Competing Visions of the Fullness of Life: Celebrity Culture, Pentecostalism, and the Question of Human Flourishing
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70902/axhwge66Keywords:
Human Flourishing, Well-Being, Celebrity Culture, Pentecostalism, Full GospelAbstract
For well over two millennia, scholars, philosophers, and ideologists have pursued the question as to what constitutes human flourishing. This paper examines two modern phenomena that make implicit claims to the fullness of life: celebrity culture and Pentecostalism. The study first examines recent scholarly attempts by positive psychologists, scholars of religion and spirituality, and contemporary Christian theologians to answer the question of human flourishing. Having analyzed the competing claims of celebrity culture and Pentecostalism, the paper critically evaluates the proposed perspectives and argues that both perspectives may benefit from a critical interaction with theories of human flourishing, but also how they may have an unwarranted (celebrity culture) or warranted (Pentecostalism) influence on human flourishing.
References
Åkerlund, Truls, and Karl Inge Tangen. “Charismatic Cultures: Another Shadow Side Confessed.” Pneuma 40, no. 1–2 (2018): 109–29.
Ambrogetti, Francesca, and Sergio Rubin. Pope Francis: Conversations with Jorge Bergoglio. New York: New American Library, 2013.
Berry-Kilby, Portia. “The Christian Faith of Justin and Hailey Bieber.” Premier Christianity. Accessed May 18, 2025. https://www.premierchristianity.com/opinion/the-christian-faith-of-justin-and-hailey-bieber/17313.article.
Briggs, Andrew, and Michael J. Reiss. Human Flourishing: Scientific Insight and Spiritual Wisdom in Uncertain Times. First edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021.
Bronk, Katarzyna. Stardom: Discussions on Fame and Celebrity Culture. Boston: Brill, 2020.
Chan, Simon. Pentecostal Ecclesiology: An Essay on the Development of Doctrine. Journal of Pentecostal Theology; 38. Blandford Forum, U.K.: Deo Pub., 2011.
Cherry, Natalya A. Believing into Christ: Relational Faith and Human Flourishing. Waco, Texas: Baylor University Press, 2021.
Christensen, Nikolaj. “Anna Larssen Bjørner: A Drama of Institutionalization and Independence.” In Empowered Voices: Scandinavian Women in Early Pentecostalism, 93–113. Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications, an imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2024.
Coleman, Simon. “Transgressing the Self: Making Charismatic Saints.” Critical Inquiry 35, no. 3 (Spring 2009): 417–39.
Cox, Harvey. Fire from Heaven: The Rise of Pentecostal Spirituality and the Reshaping of Religion in the Twenty-First Century. Cambridge, Mass.: Da Capo Press, 1995.
Davidsson, Tommy, and Truls Åkerlund. “‘Elvis Has Entered the Building’: Evaluating the Rise of Global Pentecostal Celebrity Culture.” In Pentecost, Pentecostalism, and the Making of World Christianity: Essays in Honor of Allan H. Anderson. Theology and Mission in World Christianity. Leiden: Brill, n.d.
Davies, Edward B., Everett L. Worthington Jr., Sarah A. Schnitker, Kevin J. Glowiak, Austin W. Lemke, and Chase Hamilton. “Integrating Positive Psychology and the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality: Transcending Coexistence to Potentiate Coevolution.” In Handbook of Positive Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality, 3–19. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2023.
Davis, Edward B., Andrew D. Cuthbert, Lance W. Hays, Jamie D. Aten, Daryl R. Van Tongeren, Joshua N. Hook, Don E. Davis, and David Boan. “Using Qualitative and Mixed Methods to Study Relational Spirituality.” Psychology of Religion and Spirituality 8, no. 2 (May 2016): 92–98.
Dayton, Donald W. Theological Roots of Pentecostalism. Grand Rapids: BakerAcademic, 2011.
Diener, Ed, Richard E. Lucas, and Shigehiro Oishi. “Subjective Well-Being: The Science of Happiness and Life Satisfaction.” In Handbook of Positive Psychology, 63–73. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
Felix, Steven. Pentecostal Aesthetics: Theological Reflections in a Pentecostal Philosophy of Art and Aesthetics. Pentecostal Aesthetics. Brill, 2015. https://brill-com.dtl.idm.oclc.org/view/title/27067.
Felix-Jäger, Steven. Pentecostal Aesthetics: Theological Reflections in a Pentecostal Philosophy of Art and Aesthetics. Boston: Brill, 2015.
Hackney, Charles H. Positive Psychology in Christian Perspective: Foundations, Concepts, and Applications. Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Academic, an imprint of InterVarsity Press, 2021.
Hollenweger, Walter J. Pentecostalism: Origins and Developments Worldwide. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1997.
Josefsson, Ulrik. Liv och över nog: Den tidiga pingströrelsens spiritualitet. Skellefteå: Artos, 2005.
