The Christian Fandom

Have you ever heard of a 'fandom'? Or a 'fan girl' or 'fan boy'?

If you ever speak to anyone who knows me well, you will soon discover just how much of a fan girl I am regarding certain musicians, tv shows, and books. I can't begin to tell you how many hours I've spent waiting at stage doors or hotels to get a photo or autograph, or how much money I've spent attending concerts, conventions, and buying merchandise. I have travelled for hours to perform flash mobs in the snow and rain (I’m in the row on the left, second from the back, with the yellow bag over my shoulder; just in case you didn’t believe me). I have also made a large number of good friends through our shared fandoms. For the vast majority of my teenage life, and to some extent still, I would know all the information about what was happening in the future of the pop star or actor's life or tv plot line weeks before any of my friends or family had a clue. This is a fan girl, or boy. You may have one as a friend, family member, or be one yourself.

A 'fandom' is the name for the things fan girls and boys 'fan' over. For example, I belong to the Harry Potter fandom, the Doctor Who fandom, and the Tolkien fandom, to name but a few. Other fandoms are the Justin Beiber fandom, the Star Trek fandom, and the

But I want to put before you: The Christian Fandom.

‘How can Christianity be a fandom?’ I hear you ask. Very simply, there are some people who are fans of Christianity. They enjoy going to church, hearing the sermons, singing the songs, attending retreats and festivals, spending time with other ‘fans’, etc. They know their Bible back to front and will always win a game of Biblical Trivial Pursuit. Fans are different to followers. A lot of fans will think they are followers. The difference?

Relationship!

A fans relationship with the object of their fandom is detached, impersonal, and all about head knowledge. A follower, or friend, of the person has a deeper connection with them, knows more about their everyday life, and there is a two way relationship.

When a fan meets their favourite actor/musician/etc., they ask for an autograph, or a picture. When a friend of that person meets them, they share a conversation about their life; they support one another.

A follower of Christ has this two way relationship with God. They meet with him often, and share their life with him. A fan of Christ will go through the religious motions, but never connect on the deeper level.

Jesus met a lot of fans. Ever heard about the Rich Young Man?

¹⁷ As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
¹⁸ “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.”
²⁰ “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
²¹ Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
²² At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
(Mark 10: 17 – 22, NIV)

And what about the crowd of 5000 that followed Jesus after being fed? They were huge fans – wanting to see him again, but not for the right reasons. They wanted to be fed again (John 6).  And what of the fans of the Jewish faith? The Pharisees and Sadducees would have called themselves the greatest followers of all, yet Jesus’ teaching always warns people away from them and to not follow their example.

In Matthew 7, Jesus describes what will happen to the fans when they meet him:

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
(Matthew 7:21 – 23, NIV)

The importance of relationship here is key. While the fans did a great many things, Jesus says he did not know them. They had no relationship with him.

Fandom is heavily influenced by feelings. Fans will describe themselves as having ‘feels’ for certain characters, or ‘ships’ (romantic pairings - there are even ‘ship names’). Fans have lots of emotion about their fandom. But when the feelings diminish (from lack of new series/books, or time, age, etc), fans become a lot less enthusiastic. As I said before, I have been a part of a large number of fandoms, but each has had its own time in the spotlight. When my feelings change, I become less involved. Something new has come along that I feel more passionately about. For example, as a teenager, I absolutely LOVED McFly. Now, I enjoy listening to their music occaisionally, but I spend more time watching Doctor Who or reading books by George R R Martin.

The same is true of fans of Christianity. When everything is good, or they feel particularly ‘close’ to God, or go to one of their festivals – no one could be more committed! When things get tough, fans wander away until things get good again and they feel like being a follower again. But true followers stick around for the long term, and don't act upon their feelings. True relationships are so much more than feelings. Good friends stick together even when things are hard. Good relationships last even when you don’t feel like being together, because of the commitment. And you get past the bad times and negative feelings together. The same is true of our relationship with Christ.

I could delve a lot more into this topic. But I just wanted to start your own thinking on this issue. My thinking was sparked by a book called ‘Not a Fan’ by Kyle Idleman (I’m reading the teen edition – well I am a youth worker!), and I have spent a long time considering the nature of my relationship with God. While I am not a fan, it has inspired me to follow God even more closely than before.

And that’s what I wanted to do; to encourage you to reflect upon whether you are truly a follower of Christ, or just a fan. How committed is your relationship with Christ? Will he ‘know you’ when the time comes?