Round Trip includes the typical information that likely can be found in a variety of training manuals for short-term mission candidates. But unlike many of those programs, this documentary and handbook bring an intimate, real-life narrative to the exciting but often uncomfortable experience of traveling to another country to share the gospel. [read more]
Soul Searching is a film for anyone wanting to know more about the spiritual lives of teenagers. The book – of the same title and well worth the read – is robust in its examinations and shows the complexities and sometimes shallowness of teenage spirituality.
This DVD does the same. The DVD gives images and audible voices to the stories of teenage spirituality and helps the watcher connect with the student’s spiritual life through wonderful statistical commentary. Ideally, this film is not one to watch and set aside as a good documentary. It is one that is meant to challenge the way we do “youth ministry” and view our teenagers as they develop spiritually.
In 2005, Oxford University Press released a very important book. Sociologists from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill had just released their findings of a comprehensive study of the religious views of American teenagers. And what they found was nothing less than shocking. According to Christian Smith, the primary author of the book Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American teenagers, the actual professed religion of most young adults, whether they’re being raised in Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Presbyterian, or Jewish homes, is what he called Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. What this means is that although many teens believe in God and go to church regularly, they end up defining belief in very vague and subjective terms, such as, God exists, He’s there when we need him, He wants us to be happy, The purpose of life is to feel good, Good people go to heaven, and so forth. Now, in 2007, a documentary film version of Soul Searching was just released by Revelation Studios. And on this edition of the White Horse Inn webcast, Michael Horton talks with Michael Eaton, the co-director of the film, as well as Christian Smith himself, the primary researcher behind the project, about their new documentary Soul Searching: A Movie About Teenagers & God. Based on a seven year study of the religious views of American teens, this film presents some troubling findings about the content and quality of the faith being passed on to the next generation. –Whitehorse Inn
I usually really enjoy Francis Chan. I think the church community of which he is the pastor - Cornerstone – is doing some incredible things as he challenges the congregation to truly live out their faith. However, I tried to read his book Crazy Love and I am struggling through it.
I am not sure what is is that is holding me back from enjoying this book. Chan’s words stand in line with my understandings of how we are to live out our faith. The central purpose of Chan’s book seems to be similar to the writings of John Perkins, Tony Campolo, Noel Castellanos, Soong Chan Rah, Ron Sider, Robert Lupton and other Christians I respect . In fact, I am surprised I haven’t heard more backlash against this book as the “social gospel” or “works-based salvation” – perhaps it is because of Chan’s focus on the spirit and movement of the heart.
But something is amiss for me.
Has anyone else had this experience with Crazy Love?
Is it the writing style?
What could it be?
Can someone who liked the book help me understand the draw to it?
Christianity Today posted a fantastic opinion piece about Jon & Kate Gosselin and the Evangelical/Christian fascination
Of all the viewers who followed the Gosselins, evangelicals were among the most faithful. Jon and Kate’s refusal to resort to “selective reduction” when they found themselves pregnant with sextuplets, their membership in an Assemblies of God church, and their Isaiah 40:31 T-shirts all helped to make them icons of evangelical piety. Churches from across the country clamored to be added to their speaking tours. In the last two years the vast majority of Jon and Kate’s presentations took place at Christian conferences or at evangelical churches, most often Baptist, nondenominational or charismatic.
. . . on the season five premiere, which aired on Memorial Day, the couple expressed no love for one another and made no promises about being together in the future. Both appeared ready to file for divorce.
. . . Viewers, and especially evangelical viewers, are aghast. How could such a loving, Christian family disintegrate so quickly? Is the failure of their marriage due to the stress of parenting multiples? Can it be attributed to Kate’s love of celebrity versus Jon’s desire to retreat from the limelight? Might it be the result of living under constant (albeit self-imposed) surveillance?
. . . We evangelicals tend to be easily impressed. We cheered on Jon and Kate’s decision to carry all six babies to term but rarely considered the prior question: Was it right for them to undergo risky fertility treatments in the first place?
. . .As fellow Christians, we should have reminded the Gosselins that life is a gift to be received in gratitude, not something to be grasped, purchased, or sold. In many ways, the last four seasons of Jon & Kate Plus Eight is the story of a family that seemed to progressively lose sight of this truth. Of course, they had help along the way from TLC, from the show’s producers, and not least of all, from their Christian viewers.
. . . The hope for us—and the hope of Jon and Kate—is to turn once again to the rich, complex, and difficult ethics of Jesus and to let those ethics form us into a more discerning people in the world. It is time that we look for role models who value self-sacrifice over material gain. It is time that we practice forgiveness and the healing of broken relationships and call fellow Christians to do the same. It is time that we take our own marriage vows seriously and hold our brothers and sisters to be true to their commitments as well.
I voiced my frustration about the Jon & Kate fascination earlier on my blog. I was astounded from the first time I watched the show. How could Christians actually watch and endorse this mess of a relationship and family?