Kleinberg, Aviad. “Are Saints Celebrities?: Some Medieval Christian Examples.” Cultural and Social History 8, no. 3 (2011): 393–97.
Land, Steven J. Pentecostal Spirituality: A Passion for the Kingdom. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2001.
Landy, Joshua, and Saler Michael. The Re-Enchantment of the World: Secular Magic in a Rational Age. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 2009.
Lord, Andy. “Ecclesiology: Spirit-Shaped Fellowships of Gospel Mission.” In The Routledge Handbook of Pentecostal Theology, 290–300. New York: Routledge, 2020.
Macchia, Frank D. The Spirit-Baptized Church: A Dogmatic Inquiry. London: Bloomsbury T & T Clark, 2020.
Marcus, Sharon. The Drama of Celebrity. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2019.
Marshall, P. David. Celebrity and Power: Fame in Contemporary Culture. Second edition. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2014.
Porter, Steven L., Jason Baehr, Tenelle Porter, and Robert C. Roberts. “On the Integration of Positive Psychology and the Psychology of Religion/Spirituality: Logical, Normative, and Methodological Questions.” In Handbook of Positive Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality, 37–49. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2023.
Prati, Gabriele. “Religion and Well-Being: What Is the Magnitude and the Practical Significance of the Relationship?” Psychology of Religion and Spirituality 16, no. 4 (November 2024): 367–77.
Pulver, Andrew. “‘It Took a While, but I’m Here’: Denzel Washington Is Baptised before His 70th Birthday.” The Guardian, December 23, 2024, sec. Film. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/dec/23/denzel-washington-is-baptised-before-his-70th-birthday.
Ratchford, Juliette L., Mason S. Ming, and Sarah A. Schnitker. “Virtues in Positive Psychology and the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality.” In Handbook of Positive Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality, 53–66. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2023.
Resane, Kelebogile T. “‘Simon the Sorcerer Offered Them Money’ (Acts 8:19): Some Pentecostals Have Gone Commercial Instead of Evangelical.” In The Use and Abuse of the Spirit in Pentecostalism: A South African Perspective, 93–113. London: Routledge, 2020.
Rocha, Cristina. “Global Religious Infrastructures: The Australian Megachurch Hillsong in Brazil.” Social Compass 68, no. 2 (June 1, 2021): 245–57.
Rojek, Chris. Celebrity. London: Reaktion Books, 2001.
———. Fame Attack: The Inflation of Celebrity and Its Consequences. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2012.
Rowson, Jonathan. “Status Viatoris and the Path Quality of Religion: Human Flourishing as a Sacred Process of Becoming.” In Religion and Human Flourishing, 33–41. Waco, Texas: Baylor University Press, 2020.
Seligman, Martin E. P. Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being. New York, NY: Free Press, 2011.
Solum, Lawrence B. “Flourishing, Virtue, and Common Good Constitutionalism.” Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy 46, no. 3 (Fall 2023): 1149–75.
Sutton, Geoffrey W., and Martin W. Mittelstadt. “Loving God and Loving Others: Learning About Love from Psychological Science and Pentecostal Perspectives.” Journal of Psychology and Christianity 31, no. 2 (2012): 157–66.
Taylor, Charles. A Secular Age. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2007.
Van Cappellen, Patty, Ruixi Zhang, and Barbara L. Fredrickson. “The Scientific Study of Positive Emotions and Religion/Spirituality.” In Handbook of Positive Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality, 315–28. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2023.
VanderWeele, Tyler J. “Spiritual Well-Being and Human Flourishing: Conceptual, Causal, and Policy Relations.” In Religion and Human Flourishing, 43–54. Waco, Texas: Baylor University Press, 2020.
VanderWeele, Tyler J., Katelyn N. G. Long, and Michael J. Balboni. “Tradition-Specific Measures of Spiritual Well-Being.” In Measuring Well-Being Interdisciplinary Perspectives from the Social Sciences and the Humanities, 482–98. New York: Oxford University Press, 2021.
Volf, Miroslav, and Matthew Croasmun. For the Life of the World: Theology That Makes a Difference. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Brazos Press, 2019.
Volf, Miroslav, Matthew Croasmun, and Ryan McAnnally-Linz. “Meanings and Dimensions of Flourishing: A Programmatic Sketch.” In Religion and Human Flourishing, 7–18. Waco, Texas: Baylor University Press, 2020.
Vondey, Wolfgang. Pentecostal Theology: Living the Full Gospel. Systematic Pentecostal and Charismatic Theology. London, England: Bloomsbury T & T Clark, 2017.
Ward, Pete. Celebrity Worship. Religion, Media, and Culture Series. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2020.
———. Gods Behaving Badly: Media, Religion, and Celebrity Culture. Waco, TX.: Baylor University Press, 2011.
Wong, Patrick D. Three Perspectives on Happiness, from Ancient to Modern: Aristotle, Adam Smith, and Martin E.P. Seligman. Salve Regina University, 2020.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Tommy Davidsson (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
