some 45 percent of respondents<\/a> trusted the church. In 2004, that number was 53 percent. In 1973\u2014the first year Gallup collected the data\u201465 percent of Americans trusted the church. This means that, while the current numbers for the church aren\u2019t as bad as some other institutions, they have been in steep decline. Over the past half century, the share of Americans with a positive view of religious institutions was cut in half. And all it takes is a listening ear at your neighborhood coffee shop or dive bar to gather anecdotal evidence: People don\u2019t trust the church.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAgain, this is not without cause. Sex abuse scandals have ravaged the church\u2014from the most hierarchal of church polity structures (the Roman Catholic Church) to the most democratic (the Southern Baptist Convention). Stalwarts of egalitarianism and strict complementarians alike have committed atrocities. Conservatives and liberals, mainline and evangelical, youth pastors and parachurch workers\u2014the stories abound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some of these stories will remain hidden until Judgment Day, while others have been told in detail, to no small effect. To be clear, these stories need to be told. The church can\u2019t cover up its misdeeds. They will one day be shouted from the mountaintops, and frankly, no one has harsher or more damning words for corrupt religious institutions and their leaders than God himself in Scripture. But although the telling of these stories is good and necessary, it can add fuel to an already-raging fire of skepticism and cynicism. While Driscoll\u2019s story and others like it are helpful cautionary tales, they have the unintended consequence of planting in people\u2019s minds questions such as the one my friend saw lurking in the minds of his congregants: \u201cIs my pastor a closet Mark Driscoll?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, even the structure of The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill<\/em> (the podcast detailing Driscoll’s story) has pedagogical force. In its narrative, Driscoll started out not as a villain but as a hero. He was a best-selling author. His church was growing a hundredfold. People were being saved. Fruit abounded. Driscoll was platformed, praised, and applauded as one of the best models of the marriage of sound doctrine and missional ingenuity.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nAnd what does that reveal? That even while we think of our culture as one of leader vilification, there is still much veneration going on. And it often directly precedes the vilification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brand Pastor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In The Great Awakening<\/em>, historian Thomas Kidd notes, \u201cAlthough publicity alone cannot account for Whitefield\u2019s unprecedented success, the media no doubt helped create his widespread attraction. Works by or about Whitefield caused the number of printed texts produced in America to almost double between 1738 and 1741.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhitefield was innovative in his efforts to preach the gospel to as many people as possible. He helped engineer the concept of \u201cfield preaching,\u201d a controversial approach to gospel proclamation that \u201cwould allow him to reach many thousands more than he otherwise could.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition, Whitefield\u2019s relationships with publishers\u2014not least the eminent Benjamin Franklin\u2014played a significant role in his efforts. \u201cHis dramatic flair,\u201d Kidd remarks, \u201cmade him an instant sensation, and the press quickly caught on, reporting widely on his fervent preaching. He also began publishing a number of his sermons, which sold quickly.\u201d So quickly, in fact, that his preaching tour had a market impact more significant than Taylor Swift\u2019s Eras tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I read Kidd\u2019s work for a doctoral seminar on modern church history, I was struck by how many \u201ccontemporary\u201d problems in the church aren\u2019t so contemporary after all. Of course, we do have a present-day problem with celebrity culture among pastors and church leaders. Paul Tripp, in his book Dangerous Calling<\/em>, warns those considering a call to ministry, \u201cYour ministry will be shaped by worship of God or worship of you or, for most of us, a troubling mix of both.\u201d Ironically, of the six endorsements on the back of my 2012 copy of Tripp\u2019s book, at least three are by men who destroyed their ministries and reputations by not heeding the warnings in the very book they endorsed.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nBut this problem is not new. The temptation for a person\u2019s ministry to be shaped by self-worship and self-glory is at least as old as the beginnings of the evangelical movement during the Great Awakening. Whitefield was a nearly unrivaled celebrity in his day. He was venerated by the tens of thousands who came to hear him preach, the hundreds of thousands who read his sermons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And whom did Whitefield follow but the most famous Protestant Christian in history: Martin Luther? Andrew Pettegree argues that Luther pioneered a new model of religious leadership. Pettegree\u2019s noteworthy book Brand Luther<\/em> demonstrates the significance of Luther\u2019s marketing savvy and business ingenuity in his ministry success:\u00a0 \u201cLuther did not invent the printing press, but he was the first to grasp that it could be the engine of a movement. He understood that the success of his ideas depended not only on their theological force but on their dissemination, repetition, and accessibility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor that reason, Luther utilized books, pamphlets, and woodcuts, contextualizing his message to the language and the likings of the masses, with the result that he became a massively influential religious celebrity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But of course, we can\u2019t stop at calling this an evangelical problem or a Protestant problem. For what most motivated Luther in his reforms? Was it not papal abuses of power? Was it not the veneration of human leaders and a corrupt, money-grabbing system that oppressed the poor and illiterate masses of his people? Was it not the Johann Tetzels of his world offering fast passes out of purgatory to fund the building of St. Peter\u2019s Basilica?