Living in a Fragmented World Pt. 2

“Here is another thought for you that is very controversial: I don’t see any point in making anything but controversial statements. There is no other way of getting any attention at all. I mean, you cannot get people thinking until you say something that really shocks them, dislocates them.” Marshall McLuhan

Marshall McLuhan was known as the “media Prophet”. In the 70’s he coined the famous “global village” and the often misunderstood “the medium is the message”. He was called a prophet because he saw a world that was to come more than most of his contemporaries of his time could possibly imagine. He was mocked and called a fool for his predictions…and yet, here we are. We are almost desensitized by so-called “controversial” statements in the media. We hear our politicians say one controversial thing after another and it works! It gets people’s attention. It may not be good attention, but as it is said, “bad publicity is better than no publicity”. I think the Teacher in Ecclesiastes did an excellent job with this kind of controversial statements. I also think it is clear that Jesus was very good at this as well.

However, why do controversial statements matter if they are not truthful? The truth hurts, we all have received some truth that shook us to our core. The term “gaslighting” has come into vogue thinks to non-truthful/bad faith actors. They say something controversial, but we know it is not the truth. Yet, they will stick to it regardless. It’s the same when Levi, my argumentative middle child , will tell me the sky is green when I mention what a beautiful blue sky it is! We can see the obvious truth, yet…

Jesus was the best at this. When people had an expectation that he would say what the other Rabbi’s were saying, Jesus would flip it on its head. When asked about the Greatest Commandment, Jesus answers rightly for the Scribe. However, when he was tested with, “And who is my neighbor?”, Jesus response was very controversial. They expected the Priest and Levite to be the “good guys”; the only true neighbors. However, Jesus subverted their expectations and gave them the so-called bad guy: the Samaritan.

What if preachers and pastors spent more time saying the truth rather than maintaining the status quo? Many would be fired on the spot for sure, but we must ask ourselves, if we really want to be good neighbors we must be willing to face the truth. The truth hurts, but it is the truth that sets us free. We follow the Truth, my friends, and in this fragmented world of bad actors, we know the Truth will lead us into God’s green pastures.

Zac