This week, I’m sending you over to Premier Christianity magazine where I wrote a review of Ricky Gervais’s latest Netflix special, Supernature.
It’s interesting that Ricky Gervais was a darling of the media when he found fame with The Office, attacking mainstream religion and Christianity. But when he started sticking it to the sacred cows of the elites, he rapidly became ‘problematic’. His audience have gone with him because they trust him.
That’s the problem. We live in an age when motives are regularly impugned. I’ve been writing about this for a few weeks now. (And next week, I take a chainsaw to Marcuse, so please subscribe).
In the eyes of the critics, there’s no way the audience we can hear on the Netflix special are laughing in the right way. Accusing Gervais of cowardice, The Independent says:
“… the audience doesn’t have the luxury of imposing that ironic distance. They hoot and holler along with all the bigotry, seeming to enjoy it more the closer it gets to the edge, the more buttons it pushes.”
Translation: the audience are not smart enough to understand and are bigots.
The idea that Gervais is a coward is clearly nonsense, as he would be a media darling again if he repented, and joined the true faith, the Postmodern Spirit of the Age.
Besides, Gervais explores some genuine taboos that we really need to talk about. I explain here. (Plus I have proof that the critics have never been further away from the audience.)
The most valuable thing I do with my time for the Kingdom of God, in my opinion, is make podcasts for Faith in Kids. Ed and I are back with a short series on 2 Peter, which is family listening for the car or the breakfast tables. Listen to the fun facts, and a sketch about Peter going to get fish and chips. Listen here or on Apple or Spotify.
And subscribe because next week, we take a chainsaw to Herbert Marcuse…