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No stream of contemporary Christianity is exempt from leader veneration, and no tradition in Christian history is unstained. The problem is as old as it is new. Whether medieval Rome offering theological justifications for distinctions between clergy and laity, or contemporary evangelical conferences selling thousand-dollar backstage passes to meet a favorite Christian cultural commentator, leader veneration abounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And almost always, it leads to frustration, disappointment, or abuse\u2014and then, to leader vilification. Most pastors who now hear their names cursed at one time heard them praised. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why We Venerate and Vilify Our Leaders<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why do we all participate in this merry-go-round of leader veneration and vilification? I would argue that these two seeming opposites are two sides of the same coin and spring from the same root. We\u2014like the citizens of Lystra 2,000 years ago\u2014don\u2019t want leaders; we want gods. Like the ancient Israelites, we aren\u2019t content with God as our King; we want a king like the nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This desire for our leaders to be gods is nothing short of idolatry. The human heart abhors a vacuum; we will have someone or something on the thrones of our hearts. We will boast in something. And for as long as the church has existed, Christians have made the tragic mistake of boasting in\u2014that is, taking pride in, finding worth in, and justifying themselves by\u2014their leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paul had to address this problem head-on in 1 Corinthians: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nI appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe\u2019s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, \u201cI follow Paul\u201d; another, \u201cI follow Apollos\u201d; another, \u201cI follow Cephas\u201d; still another, \u201cI follow Christ.\u201d Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? (1:10\u201313)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Paul is addressing disunity in Corinth. But what is its source? In this case, the factions of the church are divided over their favorite leaders: Some claim Paul, others Peter, others Apollos, and still others, feigning spiritual superiority, simply claim Christ. But what is the deeper root of this association with leaders? Is it a mere style preference or some secondary theological distinctions? No, these people are making saviors out of their leaders. They are looking to men to do what only Christ can do and has done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is why Paul asks, Was I crucified for you? Were you baptized in my name?<\/em> What is he saying? Your identity is not in me! Your boast is not in Peter! You are not justified by your association with Apollos! Christ was crucified for you. You were baptized into his name. That alone\u2014not your leader of choice\u2014is what justifies you. Stop treating your leaders like they can save you!<\/p>\n\n\n\nThis problem doesn\u2019t just lead to the veneration we\u2019ve noted; it also leads to the vilification. Why? Because when you look to something (or someone) to give you what it by nature cannot, you will eventually come to resent it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tim Keller, in his 2009 book Counterfeit Gods<\/em>, recounted the story of Jacob the patriarch and his two wives, the sisters Rachel and Leah. Jacob loved Rachel\u2014she was a drop-dead beauty (in comparison with her unfortunate-looking sister, Leah), and he was so enthralled by her that he was willing to work for her father for seven years as a bride price. But Laban deceived Jacob. When the wedding day came, Jacob went to bed with the woman he thought was Rachel, but in the morning\u2014surprise! It was Leah.<\/p>\n\n\n\nKeller uses this as an allegory for our idols. \u201cNo person,\u201d he says, \u201cnot even the best one, can give your soul all it needs. You are going to think you have gone to bed with Rachel, and you will get up and it will always be Leah.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The same thing happens with spiritual leaders. If you expect them to be perfect\u2014to be gods\u2014you\u2019ll be devastated to wake up and realize they are Leahs. When you get up close and personal and see their flaws; when they make bad decisions; when they do unintentionally hurtful things; when they sin against the sheep, their spouses, and their friends; when they take a different stance on some cultural or political issue\u2014you\u2019ll be crushed. If you place your entire trust in leaders rather than God, their failures (or simply differences of opinion) won\u2019t just disappoint you; they\u2019ll devastate you. That\u2019s when you know you\u2019ve made idols out of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When this happens, Keller says, there are different ways you can respond. One is what he calls \u201ccontinued idolatry and spiritual addiction\u201d: \u201cYou can blame the things that are disappointing you and try to move on to better ones.\u201d So, your pastor upsets you; you fire him by going to a new church. Your tribe starts getting on your nerves, so you change theological streams entirely. If you\u2019re constantly moving on to the next influencer, the next author, the next preacher, you\u2019ll perpetually find yourself in Leah\u2019s arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another option is, basically, cynicism. \u201cYou can blame the world. You can say, \u2018Curses on the entire opposite sex,\u2019\u201d\u2014or, in this case, on the church, organized religion, and all Christian leaders! If you do this, \u201cyou make yourself hard, cynical, and empty.