Biblical wisdom calls us to be countercultural - to be in the world, but not of it. To be in the world is to be socially and politically engaged, to work for the kingdom here and now, recognizing that it is within us and among us. But to be of it is to accept its terms, its currencies, its objectives and agendas as legitimate, and to allow them to delimit and sometimes determine our own. That is capitulation. And if hyperbole is not a cause, it is at least a symptom of such capitulation. It may be that the intention is to appropriate the power of ‘media speak and redirect it to good ends, but the medium does become the message, and at great cost.

If without the Son no on can see the Father (John 1:18), nor anyone come to the Father (John 14:6) and if, without him, the Father is revealed to nobody (Matthew 11:27), then when the Son, the Word of the Father is dead, then no one can see God, hear of him or attain him. And this day exists, when the Son is dead, and the Father, accordingly, inaccessible.