Reply To: Question of an ignorant, closed-minded Lubavitcher

why was west coast chabad leader shlomo cunin not worried about publicizing his belief that “the rebbe runs the world,”

This is definitely a mainstream Chabad statement, I won’t argue with you on that one.

I don’t think he meant it in the way that you’re taking it.
Honestly, I’ve seen people rail about this for years in the CR, while the statement doesn’t seem so problematic to me (as opposed to the “Who Elokeinu” line, or if he would have said that he “creates the world” or the like).

Rabbi Cunin obviously isn’t saying chas v’shalom that the world isn’t in Hashem’s hands.
He literally says 30 seconds earlier “דער אויבערשטער וועט העלפן that we will have gevaldike nissim…”

With his “runs the world” statement he seems to be saying that being that they are the Rebbe’s shluchim, doing his work, the Rebbe takes a level of achrayus over them, and hopefully the world will see that the tzaddik protected them (unfortunately, we weren’t zoche to nissim).

There is an idea of tzaddikim having a level of control and responsibility for what happens in the world (given to them by Hashem).
This is the idea of צדיק יסוד עולם – that his zechus protects the world and keeps it going.

There is a vort in Midrash Talpiyos, brought in many chassidus sforim (Kedushas Levi, etc.) on the Gemara כל העולם ניזון בשביל חנינא בני:
מכאן יראה מעלת הצדיק לפני הקב”ה, ושמסר העולם ברשותו ושיעבד לו לעשות כל רצונו כו’. והטעם שכיון שהעולם נברא בשביל הצדיק וכולם נבראו לצוותו כמאחז”ל, לכן מסר הקב”ה כל העולם בידו ושיעבדו תחתיו לקיים כל מה שיגזור…
It goes on to say that if only everyone in the world knew this, that the world is in the hands of tzaddikim, they would give the tzaddikim tremendous honor.

I think that is his point. The hope that the people of the world will recognize that they’re under the reshus of the tzaddik.