I can remember the day when having ‘influence and selling it’ was something of a pejorative enterprise. ‘Influence peddling’ is not only unethical but often illegal. One of the centers in our country for these activities is K Street in Washington D.C., which is a major thoroughfare in the nation’s capital. It is congested and some might say corrupted by the sheer number of its lobbyists and advocacy groups, law firms, trade associations and think tanks. Although many of the activities on K Street are legitimate educational services for government and corporate entities, many are not and are often associated with greed and grift. Mention “The Swamp” here in Florida and one immediately thinks of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the campus of the University of Florida. However, mentioning it in reference to the bubble in Washington, one immediately thinks of something vastly different. The former has gators and the latter has sharks. In today’s highly charged partisan and polarized political environment, “drain the swamp” has for decades meant reducing the influence of special interests and lobbyists. K Street is a metonym for a high concentration of influencers whose expertise and advice are for sale, sometimes legally, other times not so.
Today, ‘becoming an influencer’ is a whole new career for about every meaningful industry and has become a common and much sought after resume enhancer. I was reading an article the other day that identified its author as “Influencer, Author and Psychologist.” If you Google the phrase as it relates to business, the articles are numerous and intriguing. Just this morning I turned on my computer and was immediately greeted by an influencing message:
Good morning, Bruce!
Power through your day with something interesting. Beauty and Fragrance, Home Furnishings, Pilates Equipment, Health and Wellness, Truck …
Got the idea?
The New York Times recently printed an informative expose by Faye Tsakas under the title: How Being an Influencer Became a New American Dream. Tsakas talks about our ‘influencer culture.’ Her subjects are Peyton and Lyla, two preteen sisters. They live in rural Alabama and with parental supervision, they market their goods, fashion and beauty products, to tens of thousands of online fans around the world. Marketing grifters send them products to sell daily. Packages arrive at their doorstep every day for them to unbox and try out, deluxe makeup sets, floral dresses, exercise bikes, all free as if delivered by a shopping mall Santa. Indeed, Christmas, Every Day! is what she calls it. She writes:
In a time of immense wealth disparity, influencer culture has created a more fantastical kind of American Dream… (Perhaps that’s why nearly one third of preteens say becoming an influencer is a career goal!)
During this Advent/Christmas season, you and I can be assured that ‘influencers’ are out and active in force. Based upon the number of Amazon, Fed Ex, UPS, and USPS trucks I see in our small condominium development, they are executing their duties effectively. I fear that we are losing the fight with our culture’s commercialization of what is supposed to be a sacred holiday. Jesus may be the reason for the season, but the season is less and less focused on Jesus and more on what the influencers say it is. It is a season of consumerism and consumption. Online sales are soaring and even the mall parking lots seem filled. Indeed, ‘Christmas, Every Day!’
This newly expanded reality weighs heavily upon my heart, but I deal with it not without hope. In fact, this blog post is my humble attempt at becoming an influencer and to help create an alternate culture. Would that we, as a society, could raise up persuasive Christian influencers whose voices might confront the consumerism of the moment. They would lobby a new generation of ‘wise people’ who recognize Jesus as the foundational reason for the season and influence others to reassert the truth that He lives at the center of life and is relevant to today’s challenges.
I have been blessed by influencers of this kind. Whenever anyone has asked me to identify the most influential pastors/preachers in my life, I always answer quickly and without reservation. The two at the top of my list, easily, were the Reverend Dr. William Sloane Coffin Jr., the liberal Christian activist chaplain of Yale University, and the Reverend Dr. Anthony Campolo Jr., the conservative evangelical sociologist from Philadelphia, a Baptist pastor, author, preacher, and public speaker. He loved stories and could tell them with a masterful flair, making him a highly effective influencer.
Our family vacation spot of choice has been for thirty-five years the beach resort of Ocean City, New Jersey. Not only did we enjoy the beach, boardwalk activities, cheesesteaks from Voltaco’s Italian Food and being with our friends, but we also enjoyed attending the Ocean City Tabernacle. Tony Campolo was one of its featured and favored preachers. We considered ourselves blessed when he was in the pulpit or roaming the stage on our Sunday. Without exception, when we left the tabernacle that Sabbath, we felt deeply moved and transformed. He influenced us in a major way and reenergized our commitment to live out our faith daily.
Sadly, Tony Campolo Jr. died on November 19, 2024, at the age of eighty-nine. A celebration of his life and ministry will be held on January 25, 2025. As anticipated, there has been a tsunami of tributes, including one posted by the President of Eastern University, Ronald A. Mathews:
Though his impact spans far and wide, those who were fortunate enough to get to know Tony on a personal level will remember him for his colorful storytelling, infectious energy and gift for blending wit and profound wisdom. (November 20, 2024)
Tony Campolo’s impact, or should I say, influence, has extended far and wide. I have been and gladly remain under his influence. He believed passionately in a God who chose to reveal the gift of love in the vulnerability of a defenseless child, a ‘tender shoot’ as the prophet Isaiah refers to him, born in a stable in Bethlehem. His understanding of what it means to believe in and follow Jesus is uncompromising, namely, to live with humility, empathy, authenticity and a profound sense of personal call and commitment. I believe the same. His doorstep is not piled up with packages and products that promise to assist him in powering through the day. Rather, it is occupied by people whose suffering and debilitating scarcity cries out for hope and help. Campolo’s guiding star has been parallel verses from the 25th chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew, the story of the goats and sheep. It is a parable that tells us that being a follower of Christ is defined by ‘if’ and ‘how well’ we see Him in the least of our brothers and sisters and respond by meeting their needs.
40. The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it for me.’
45. He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
Truly I tell you, indeed! Every day and in countless ways, the day begins and ends as Christmas, Christ’s day. We are required ‘to do’ for Him by meeting the needs of the vulnerable and victimized. They wait on our doorsteps- the poor, hungry and homeless, those who face corporate indifference and government neglect, those threatened by the loss of social supports upon which millions rely such as worker protections, social security, unemployment insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, child tax credits, health insurances. They are immigrants and migrants, our imprisoned and addicted, and our children, deserving of safety and protection whether in Israel, Gaza, or Syria. Instead, they are terrorized by what might happen in their bombed communities or locked down schools because of a school shooter. ‘Christmas, Every Day’ is about these, the least of our brothers and sisters, near and far.
Tony Campolo was fond of quoting Saint Francis of Assisi who once said:
We should preach the gospel all day long--- and if necessary, use words!
All day long, every day, Christmas! Let’s go influence the world.