Radio News
The British novelist and playwright David Lodge was
watching one of his own creations, a satirical revue, the
evening of November 22, 1963. The theatre audience chuckled
as an actor in the play showed up for a Job interview with a
transistor radio clutched to his ear, demonstrating his
character's blasé indifference. The actor then set down the
radio and tuned to a station, letting its news, music, or
commercials play in the background while the play went on.
This night, however, a voice came on the radio with a live
news bulletin: "Today, the American President John F.
Kennedy was assassinated ..."
The audience gasped and the actor immediately switched off
the radio, but too late. In one sentence, the reality of the
outside world had shattered the artificial world of the
theatre production. Suddenly, whatever action took place
onstage seemed superficial and irrelevant.
The city of God and cities of this world exist in parallel
universes (from our perspective, at least), with low-level
signals transmitted back and forth between them. The risk is
that we may feel completely at home on earth, unaware of
another world. Like the people in the theatre, we live
inside a reality so engaging that for a time we can forget
about any other-until the outside world abruptly intrudes.
Death breaks the spell for me, even as it did for the
theatre audience.
Yancey, Philip. Rumours of Another World". Grand Rapids,
Michigan: Zondervan, 2003, p. 228-229.