If iron sharpeneth iron, then I need only the best of the best around me.
If that makes me elitist, then it is likely those around me (my accusers inclusive) are elitist too.
When the first group of people were branded “Christians” because they lived a life that reminded everyone around them of Jesus Christ, everyone else who believed in Jesus Christ thought the coolest thing that could happen to them was for someone to refer to them as a Christian.