Christians typically welcome news of celebrity conversions with great joy, and have high hopes for a stronger witness of truth in the public square. Yet the reality is that most celebrity converts will have to discuss their faith before extended discipleship and so will often make many mistakes. They also face considerably more temptation and obstacles in their path than the average new Christian.
Celebrity conversions are nothing new. One of the first and still one of the ultimate rock stars, Bob Dylan, spent several years preaching at his concerts and publishing Christian music after he had a dramatic conversion in 1978. However after relentless pushback he went quiet about his faith – though a few comments over the years suggest that he still believes.
Shock rocker Alice Cooper came to Christ through his battles with alcoholism and has taught Bible studies at his church, and periodically witnesses in the media of his redemption.
But recently there seems to have been a particularly significant number of high-profile people converting. Hulk Hogan, Russell Brand, Shia LaBeouf, Rob Schneider, the wife and daughter of famous psychologist Jordan Peterson, and Kat Von D, to name just a few. Then there are several ‘stars’ of the pornography industry who have converted, from Joshua Broome to the more recent Bree Solstad and Nala Ray – though the latter has been heavy criticised for various behaviours judged inappropriate.
Caution
We can receive news of conversions with joy, but looking back at the experiences of some celebrity converts, the Church also needs to be very careful. The sad online decline of Kanye West into a purveyor of pornography and extreme anti-Semitism is all the more so for those who remember his public Christian conversion in 2019, the year he published his album “Jesus is King” and featured on the stages of megachurches proclaiming Christ. He had discussed faith prior to these events – and he has also reportedly had severe problems with addiction and bipolar disorder.
Most recently Kanye praised Hitler and said “I’m a Nazi” and he had “dominion over his wife”- who he accompanied as she was stark naked to an event – and published a series of pornographic videos on X until his account was deactivated.
Kanye’s behaviour might be the most concerning of the high profile converts, but he’s not the only one to have faced severe criticism and whose conversion has been questioned.
TV presenter turned political commentator Russell Brand has been on a spiritual path for a long time due to his high-profile recovery from heroin and sex addictions via the ‘twelve steps’. He spoke positively of both monogamy and Christianity well before accusations of sexual assault were made in a Channel 4 documentary in 2023, so it seems unfair to tie his public profession of faith the following year to this news (he denies the allegations).
Nonetheless he is a controversial figure: he has unusual and often conspiratorial political opinions, and he shares them online along with his nascent faith, prompting criticism.
“I’ve undergone radical change recently, and I know that some people are cynical about it,” he said in a recent video conversation with Christian apologist Wesley Huff.
There was concern when he seemed to make comments about new understandings of the Bible. However conservative journalist Megan Basham came to his defence, pointing out that when watching the clip as a whole, he says he is not knowledgeable enough to teach doctrine. “I am a lot more willing to be gracious about a new believer making some odd/off statements than I am with celebrated pastors and theologians who knowingly teach errors to accommodate the spirit of the age,” she said on X. “And really the only way we know who is really OF us is the time test.”
Always saved?
Megan’s comment suggests a deeply Calvinist understanding of salvation that makes a considerable difference to how Christians understand public conversions – and high-profile cases of falling away. Often summarised as “once saved always saved”, those who hold this doctrine believe that it is impossible to lose salvation, and so anyone who clearly has left the faith must never have been a Christian in the first place.
There are Bible verses that can support different positions, though critics say that this belief began with reformer John Calvin rather than the apostles or the faith of the ages. To hold on to this dogma rigidly in order to dismiss those who have alarmingly strayed from the faith like Kanye seems unfair. In any case, Jude offers clear instructions to the Church in this situation: “You must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives” (1:22-23, NLT).
A slow, careful path
Ayaan Hirsi Ali is another high profile recent convert whose story provides positive lessons for the church. She did not speak about her change of heart publicly for some time, and when she did, she seemed to be testing the water with a gradual revelation of her personal battle with depression and the freedom she received through Christ.
However Ayaan is a political commentator rather than a rock star. For an A-list celeb, it’s harder to keep such a change quiet. More to the point, the extremely famous have considerably more spiritual pressures than ordinary people. How can we judge them when we don’t have to battle such temptation?
Consider the many challenges. The Bible doesn’t warn against being rich for no reason, but many celebrities have more money than they know what to do with. They also have to deal with people being sexually suggestive, idolising them, and even stalking them. It seems inevitable that along with fame comes an enormous ego. How can it be otherwise? Millions of people interested in you and many outright worshipping you, companies and other powerful groups wanting the revenue and influence that you bring along. Yet at the same time, many celebrities talk about their loneliness and lack of genuine, trusting and authentic relationships. We might idealise their lifestyles, but from a Christian perspective, there is much that makes life more difficult rather than less.
When considering new Christians, especially those without a faith background, it must be remembered that even for an ordinary person it can take years before faith matures – it certainly did for me. Expecting celebrities to be great examples of Christ is not only unreasonable, it leads to very uncharitable behaviour when those obviously unrealistic expectations are dashed.
When I first started writing in the Christian media, there was an unwritten rule that testimonies wouldn’t be published before two years of discipleship, but there may be good reasons that isn’t possible, such as if the person is already high profile and their life is under very public scrutiny.
Perhaps the best approach is to remember that all new Christians will experience considerable obstacles in their faith journey and even more so for those who are famous. Grace, patience, and wisdom about offering platforms are needed, as well as many prayers with love.
Heather Tomlinson is a freelance Christian writer. Find more of her work at https://heathertomlinson.substack.com or via X (twitter) @heathertomli
