I taught Sunday School today . . . the first time in many years. This class, is a high school class. They are doing a series on media and because I have a movie club (as a ministry of my church) I was asked to teach a couple of classes.
During this series, I think the kids have mostly been watching movies and discussing them. I wanted to spend half the class talking, philosophically, about discernment. The point I made is that all media have the goal of entertainment. Some of the particular pieces also ask questions and a few of them, give answers. Entertainment and asking questions are amoral, or, maybe an actual good thing in itself. That of course is that you are not consumed with being entertained or your questions aren't genuine. But the answers giving in a particular media source (meaning one film or one music video) maybe be good, or bad. Bad answers are simply those that are incorrect.
I was impressed with the kids that they got this right. They knew that entertainment is mostly good as is asking questions. Some kids don't. That wasn't what I was taught at their age. I was taught that entertainment was worldly and some questions, such as "how do I know God exist" were forbidden.
So, I have a glimmer of hope that maybe my evangelical experience was not the norm. I am also happy to say that I was invited to help with this class. In my previous church, a media class was my idea. I was canned after just four weeks, once the pastor got the idea I was watching TV shows with the kids. Sad. He missed my entire point.
I'm continuing to read Portofino. I was thinking last night that if my kids were to read the book, that they would see my wife and me as exactly the same as the mom and dad in the book (at least during their growing up years). If they did, that would be an exaggeration on their part. But it is true one of my biggest faults is a temper. I've never hit my wife or kids (or dog) in anger, but I've been known to scream if my attempts to fix my plumbing fails. I also an anxious at times. Just like the character in the book, I worry about making trains and planes and etc.
In the same token, Denise reminds me of the mom, but again, the character in the book is more extreme and I even doubt that the real Edith Schaeffer was that pious.
During this series, I think the kids have mostly been watching movies and discussing them. I wanted to spend half the class talking, philosophically, about discernment. The point I made is that all media have the goal of entertainment. Some of the particular pieces also ask questions and a few of them, give answers. Entertainment and asking questions are amoral, or, maybe an actual good thing in itself. That of course is that you are not consumed with being entertained or your questions aren't genuine. But the answers giving in a particular media source (meaning one film or one music video) maybe be good, or bad. Bad answers are simply those that are incorrect.
I was impressed with the kids that they got this right. They knew that entertainment is mostly good as is asking questions. Some kids don't. That wasn't what I was taught at their age. I was taught that entertainment was worldly and some questions, such as "how do I know God exist" were forbidden.
So, I have a glimmer of hope that maybe my evangelical experience was not the norm. I am also happy to say that I was invited to help with this class. In my previous church, a media class was my idea. I was canned after just four weeks, once the pastor got the idea I was watching TV shows with the kids. Sad. He missed my entire point.
I'm continuing to read Portofino. I was thinking last night that if my kids were to read the book, that they would see my wife and me as exactly the same as the mom and dad in the book (at least during their growing up years). If they did, that would be an exaggeration on their part. But it is true one of my biggest faults is a temper. I've never hit my wife or kids (or dog) in anger, but I've been known to scream if my attempts to fix my plumbing fails. I also an anxious at times. Just like the character in the book, I worry about making trains and planes and etc.
In the same token, Denise reminds me of the mom, but again, the character in the book is more extreme and I even doubt that the real Edith Schaeffer was that pious.
1 comment:
Thank you ffor being you
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