\u201d This is what we see in so many who have deconstructed their faith and deconverted because of a bad experience with a pastor. We have no desire to minimize the hurt of an abused sheep, but we must say this clearly: If you deconstructed your faith because of the failures of a Christian leader or institution, your faith was not in Jesus; it was in that leader or institution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keller offers another\u2014better\u2014option in response to leader-oriented idolatry. You can \u201creorient the entire focus of your life toward God.\u201d Rather than demanding that pastors and other leaders meet the God-sized need in your soul, you can just ask God to meet that need in Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The One to Whom Paul Points<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Paul and Barnabas could not save the people of Lystra. Your favorite pastor or leader cannot save you. But leaders from Paul to the present do have a job: to point you to the One who can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mere sentences after Paul was praised as a god, he was run out of town. Isn\u2019t it interesting that Jesus, the only Savior, the only One who can fill your heart, was greeted with loud cheers of \u201cHosanna\u201d on Sunday and crucified on Friday? Paul was stoned and left for dead for failing to meet the desires of the people of Lystra; Jesus was crucified and died because he did not meet the desires of the people of Jerusalem. Paul\u2014left for dead\u2014got up again and moved on to the next town. Jesus\u2014truly dead\u2014got up again on the third day and announced his victory over death, sin, hell, and the devil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus didn\u2019t meet the people\u2019s desires, so they crucified him. But he did meet the underlying desires of every human heart. He met the desires we long for and ask our pastors to meet. Yet they are only undershepherds who will give an account to the Chief Shepherd\u2014the One who truly fulfills the heart\u2019s longings\u2014for how well they pointed the sheep to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Application for Shepherds and Sheep<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What can we do with all this? As Paul asks, what should we say about all these things? A few brief words of application are in order, first for shepherds and then for the sheep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First, remember that you are undershepherds; you are not the Chief Shepherd. Don\u2019t glory in your own ministry. Don\u2019t boast in your fruit or despair of the lack of it. You are not the point; focus on the One who is. And remember, you will give an account to him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Second, do not encourage your own veneration. Calvin\u2019s words, quoted earlier, bear repeating: Paul and Barnabas declared \u201cboth by words and their whole physical attitude\u201d that they found being worshiped \u201cquite abominable.\u201d This was \u201choly anger, by which the servants of God ought to be inflamed, whenever they see His glory outraged and discredited.\u201d Are you motivated by holy anger when you see yourself being venerated by those you lead, or do you secretly enjoy it? Do you prepare your people for how you will likely disappoint them, or do you set yourself up as their messiah? Do you regularly admit to your shortcomings and failures or cover them in favor of your successes? We should create an atmosphere in our ministries that clearly puts Jesus on the pedestal he deserves and keeps us in the place we ought to be\u2014pointing to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Third, speak with authority from God, for his glory and honor. In a context of distrust and disdain for leaders, it can be scary to speak with boldness. I feel this. I am constantly adding too much nuance to my claims, both in person and in the pulpit, for fear of how my words might land. But fear of man is kryptonite for ministry faithfulness. We are not speaking from humans or for humans; we are speaking from God and for God. He is the One who has commissioned us. We are, as Paul says, \u201cservants of Christ and . . . those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful\u201d (1 Cor. 4:1\u20132). Faithful to whom? To God. Speak with boldness\u2014with humble confidence\u2014because faithfulness to God demands it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leaders need to respond faithfully to the crisis of pastoral authority in our time. But it is the sheep who have more power to change this moment. Here are three encouragements for how lay Christians can do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First, pray for your leaders. Church leadership is hard. Ministry taxes our time, relationships, and emotions. There\u2019s always more to be done, and we are familiar with Paul\u2019s experience of \u201canxiety for all the churches\u201d (2 Cor. 11:28, ESV). We desperately need you to pray for us. But also, you need you to pray for us. The best cure for cynicism is prayer. It\u2019s hard to be distrustful of people when you\u2019re praying for them. It\u2019s hard to be overly critical or unfair when you\u2019re asking God to bless them. It\u2019s also hard to hype them up and worship them when you are bringing their weaknesses to the Lord! Pray for your leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Second, submit to your leaders. God instructs you to do this. \u201cObey your leaders and submit to them, since they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you\u201d (Heb. 13:17, CSB). The author of Hebrews is saying that your posture of submission to your leaders will put wind in their sails, will make their jobs joyful and not grievous, and will as a result work to your own benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, encourage your leaders. I love my brother who didn\u2019t want to puff me up in public. But I wish he would\u2019ve complimented my preaching in front of the church. Why? Not because I needed it. Not because I want to ignore the second instruction I gave to leaders a few paragraphs ago. But because it should be a normal and good part of church life for leaders to be encouraged both privately and publicly. Paul says to honor the elders who lead well\u2014especially those who labor in preaching and teaching (1 Tim. 5:17). One practical way to give honor is to call out, publicly, where you see the grace of the Lord at work in the life of another person. Pastors shouldn\u2019t be exempt from receiving that kind of honor. We\u2019re not gods; we\u2019re people, just like you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Taylor Combs<\/strong>, PhD, is the lead pastor of King\u2019s Cross Church in Nashville, Tennessee. He is the author of <\/em>The One We\u2019re Waiting For (B&H, 2025), an Advent devotional for families.