"a lightning rod" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to refer to a rod on a building that protects it from lightning strikes. For example, "The tall spire of the church was topped with a lightning rod."
And in March he will be included in the Whitney Biennial, a lightening rod of a show always ferociously noticed.
Some of Mr. Scrushy's supporters say his lifestyle and personality have made him something of a lightening rod for criticism.
Like few other financiers, Fuld, 63, has become a lightening rod for public outrage over the credit crunch.
David H. Knights, director of marketing at the Princeton Forrestal Center, grimaced as he acknowledged that the project had become a "lightening rod" for sprawl issues.
Schapelle represents the worst fears for people (a holiday that turns to hell) – a lightening rod for their complicated feelings about Indonesia.
[Op-Ed] The U.S., however well intentioned, became a lightening rod that absorbed a lot of Iraqis' frustrations with their government's underperformance, and the U.S. "occupation" drew all attention away from Iran's shenanigans inside Iraq.
As an obvious lightening rod, a good deal of the visual spin revolves around Obama.
Will my daughter see the day when abortion is not a political lightening rod, but rather a medical procedure that she can decide upon based on a constellation of variables in her life that only she can assess?
The Super Bowl is a media lightening rod.
The new company is a giant lightening rod for complaints from industry players and consumer activists, and from them to politicians.
Released the day of the Illinois Republican primary, Ryan's budget has already become a political lightening rod.
