Hollywood has always been the place where American society, as well as the world as a whole, looks in order to stay updated on the latest trends, topics, and tabloid material. If it’s current, hip, and/or popular, you can find it within celebrity culture. What the left coast of America determines is cool automatically becomes the same nationwide.

So, what’s one of the things that Hollywood has taken under its wing as the next trend? It seems like Christianity.

We really saw the celebrity Christianity, as I would like to call it and will be referring to it as we investigate and dive deeper, spark through Shia LaBeouf, the Even Stevens star who went on to star in Transformers, Disturbia, and Fury, which supposedly helped him find faith. RELEVANT Magazine, a publication that seeks to keep the Millennial Christians informed, updated, and current on what’s going on in the world in a faith-based manner, posted an article on October 23rd, 2014, entitled, “Shia LaBeouf On Becoming A Christian: ‘It’s a Real Thing That Really Saved Me,’” quoting Interview Magazine. In Interview, LaBeouf states:

“I became a Christian man, and not in a [expletive] way — in a very real way… I could have just said the prayers that were on the page. But it was a real thing that really saved me. And you can’t identify unless you’re really going through it.”

Pretty interesting, right? We almost exclusively attribute his language to the freshness of his conversion, citing that he hasn’t really experienced any growth or that no one has discipled him properly.

Following the release of this news, my Facebook news feed was flooded with articles that all had similar titles: “(This Celebrity) And Their Faith”. It was like Christianity became cool almost instantly.

Fast forward to about a month or two ago, and the Internet was buzzing with a new headline, summarized with these words: Justin Bieber Is A Christian. We know that his mom, who came to speak at Liberty within the past few years, is a believer, so it really isn’t all that shocking at face value. On September 29th, 2015, RELEVANT Magazine, quoting his interview in Complex Magazine, writes that Bieber has said, “I just wanna honestly live like Jesus.”

Before I go deeper, let the record stand that I am super excited that people with influence are starting to make a stand for Christ. Christianity is somehow getting a different face because of them, and it’s changing perceptions.

But, is it changing perceptions for the better, or for the worse?

Bieber’s lifestyle choices over the past year or so have not really communicated what his words have said. Even recently, it was all over the news that racy images of a less-than-clothed Bieber have leaked, and not necessarily old images. Lyrics to his songs do not communicate that he honestly wants to live like Jesus. Even with LaBeouf, his lifestyle choices have been less than Christian. He was arrested just this past week for public intoxication and rowdy behavior.

The perception that I can gather that these individuals are giving off are that Christians really aren’t different from the rest of the world.

And that’s a problem.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m fairly certain that we’re called to be not of this world. We’re supposed to be lights within the darkness, not a contribution to the shadows.

Jesus Himself says that we are supposed to take the log out of our own eye before we even begin to examine the speck in our neighbor’s eye. I’m by no means perfect. I’ve failed morally at the highest levels of leadership, I’ve sinned habitually and recklessly, and I’ve straddled the line between light and darkness for copious amounts of time. I am no exception nor am I left out from this examination. This is just as much for me as it is for our influential brothers and sisters.

As followers of Christ, those who have surrendered to the call of discipleship that Jesus issues to those who would follow after Him, we are to abstain from the sinful desires and actions of the world around us. We are called to a higher standard, one which is only attainable through knowing Christ as our Lord and Savior.

The question we must ask as we live is, “Would doing this contain the appearance of evil?”

What has the appearance of evil?

Anything that promotes sexual immorality, unjust gain or greed, deception, crudeness, etc., gives off the appearance of evil. Anything that could cause our brother or sister to stumble in his or her walk with Jesus gives off the appearance of evil.

Philippians 4:8 gives the best example of how to avoid the appearance of evil:

“[W]hatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything praiseworthy, think about these things.”

Brothers and sisters, live a life that is worthy of the Gospel. Live above reproach. Live in the light. Cultural and Celebrity Christianity, that which we see from Hollywood, is not what we are called to. We are called to a higher living that holds a higher standard. I urge you, and I urge myself as well, to live up to this standard of Scripture.