Canonize.

That’s a word we should all know. We have news sources, and we could argue that we are told someone’s version of the truth. There is bias in the news.

“Canonize” means we are given someone else’s priotities. We are told what is important, and what is not. Remember literature classes in school? Why did we read some books or stories and not others? School curriculum is canonized. Someone decided what topics are important for children in school. It is possible that some very good writing is not taught to children in school. Our culture is canonized, if you didn’t know.

Here is an example, in the recent news: Do you remember the opening ceremonies for the Olympic Games in Paris? Some things were canonized.

Someone decided what was important for the world to see. When a group of Trans people acted for a scene, with people posing like the characters in a Bible story portrayed in a famous painting; the Last Supper with Jesus and His closest disciples.

That spectacle was canonized. It was expertly televised, and included in the ceremonies to open the Olympic Games. That shows canonization. The scene was prioritized as important for us all.

You probably remember that there was a strong reaction against the scene, and did you notice that talk about that scene almost disappeared. That’s another side of canonization; avoid negative reactions that make the scene unpopular. Stop the information when it leads to a negative loss.

That is an important part of our modern media culture.

On the other side, did you learn about the Fijian athletes at the same Olympic Games? These humble people were not canonized. They were not important to the people who decide what is important for us.

These indigenous people from the South Pacific used their native language, and not a canonized European language like French or English. They also sang about their personal belief in Jesus which is not a popular topic in secular western culture.

We only know about them because people nearby had cell phones, with video cameras. “Mainstream” is not a word that fits these humble Fijians. They were sincere and humble, and personally authentic. Without trying, they have become world famous, and millions of people give them enthusiastic support.

It is worth mentioning a part of our modern culture works against official canonization. This comes from Finland. Remember Nokia, the cell phone company? They decided, about a decade ago, to make phones for everyone. They marketed their cell phones in Africa, where people couldn’t afford them. Often, a local business would have a phone, and rent it for the duration of a call.

Cell phones became common and popular everywhere, and we know our phones include cameras, with video recording included. You know how easy it is to pull a phone out of your pocket and record something that you see. Later, you could upload the video to the Internet.

This is so common now that we might miss the important truth. We have a new idea, and it is a revolution in popular culture. That’s why we know about the Fijian choir at the Olympics. Any humble person can be recorded and published to the world. The official channels of canonization have some serious competition now.

The Fijians were accidental heroes, canonized in our culture when they weren’t supposed to be.

I’m glad to see humble Christians, who don’t qualify as famous and popular, becoming such a huge accidental success.

We have words in the Bible that predict this:

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1: 26 to 30)

I hope we all learn a lesson in God’s canonization. Success has a different source than the world might believe. We were promised that.