We live in a world where outrage sells, distraction numbs, and the loudest voices often leave us emptier than before.
But every now and then, an unexpected voice cuts through the noise and forces us to look honestly at the mess we’re in.
Meet Tom Macdonald. His song The System hits with raw force, laying out a grim picture of a culture unraveling. It’s intense, but it doesn’t feel exaggerated.
Macdonald, a Canadian independent rapper known for pushing boundaries, doesn’t pull his punches. In The System, he confronts the political and spiritual decay shaping modern life, and he does it in a way that’s hard to ignore.
Beneath the barbs and satire in this song is a somber truth Christians must wrestle with: the world is broken, and its systems, educational, political, cultural, economic, are not neutral. They shape souls. Often, not toward Christ.
But Scripture has been saying this all along.
Romans 12:2a—“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…”
The system Macdonald exposes is a machine. It commodifies identity, weaponizes division, and dulls us with distractions. And whether you’re born red, blue, black, white, male, female—its goal is the same: conform you to a worldview that excludes God.
Indoctrination Starts Early
“The indoctrination starts as soon as you come out the womb”
This line echoes Deuteronomy 6:6–7, where God commands His people to teach His words diligently to their children. But in modern culture, we’ve abdicated that duty. Schools, screens, algorithms—these now disciple our children. If we’re not proactive, the world will raise them before we even notice.
The antidote is not mere suspicion, but saturation: saturating our kids’ hearts with the truth and love of God. The world indoctrinates; we must disciple.
A Culture of Division & Despair
Macdonald pinpoints the false choices we’re handed: right or left, red pill or blue. It’s performative freedom, not real liberty. The Bible makes clear who the real enemy is—not your neighbor, not even the system itself, but the spiritual forces behind it:
Ephesians 6:12—“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities… against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
The system says, “Pick a side and hate the other.” Christ says, “Love your enemy.” The system thrives on outrage. Christ offers peace. If your worldview requires having constant enemies, you’re not operating in the Spirit.
You Can Own Everything and Still Be Owned
“Buy a house and settle down, fulfill your duty, procreate / And make a couple babies who will also do the same”
This line feels like Ecclesiastes in rap form: the vanity of life under the sun. We’re told to climb ladders and chase wealth—yet so many are quietly miserable.
Mark 8:36—“What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”
This system runs on consuming—whether it’s possessions, pills, pleasure, or platforms. But souls were made to worship. Without Christ at the center, our hearts will latch onto whatever noise the system feeds us.
When “Everyone Is Wrong”
Macdonald isn’t offering a solution—but the chorus keeps haunting:
“Fighting for what’s right, but somehow everyone is wrong.”
That line exposes our cultural rot: our endless battles for justice, identity, and truth—but all done apart from God.
Jesus is the only one who was ever fully right. And the world killed Him for it.
John 3:19—“The light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light…”
Our culture demands we “speak our truth,” but not the Truth. And yet, Jesus says plainly:
John 14:6—“I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”
If we speak truth without Christ, it becomes self-righteousness or despair. If we chase justice without Christ, it becomes vengeance or futility. Jesus isn’t an accessory to fixing the system—He’s the replacement for it.
“Welcome to the system… everyone’s a victim.”
Yes, we’re all born into a world damaged by sin. But we don’t have to stay victims. Christ sets us free from the real system: sin and death.
2 Corinthians 6:17—“Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord…”
We are in the world, but not of it. The Christian life is not about retreating into a bunker, but about refusing to let the system define us. Our identity is not consumer, citizen, activist, or victim. Our identity is child of God, ambassador of Christ, citizen of heaven.
Final Thought:
If Macdonald’s song makes you uncomfortable, that’s good. Let it remind us that we’re exiles. Let it push us to examine whether we’re truly resisting the system or quietly serving it.
The enemy doesn’t mind which “side” we pick—as long as we forget who we are in Christ.
Let’s not give him that satisfaction.
Please enjoy this Palate cleanser:
Have thoughts? Drop a comment or share your reflections below.
This blog exists to wrestle with what we hear in the pew—and what we do after. http://afterpew.com
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