I think that Christian leaders who become famous are often met with extremes. Both are dangerous. But both come from from people who also identify themselves as Christians.

One extreme comes dangerously close to replacing Jesus with whoever the famous Christian personality may be. Sometimes this "Christian" leader is actually seeking it, but not always. The dangers here are obvious: The followers start drinking the Kool Aid and believing everything he or she says without confirming it with Scripture. This extreme also sets lots of people up for a big fall. If the leader stumbles, or fails morally, a throng of people also often fall. They tumble with their god. I can't tell you how many people I've met who have resisted God because 30 years ago their preacher stole from the church. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Christian leaders don't have a huge responsibility, I'm just saying it's dangerous to think that they can't blow it like everyone else if they don't guard their life & doctrine closely.

The other extreme thinks that if they are famous, they must be exploiting others, or at least have a watered-down version of the Gospel. This often comes from Pharisee-types who are afraid when someone tries something different to reach someone for God.

I mentioned Rick Warren in my sermon yesterday, and I'm truly thankful for his life. He seems very transparent and humble. He is certainly trying to leverage his influence to make a huge impact in this world - and that's exactly what he should be doing. I don't have the attention of presidents, but I'm glad he does. I don't have millions of dollars, so I'm glad he is using his for great causes. And I'm thankful that he isn't building a kingdom around his personality. With all that said, he's just human. He's vulnerable like the rest of us, and maybe even more so. I'm sure Satan would love for the newspapers to report his demise.

I read a good blog by Mark Batterson. He got to attend something with Rick Warren and President Bush. You should read it.
http://evotional.com/2008/12/are-you-ok-with-this.html