Remember being at school, when popularity was such a big part of life? That was the top of the food chain back then – being popular; being one of the ‘cool kids’. Then we left school and marched off into adult life, but it seems that the playground followed us.
Who’s that person telling me what I want to hear, giving me what I want? Is it a politician or is it a contestant on Britain’s Got Talent? I don’t think I can tell the difference these days. Either way, all they want is to get my support; all they want is to be popular.
We’ve got this thing called Fake News now, telling you what you already want to believe. It spreads, and as it becomes popular, it also becomes true, like some horrible alien that first infects and then replaces its host. You’ve seen The Thing, right?
And then there’s the internet, which just goes to show that even though we’re older, we haven’t really grown up. How many friends, votes, likes, subscribers? What are the best sites on the Internet? The most popular ones. Why are they popular? Because they’re the best. Everyone still wants to copy the cool kids.
This is the human condition – a tireless search for meaning and acceptance, and the delusion that popularity means both. When there is no God, we can only feed off each other.
Do Christians run on the same fuel? Do churches, preachers, websites, and books chase popularity as though it were some proof of authenticity? Is that what it’s all about in the end? Being popular? Being liked? Being acceptable? Is giving people what they want the same as giving people the Kingdom of God?
Jesus’ heart was broken once: “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!”
My dear Lord Jesus. I’m afraid that were you to come to us today you might struggle to find even twelve…
