literally tells them that they live “where Satan’s throne is.” verse 13. If you have ever had a rowdy Mardis Gras experience, you can understand why Jesus claimed Satan ruled there. (Or remember the opening of the Olympic Games in Paris)
The citizens of Pergamum acted like groupies to the temple rock stars. They put to death Antipas who didn’t go along with their party lifestyle. Jesus praises the believers at Pergamum for “holding on to my name and not denying your faith” verse 13. But what did Jesus have against them?
I’m not going to backtrack and review the story of Balaam and Balak. That story can be found in Numbers 22-24. But in a nutshell, Balaam sold out his services to the highest bidder and told Balak how to pull the Israelites away from God. Get them to join in the party!
Doesn’t everyone love a good party? Christians can have a good time can’t we? Of course, but when do we cross the line?
Finding a modern equivalent to eating the meat sacrificed to idols is not easy. This type of idol worship loses a lot of its meaning in the year 2024. The analogy that comes to my mind is marijuana as a gateway drug. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4291295/ is an entire article from the NIH.gov that details how marijuana use can lead to the consumption of other heavier drugs. Multiple studies prove the gateway hypothesis.
Jesus warns the Church at Pergamum to not use the gateway drug! Just stay away from all of it. Because as soon as you dip your toe in the idolatry water, full participation gets easier and easier.
I never doubted that if I took Caroline to Disney Camp she would, in fact, become a Disney star. But I also knew my child. I knew the addiction to fame would gel in her young, immature mind, and I did not want that life for her. The temptation for fame was real. The devil goaded me to go for it. She could handle it - right? I am extremely grateful for the wisdom God provided, and she never persuaded me. And when she was old enough, she determined that fame did not offer the idealistic fantasy she once held. Jesus just had to remind the Church of Pergamum that the sword of judgment comes when one starts down that slippery “sacred way.” A little dabble here and a little dawdle there can ultimately lead to utter disaster. He asked them to repent and conquer the overwhelming desire to participate they must have faced.
Their reward is the same offered to us today. Hidden manna - or provision enough for each day. And their names written on a white stone - an all access, backstage, VIP package to meet Jesus face to face. What will your new name be? Beloved. Accepted. Cherished. Valued. Trusted. Healed. What name do you need from God today? Don’t fall prey to the allure of “fun and fame”. All of that will lead you straight to the hospital for healing whatever mental or physical harm the participation throws your way. Don’t fall prey to all the gateway activities paraded before us daily to stray us off the path God paves. Be aware of wandering straight into Satan’s idolatry temple. Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!!!
This is a secular song that I have always adored reimagined by a Christian artist. What idol have you built your life around?
Landslide by Cory Asbury
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