The issue at hand is not merely a matter of car purchases and sports car philosophy. At its core, this controversy is about identity. How we construct it, how we negate it, and how we express it in different contexts. John Gray thought he could alternate between his identities in the virtual world, but the salience of the religious imaginary quickly informed him of his error. There are certain aspects of our identity that we carry between publics: though a person may not preach a sermon at their child's high school, if the teachers know that you are a minister they would be startled to hear you use profanity. We code-switch, we re-articulate our humanity, and bargain for self-definition in every facet of our lives. Social media is a tumultuous platform for any religious leader hoping to connect with followers while documenting their personal lives. Being a pastor is usually not a clock-in/clock-out kind of job, it is a lifelong commitment. This is the fallacy: in response to an expensive gift he criticizes the online audience for seeing him through the lens of "pastor" and not "husband", but he does not enlighten us on how to make this distinction.  

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The truth is that although his response was insufficient, followers who critique the car purchase are also caught in a paradox. How can a patron of an establishment criminalize the CEO for amassing money?Megachurches and gigachurches exist because people pay tithes, buy music, pay speakers, purchase clothing, and donate money to non-profit organizations who may support a pastor's income. Is the expectation that pastors refrain from "excessive" capital and donate everything to those in need? Are we concerned with religious leaders who make more money than the average American? Do we expect religious leaders to make a living solely from church income and refrain from external funding sources (i.e. books, speaking tours, music)? 

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The broader question of this project is: how is this issue exacerbated by the online environment? As the interaction of the religious with the secular ignites a faction of online evangelists, how does the public react to unprecedented access to global religious leaders 24/7? Do we expect greater authenticity? In The evidence of things unseen: authenticity and fraud in the Christian mommy blogosphere Deborah Whitehead uncovers how followers of fake mommy blogs experienced intense disillusionment from the faith and the Christian community at large because of the deception.  People expect religious leaders and influencers to be credible even in virtual connection. For some, excessive purchases invalidates a ministers claim to genuine care for the poor. Online life is messy and clergy members cannot presume it is our responsibility to make sense of their lifestyle.  

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This issue is important for all of society, because many non-religious folk engage with religious leaders who perpetuate this behavior. Some leaders, such as Joel Osteen, are equally invited into both secular and sacred spaces. As such, the late capitalistic effects of prosperity gospel and subsequent landscape of wealthy pastors are typically linked to non-church corporate systems and/or personnel. There are several partnerships and exchanges of goods that allow religious leaders to navigate the tempestuous minefield of secular business ethics.Also, this issue is relevant because congregation numbers continue to grow. No matter the number of people who may distance themselves from million-dollar church buildings and sports-event congregations, the church maintains a steady following. More importantly, social media is not going anywhere! We will continue to face conflicts between religious experience and virtual environments. Especially in light of the coronavirus pandemic, digital connection is a crucial aspect of modern religiosity.