Who is your favorite celebrity? Your favorite political pundit? Your favorite politician?

Why are you drawn to these individuals? Maybe it is their personality. Perhaps it is because you respect their convictions. Possibly, it is because of their unique style.

 

Taylor Swift might be the most beloved celebrity in the world.[i] Many have commented that one of the reasons that Swift has cultivated such a devoted following is her accessibility and down-to-earth qualities, from what she wears to the love stories she writes about in her music.

 

Whoever your favorite celebrity is, my hunch is that their relatability attracts you. We are a culture that privileges and craves the authentic, the transparent, the vulnerable. We want the real deal. There is value in authenticity. When it came out that, despite his public pro-Trump image, in private conversations Tucker Carlson confessed that he “hated” Donald Trump, his popularity plummeted, and Fox pulled him off the air. Civil rights advocate Rachel Dolezal’s credibility was shot when a reporter broke the news that she lied about being black.

 

The problem with authenticity is that the tail has begun to wag the dog. For many, the question is no longer whether an individual is faithfully living out their ethical rhetoric—who is to say whose ethics are right, after all—but merely whether their actions match their words. In other words, it doesn’t matter how deplorable your life is; as long as your words and deeds align, you are praised as authentic.

 

Carl Trueman, in his important book The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, bemoans this reality:

 

Politicians speaking with profanity is now considered evidence of integrity, a performance of authenticity, and openness about sexual preferences (at least those lionized by the Sittlichkeit of our culture) is an electoral asset. The days when the ideal politician was someone of reserve and outward discipline—when, for example, the mere existence of the phase ‘expletive deleted’ in transcripts of confidential discussions provoked public dismay—are long gone. Life in the world of the expressive individual now involves the public performance of what were once considered the more shameful elements of public character. (Carl Trueman, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, p. 380).

 

Our contemporary desire for authenticity is more about our craving for what is titillating than about an ethical evaluation of the individual. This turn isn’t surprising, when you think about it. Two cultural tides have collided to create this tidal wave.

 

The first tide is the gutting of a Judeo-Christian ethic for a self-focused ethic of pragmatism that privileges an individual’s self-determination. Culturally, we are given free rein to create whatever ethic suits us best and makes us feel the most free. This is most clearly demonstrated in our contemporary sexual ethic, which grants the individual complete autonomy over their sexuality, with the only boundary being that of consent.

 

The second tide is not unrelated: the shift away from a culture that prioritized the collective to the individual. The most important form of expression, then, is no longer communal, but of the self. Autonomous expression—free from constraints and true first and foremost to oneself—is the paragon of virtue in the contemporary world. To be true is not to be true to an objective standard, but to be true to oneself.

 

The danger of elevating this kind of authenticity is best seen in those we disagree with. The celebrity who rubs you the wrong way or the politician who maddens you is likely beloved because others perceive them as authentic. Instead of fighting the battles over individuals, let’s pull back and consider the war. We have lost our way as a culture, devaluing objective morality and the corporate in favor of self-crafted ethics and the individual.

 

There is a way back—perhaps not for our culture, but for the church. To create communities that offer an alternative to our warped culture, we must not contravene the rules by which the culture asks us to play its game. We must put authenticity in its place. It is a good servant, but a terrible master.

 

Paul tells Timothy and Titus to seek out leaders whose lives are authentic expressions of the gospel (1 Tim. 3:1-7, Tit. 1:5-9). Authenticity matters if it is tethered to a biblical ethic. If it is an end of itself, it is worthless.

 

Paul urges Christians to speak the “truth in love” (Eph. 4:15). We cannot bend the truth, in fact, we have to be those seeking out an opportunity to clearly declare the gospel (Col. 4:3-4). Authenticity (being true to oneself) is different than being truthful. Authenticity only gets us half of the way to truthfulness. We need our lives to be based on the reality of Christ to be wholly truthful. And we must speak graciously, having the truth “seasoned with salt” (Col. 4:5). Vulgar authenticity is neither truthful nor loving.

 

So seek out authentic heroes. But make sure their authenticity is anchored in the gospel of Jesus Christ, not the gospel of self.  

[i] It’s hard to say, but British GQ called Taylor Swift the most popular celebrity in the world in 2023 and in 2024 The Longfellow Lead declared her the most loved celebrity in the world.

 

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