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cI was going to tell you I\u2019ve been encouraged by your preaching, but I didn\u2019t want to puff you up.\u201d A dear friend and fellow elder said these words to me at the end of a member meeting one year into the life of our church. At the meeting, we had opened the floor for Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":135,"featured_media":64504,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"tax_ctp_authors":[3130],"tax_ctp_books":[],"tax_ctp_categories":[154],"tax_ctp_field_guide_subcategory":[],"tax_ctp_field_guides":[],"tax_ctp_format":[131],"tax_ctp_multimedia":[],"tax_ctp_point_editor":[429],"tax_publications":[181,183,156],"tax_ctp_tags":[3459,4351,4608,5134],"tax_ctp_topics":[],"class_list":["post-64503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tax_ctp_authors-taylor-combs","tax_publications-2025-leadership-journal","tax_publications-fall_2025-leadership-journal","tax_publications-leadership-journal","tax_ctp_tags-authority","tax_ctp_tags-leadership","tax_ctp_tags-pastoral-care","tax_ctp_tags-temptation"],"acf":{"scripture_references":null},"yoast_head":"\nWhy We Venerate and Vilify Christian Leaders - CT Pastors<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"One moment we\u2019re singing their praises; the next we\u2019re questioning everything. Maybe we\u2019re asking the wrong things of them.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why We Venerate and Vilify Christian Leaders - CT Pastors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"One moment we\u2019re singing their praises; the next we\u2019re questioning everything. Maybe we\u2019re asking the wrong things of them.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CT Pastors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CTPastors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-01T17:00:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-03T15:17:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/01\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify.jpg?resize=1200,628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Taylor Combs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@CTpastors\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@CTpastors\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Nathaniel Rabon\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/9e393335913ac052a49d7347e7f9fcd2\"},\"headline\":\"Why We Venerate and Vilify Christian Leaders\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-01T17:00:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-03T15:17:21+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/\"},\"wordCount\":4415,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/01\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/\",\"name\":\"Why We Venerate and Vilify Christian Leaders - CT Pastors\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/01\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-01T17:00:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-03T15:17:21+00:00\",\"description\":\"One moment we\u2019re singing their praises; the next we\u2019re questioning everything. Maybe we\u2019re asking the wrong things of them.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/01\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/01\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify.jpg\",\"width\":5000,\"height\":2813,\"caption\":\"The Fall of the Rebel Angels by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1562.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Why We Venerate and Vilify Christian Leaders\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/\",\"name\":\"CT Pastors\",\"description\":\"Timeless wisdom for pastors with forward-thinking solutions\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Christianity Today\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/08\/logo_ctpastors_black.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/08\/logo_ctpastors_black.svg\",\"caption\":\"Christianity Today\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CTPastors\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/CTpastors\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/9e393335913ac052a49d7347e7f9fcd2\",\"name\":\"Nathaniel Rabon\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/160bb478473eaff0e4b2ea7de741b99bd50d563d6865147d3e7f626f604add4e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/160bb478473eaff0e4b2ea7de741b99bd50d563d6865147d3e7f626f604add4e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Nathaniel Rabon\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why We Venerate and Vilify Christian Leaders - CT Pastors","description":"One moment we\u2019re singing their praises; the next we\u2019re questioning everything. Maybe we\u2019re asking the wrong things of them.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why We Venerate and Vilify Christian Leaders - CT Pastors","og_description":"One moment we\u2019re singing their praises; the next we\u2019re questioning everything. Maybe we\u2019re asking the wrong things of them.