Great Man Theory

There is an idea among some historians called the "Great Man Theory".  According to this idea, history is shaped by great people and by understanding those people, we understand the times in which they live.  Personally, I'm not sure if great people shape history or if the events of the day shapes the people alive at that time.  Probably some of each.

Either way, we often think of history from the perspective of the influential people of the time.  The American Revolution is seen through the lives of George Washington and John Adams and not the farmer who left his farm behind to loose three toes to frostbite at Valley Forge.  Or we see the industrial revolution through the lives of Henry Ford and Walter Reuther, not the person working each day on the assembly line, then going home and doing it all again the next day.

There are certain people who do seem to embody the times that they live in, or at least the way we like to remember those times.

It seems that in our society, there is a lot of attention paid to celebrities.  What they wear, how they act, the products that they use, celebrities have influence across our society.  Personally, I like to think that celebrity endorsements don't influence my buying habits.  There are some commercials that I find entertaining, but I don't think that they make me want to buy the product.  But no promises here.  The people who write those adds are good at what they do.  I imagine that I am influenced in ways that I am unaware.

The thing about celebrity role models is that in the end, they are just human beings.  Many times the real person is different than their public persona.  When the celebrity gets caught in the act of being human, there is nothing left but disappointment.

As Christians, we know that we can't put our trust in the things of this world.  The things of this world rot and rust.  People will inevitably disappoint, but the Grace of God is eternal, unwavering and always trustworthy.  The embodiment of God's grace came to the Earth in the person of Jesus Christ.  Jesus was a unique figure in History.  He was fully God and fully human.  He lived a perfect life and died bearing the sins of the world.  If history is the story great men, there is none greater.  And all of of history is defined based on whether the time was before or after the life of Christ.

Watch this clip from Pastor Chris.

When we put people up on pedestals, they are likely to hit you when they fall.  Setting up human idols is ultimately self defeating.  If we are looking for a model on which to base our lives, there is really only one choice.