Celebrity culture might make it easier to talk about Jesus

Grimes, Nala Ray, Russell Brand, Andrew Huberman, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Niall Ferguson, and Tom Holland are just a few of the high-profile individuals who publicly explored or converted to Christianity in 2024. Each of them has a unique story: from an academic fascination with Christianity as the foundation of Western values, to life-changing supernatural experiences, to battles with addiction and existential crises.

Nala Ray, a former OnlyFans star, started reading the Bible, encountered Jesus and has since left the porn industry. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, once an atheist, found herself spiritually empty and, upon exploring Christianity, found that it wasn’t just compelling but true. Her conversation with Richard Dawkins this year was fascinating, as she tried to explain to this fierce atheist why she now believes in God. And then at the tail end of 2024, Grimes posted that she was embarrassed to admit that she was getting into Christianity as it was the only thing helping her stop vaping.

While some might question the sincerity or depth of these celebrity conversions, and they might be right, I think we can be encouraged that people who were once opposed to Jesus are taking steps towards Him.

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These testimonies, in all their variety, across the different spheres of influence they span, present us with new opportunities to talk about faith – and in ways that feel very natural. The widespread exploration of Christianity in pop culture means that many scrolling online who might have never considered faith will have given it some thought. They may have formed an opinion on belief, or reflected on what they think. It no longer feels taboo to say that you’re exploring faith; belief in Jesus doesn’t feel like an awkward or jarring topic to bring up. For many people, Christianity has actually become quite plausible. It’s very rare, particularly in the younger generations, that you will find an actual atheist.

As more people engage with Christianity online – whether through social media, podcasts, or stories – the barriers to beginning a conversation lower. Personally, I’ve found that by the time someone is ready to try church for the first time, they walk through our doors already having gone down an online rabbit trail. They’ve ingested hours of content about faith but haven’t spoken to anyone about it. There will be many more people who aren’t walking through our church doors but are thinking about Jesus, listening to testimonies, debates and podcasts, and trying to figure out what they think. 

My question is: how can we help these digital explorers and bring their private individual search into an embodied conversation? 

In 2024, the most listened-to podcast worldwide was ​‘The Joe Rogan Experience’. And to kick off 2025, Rogan interviewed Wesley Huff, a Christian apologist – an episode that has already been listened to over 2.5 million times. Whether this podcast is to your taste or not, it’s popular, and the listenership is vast. I wonder, could the barista in your local coffee shop, your electrician, the person sitting next to you on the bus, or someone who walks through your church doors for the first time this Sunday have been one of the listeners? 

You don’t need to be a media junkie or have the gift of the evangelist. All you require is just to show an interest in the person in front of you, to discover what God might already be doing in their life. It could be as simple as asking someone what they’re watching, what podcasts they’re into, or what YouTubers they follow. 

As the conversation about Christianity continues to bubble up in the world of celebrities, we mustn’t just gaze upon it from afar. These conversations and explorations are happening on our streets, in our neighbourhoods, in our cities. We have so many potential gospel conversation opportunities ahead of us in 2025. With an increased openness to Jesus, all of us are invited to play our part, to participate with God in seeing many come to know Him. Let’s approach this new year prayerfully and with a sense of faith, remembering all that God did in 2024, and asking Him for more adventures and opportunities to make Jesus known in 2025