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/","og_site_name":"CT Pastors","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CTPastors","article_published_time":"2025-09-01T17:00:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-03T15:17:21+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":628,"url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/01\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify.jpg?resize=1200,628","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Taylor Combs","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@CTpastors","twitter_site":"@CTpastors","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/"},"author":{"name":"Nathaniel Rabon","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/9e393335913ac052a49d7347e7f9fcd2"},"headline":"Why We Venerate and Vilify Christian Leaders","datePublished":"2025-09-01T17:00:41+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-03T15:17:21+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/"},"wordCount":4415,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/01\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/","url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/","name":"Why We Venerate and Vilify Christian Leaders - CT Pastors","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/01\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify.jpg","datePublished":"2025-09-01T17:00:41+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-03T15:17:21+00:00","description":"One moment we\u2019re singing their praises; the next we\u2019re questioning everything. Maybe we\u2019re asking the wrong things of them.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/01\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/01\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify.jpg","width":5000,"height":2813,"caption":"The Fall of the Rebel Angels by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1562."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why We Venerate and Vilify Christian Leaders"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/","name":"CT Pastors","description":"Timeless wisdom for pastors with forward-thinking solutions","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization","name":"Christianity Today","url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/08\/logo_ctpastors_black.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/08\/logo_ctpastors_black.svg","caption":"Christianity Today"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CTPastors","https:\/\/x.com\/CTpastors"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/9e393335913ac052a49d7347e7f9fcd2","name":"Nathaniel Rabon","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/160bb478473eaff0e4b2ea7de741b99bd50d563d6865147d3e7f626f604add4e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/160bb478473eaff0e4b2ea7de741b99bd50d563d6865147d3e7f626f604add4e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Nathaniel Rabon"}}]}},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Why We Venerate and Vilify Christian Leaders","url":"http:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/01\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/01\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify.jpg"},"articleSection":"Uncategorized","author":"Taylor Combs","creator":"Taylor Combs","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"CT Pastors","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2025-09-01T17:00:41Z","datePublished":"2025-09-01T17:00:41Z","dateModified":"2026-02-03T15:17:21Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Why We Venerate and Vilify Christian Leaders\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.christianitytoday.com\\\/pastors\\\/content\\\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.christianitytoday.com\\\/pastors\\\/content\\\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify-christian-leaders\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.christianitytoday.com\\\/pastors\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/19\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.christianitytoday.com\\\/pastors\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/19\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify.jpg\"},\"articleSection\":\"Uncategorized\",\"author\":\"Taylor Combs\",\"creator\":\"Taylor Combs\",\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"CT Pastors\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[],\"dateCreated\":\"2025-09-01T17:00:41Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-01T17:00:41Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-03T15:17:21Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/christianitytoday.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/01\/why-we-venerate-and-vilify.jpg","byline":{"writer_byline":"Taylor Combs","writer_byline_override":""},"primary_category":null,"secondary_categories":[],"featured_video":null,"related_articles":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/135"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64503"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64503\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64985,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64503\/revisions\/64985"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_authors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_authors?post=64503"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_books","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_books?post=64503"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_categories?post=64503"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_field_guide_subcategory","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_field_guide_subcategory?post=64503"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_field_guides","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_field_guides?post=64503"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_format?post=64503"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_multimedia","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_multimedia?post=64503"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_point_editor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_point_editor?post=64503"},{"taxonomy":"tax_publications","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_publications?post=64503"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_tags?post=64503"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_topics?post=64503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}