Here are the three best things that came in response to former Disney child princess Miley Cyrus’s public gyrations.
1. The reaction of Will Smith’s family.
2. CNN’s defense (via the Onion) of making it their top story.
3. This question (reiterated by Time and others): Is MTV still relevant?
There was a time when MTV was simultaneously the scariest and most powerful culture shaping tool in American pop culture. The world was a ship spinning out of control with the Brat Pack was at the helm. That was decades ago before music videos migrated to YouTube and Reality TV became banal.
Miley’s strip show comes across as a desperate plea to remind the world MTV exists.
When many people think of practicing Jews, they envision the Hasidics, a sect that developed in 1800s. Hasidism was a charismatic revival movement among the Jews of Eastern Europe. They are Talmud loving mystics, best known for their distinctive black hats and black robes.
Why do they wear black hats? Legend has that it was an attempt to look like to Polish nobility of their day. In other words,
The #1 distinctive that sets Hasidic Jews apart from society began as an attempt at relevance to society.
The key element of the story of Jesus is the concept of “incarnation.” The idea comes from John 1:14 where the Word became flesh and “moved into the neighborhood.” The incarnation should be understood as God coming to the ancient middle east and moving in with his friends.
There is a subtle but key distinction between relevance and incarnation. As our world is increasingly mediated by the internet, the ability to grab attention becomes an economic force. Relevance is catering to the conversation of the moment. Incarnation means moving to the neighborhood, and staying long enough to become a local.
When the church becomes defined by the politics of the day they are being relevant. When they use billboards like this, they are trying to be relevant.
Incarnation is like St. Patrick returning to Ireland, even though he had originally been brought there as a slave. It’s staying in Ireland long enough to use the local images like the clover and the triquetra to teach about Trinity.
Incarnation is like Hudson Taylor moving into mainland China, growing his hair out and adopting local dress.
Incarnation means being around long enough to use local words, sounds and images to communicate about eternal issues.
Relevance is a race you can never win because it never ends. Eventually, you become MTV or a Hasidic black hat: a strange vestigial appendage of a culture that has forgotten you. Incarnation is a commitment to move into the neighborhood, to become a local, and see what God will do among you.
Where have you seen incarnation at work?
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