A Tip of the Old-Hat to Who?

I quite enjoy reversing McLuhan's the medium is the message to the message is the medium.  After all, McLuhan himself says The effect of the medium is made strong and intense just because it is given another medium as "content." (Understanding Media: Chp 1).  So any message might just be only ever a repackaged medium.

The reason I enjoy this reversal is that I find it continues to direct my attention to consider both the medium by which the message is transferred and the medium which is the content of the message.  So the stencil on the atomic bomb may just say a little more than we might first think?

But, allusions to McLuhan's aphorisms aside, it is the latter (the repackaged medium as content) which makes me consider it possible to tip my old-hat to McLuhan.  Because, the reality is, I have only met McLuhan as the repackaged medium of the printed page (and the odd YouTube clip).  The McLuhan I know, seeing as he passed away only a few days before my first birthday, can only be met through those media which continue to carry him as their content.  And so, my next tip of the old-hat, goes to someone that you may/probably won't know (to Who?), but whom, you may just catch glimpses of as the content of my blog - even though you  most likely won't recognise them. So, as a way of introduction...

Jesus represents us
not only as we are
but also
as we will become
In this way
Jesus represents our future
He enters this world
from the future
our future
His coming into this world
is the coming of the last One
the final One
He does not only inaugurate the end
He is the end
His coming means the end of the old world
He stands beyond all other human beings
In Him there is only the complete
and final freedom of
God and Humanity
bonded in a perfect
and loving relationship
with each other

(Christ - the Reconciler: Chp 22)

So I tip my old-hat to Dr Andre van Oudtshoorn.  Whilst not nearly as accessible as some of the others that will receive a tipped hat to you, completely more accessible than they'll ever have been to me.

You see, I believe, that it is just possible that how you access, who you access, to challenge and inspire your thinking, can be more important than who you access alone.  Sure, not everyone you might have access to is worth accessing to challenge and inspire your thinking.  I'm not advocating hanging out with the village idiot and thinking that this is somehow a noble pursuit.  But when someone is able to stretch you, stretch your thinking, show you a different lens to look at the world through (even if for a tiny glimpse), this shouldn't be discounted as a somehow inferior just because they don't have adequate notoriety.

Andre's experience in both the world of theology (Pastor/Bible College Lecturer/Scholar) and media (Musician/TV Producer/All Round Good Guy), and his willingness to hold up a lens for me to take a peek through over and over again continues to inspire me to never stop wanting to be a student of both.

P.S. Andre's current blog is smallchurchbigimpact - whilst not media focused, it may be of interest...