You know who I'm talking about. I'm not going to name (or link to) them in this blog. That would be contrary to the whole point. They crave attention. They wish they could walk around with a big, red arrow pointing to them.
One is an independent preacher who burned a Quran and sparked riots that led to the deaths of Christian sisters and brothers.
Another is the family that calls itself a church, and they travel the country carrying signs with slogans such as "God hates fags" and picketing funerals of innocent people.
Others include the myriad mean souls who "sow discord among the brethren" by gossiping, sometimes blogging, and always disparaging others.
Whatever their alleged cause, banner or medium, their goal is the same—call attention to themselves. Get on TV or in the papers. Provoke people to talk about them in the church and/or around town.
They remind me of the middle-school bully who punches kids in the face just so the teachers will call his name.
You wonder if their mamas and daddies didn't hug them enough when they were little. They're so lacking in self-esteem that they'll gladly accept infamy in order to be famous.
Often, it's the journalists' job to name them by name. The news would be incomplete without identification. After all, the first of every news story's five W's is "who." But sometimes, I think the most redemptive action would be for everybody to act as if these people don't exist.
If they don't have a microphone, will they fall silent? If they don't have a stage, will they quit acting? If they don't have an audience, will they disappear?
Sign up for our weekly edition and get all our headlines in your inbox on Thursdays
We could only hope and pray.
We seek to connect God’s story and God’s people around the world. To learn more about God’s story, click here.
Send comments and feedback to Eric Black, our editor. For comments to be published, please specify “letter to the editor.” Maximum length for publication is 300 words.