The Salty Peanut Gallery

The Hollywood Prayer Network has celebrity train wreck, Britney Spears, at the top of their prayer list these days. With chapters in 16 U.S. cities and eight different countries, HPN is a group of more than 5,000 Christians that have committed themselves to praying for Hollywood stars. Their prayer list at times has included such notable personalities as Paris Hilton, Robert Downey Jr., Robin Williams and many other A-list celebrities.

Robert Johnston, a professor of theology and culture at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena explains, “The prayer network is the equivalent, and perhaps more important, than praying for our president… Just as churches have traditionally prayed for leaders, now we recognize that one of our primary sources of leadership is the entertainment industry.” HPN founder, Karen Covell tells people, “If you’re angry at a TV show or you’re switching channels because of content, stop and pray for the people on the show… If you really believe in God and you believe God has a transforming power, then leave it up to him.”

Not everyone appreciates their efforts, though. Celebrity publicist Michael Levine explains, “This kind of attitude comes off as very sanctimonious and a bit creepy, frankly.” Hollywood insiders agree that most stars aren’t much interested in being prayed for.

In some respects I’d have to agree with Levine on the “creepy” aspects of the whole thing. First off, the idea that the Hollywood crowd is “one of our primary sources of leadership” is not only a scary thought, but also represents what is for my money a gross misinterpretation of scripture. Beyond that I can’t help wondering how much of this Hollywood prayer is just another form of Hollywood fan worship. I have to tell you, if somebody were to pull me aside at church and say, “I really have a heart for Jennifer Aniston,” I’d find that pretty creepy. My initial response would be, “Ya, I’ll bet you do.”

But the biggest problem I have has to do with what I would consider to be one of the worst misconceptions that believers have today when it comes to prayer. In Matthew 6:9-10 Jesus says, “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” You see, many people believe that prayer is about getting a hold of God’s heart in order to get our prayers answered. But that’s not it at all.

Affective prayer is all about surrendering our hearts to the will of God. Do we really believe that the sovereign Lord of the universe needs our prayers in order for His will be accomplished? Of course not. God has already stated in His word that His plans and purposes will be accomplished. “Indeed,” He says, “I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass” - Isaiah 46:11. The question then lies in whether or not we as believers are going to be willing to humble ourselves under His mighty hand (1 Peter 5:6-7). “Your kingdom come” is merely our acknowledgment of God’s will in our lives.

HPN believes that Hollywood is a powerful industry that may be the best vehicle for reaching our cultural and bringing revival. Again, this represents flawed thinking. God doesn’t need Britney or Jennifer or Robin on His team in order to affectively engage the culture. He is perfectly capable of accomplishing His Kingdom work without their help. The last time I checked Jesus Christ is still the hope of salvation for the world.

So should we prayer for celebrities? You’d better believe it. But not for the reasons HPN is endorsing. Britney Spears needs our prayers because her life is a shambles. We pray for Britney for the same reason we would pray for our next door neighbor, or a co-worker, or relative. They need Jesus.