The Christianity Today article goes deep into not only the show, but Jon & Kate’s ills before the show aired. More profoundly is calls the Christian community to do better in keeping on another accountable within their marriages and family structures and challenges us to be cautious of what we support.
What I want to know is why?
Why did – and do – Christians gravitate to this show?
What is is about Jon & Kate that is so intriguing?
Why did Christianity Today- through articles – and Zondervan Publisng – through two books, including one just this April -both support the show and the family lifestyle?
I have thoughts, but someone help me out here, please.
I didn’t read the book – my wife did – but I have seen the TLC TV show. My wife and I are flabbergasted by the embrace that Jon & Kate + 8 has received from the evangelical Christians world. Specifically, what is bothersome is the fascination with Kate – it is interesting that there is no acknowledgment of Jon, I wonder if it comes from his leadership style, he is not a White-male authoritarian leader he is quieter Asian (though he is multi-racial) leader.
Much of it perhaps spawns from the Evangelical and conservative emphasis on motherhood. How can a mom who is a “Bible-believing” Christian with eight children not be considered as the best mother within Evangelical Christendom?
But I question . . .
Why did the Christian world get sucked into Jon and Kate’s world? Why did we exemplify them? Why are Christian women reading Multiple Blessings – published by Zonverdan (and probably will continue to)? Why did Kate do an interview with Today’s Christian Woman, a part of Christianity Today International?
Critics, both Christian and not point to the way Jon and Kate treat one another and the lac of grace in their interactions, however Kate suggests that that is normal behavior for a family.
Yeah. I definitely know there’s a lot of ugliness out there about us. Honestly, I think a lot of it’s because people squirm at how real we are. I think it bothers some people because it makes them think, If cameras were at my house, what would they capture? Would I be okay with that being aired?
I more than squirm. I am mad that we are allowing this family to represent at “Christian Family” Their marriage is horrible. I of course realize that we don’t see every aspect of their lives, but the way they speak to one another – honestly its Kat’s bossiness and Jon’s apathy – is anything but Christian. They do not work together on issues and disrespect each other. Specifically, they disrespect one another to the camera. Not in front of the camera. It is not that they do disrespectful, unloving things and the Camera catches them – that is real life – they make derogatory comments directly to the camera and to the audience about their spouse.
It would be one thing if they were caught on camera rolling their eyes, disrespecting one another, being ungrateful etc, and then apologized and reconciled with one another. This issue is they don’t do that. Perhaps the cameras just are playing that part, but the book suggests the same thing. As a married man, there is no way my relationship with my wife would be healthy if we treated each other this way. This backbiting is a LONG way from the love of Christ.
Now through all of the mess, there are rumors that Jon and/or Kate has been unfaithful.
With the world’s tabloids salivating over every detail of her husband Jon’s alleged affair with a 23-year-old teacher, Kate Gosselin now finds herself in the adultery spotlight, with allegations she has become more than a little too close to her bodyguard.
According to US Weekly, many people have been noticing the affection that clearly exists between Kate and her bodyguard, to the point where Jon threatened to hire a private detective to get to the truth of the matter.
I don’t know if Jon or Kate has had a physical affair – I think they have been emotionally and spiritually unfaithful for a while. I sure hope neither of them did, but honestly I don’t believe their marriage offers much for either of them. That doesn’t mean if either of them cheated they are off the hook. I am simply just not surprised.
Apparently, now Kate is considering divorce.
Okay she isn’t really considering a divorce she is just lost in all of this drama. But why is Kate addressing the public (and trashy magazines) by herself, especially if she and Jon want to have a good marriage? This isn’t something that you just do on your own. You do it together.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t envy Jon and Kate. Raising 8 little ones has to be extremely difficult. I understand how they can treat each other poorly and even have an affair. I pray – truly – that their relationship improves. Although they have a multiplicity of issues they need to address – especially Kate’s demeaning attitude and her seeming lust for the limelight and Jon’s respondent apathy. It is not them who need to be taken to task, it is Christian media.
This show is being generalized to represent Christianity. Stuff Christians Like made references to this show being a “Christian” thing. Perhaps Christians don’t want to turn their back on the couple, but I don’t think that fear is necessary. Christian media doesn’t have to claim they aren’t Christians – that would be preposterous – they simply need to stop funding them and state that these are not the values of a Christian family. Jon and Kate never were a good example of how a Christian family should operate and now they are even further from what God desires. Part of love within the Christian faith is calling out those who claim faith, but are not living that faith out.
I am not the first blogger to go at the show and Christian media’s endorsement and I hope I am not the last. Jon and Kate could easily be Christians, if they present that on their show that is a great thing, but we as Christians shouldn’t get sucked into their lives and set it up as some ideal nor should we ignore the ways that their actions are extremely unchristian.
Recent Comments