Digital Evangelism Issues

When people are seeking spiritual answers, why would we not try to listen to them and start engaging in the terms and language they are using, rather than defaulting to some standardizedformulaic gospel presentation?

Listening to the society around us is not optional. John Stott called it ‘double listening’. Tony Watkins has written on double listening in relation to popular culture.

Below, Sheridan Voysey explains some vital issues in understanding a country’s soul. This is one of a series of key video clips; please take time to follow the others on his blog.

John Cleese, creative writer, actor and comedian, has produced much memorable comedy. The classic TV series Fawlty Towers (1975-9) is widely regarded as one of the best television comedies of all time. It has dated little in nearly 40 years, and is available as a remastered DVD set.

So you might think Cleese could teach us something about creativity – and you’d be right.

Below is his 36-minute talk on how to bring out your creative side. Set aside some time to watch it!

Eric Dye, of the excellent ChurchMag, writes,

“A few nights ago, my wife and I watched this video of John Cleese speaking about creativity.

It. Was. Amazing!

There were so many different things I got from this video. From how business are run, to education, to my own creative process.”

Creatives have not always been given freedom to use their gifts in evangelism and discipleship. Or even humor.

Does this talk resonate with you? Please add your comments.

Check our free books about humor and other related blog posts.

Photo credit: FlandersDC/Flickr | Creative Commons

The Hunger Games movie has released across the world, with critical acclaim. It may not be a film that would appeal to your mother, or perhaps even you – if your demographic is not teens and twenties. But be assured, most of your church youthgroup and their peers will see this one. And it’s definitely not a lightweight high school comedy. This is deep and serious, indeed bleak.

Based on the popular book by Suzanne Collins, the film is set in a disfunctional future: background to story, film [spoiler warning] and plot. (Note that although this film has been certified, with a few cuts, as suitable for 12-year-olds in eg. UK, some at this age level will find it disturbing.)

With a gripping background of life and death, it can raise some serious spiritual questions. Get up to speed with the story, and then use as a discussion starter in youthgroups, online, or anywhere else.

Here’s some useful Christian analysis to get you started:

• The Hunger Games – detailed review from CT with very helpful set of conversation-starting questions at the end.

• The Hunger Games Discussion Guide – Damaris resource with valuable questions.

• Bread and Circus – Damaris Culturewatch feature article.

• Krish Kandiah – UK’s Evangelical Alliance culture guru points to some film parallels, with link to TearFund’s related global poverty resource page.

• Julie Clawson’s An Allegory of Christian Love based on the film – she has also written the book The Hunger Games and the Gospel: Bread, Circuses, and the Kingdom of God.

• What are we really hungry for? – Casey Franklin muses on reality, illusion, and real spiritual hunger.

• But Isn’t Hunger Games about Kids Killing Kids? asks Jonathan McKee, president of The Source for Youth Ministry.

• What Makes the Hunger Games So Popular? asks Tim Challies.

There is a huge lack of online evangelistic material to engage with lower-end or upper-end teens. This is one of our huge omissions as a church. Check The Youth Culture Report for thoughts and ideas.

Have you seen the film? Please add your thoughts in the Comments section.

We hear a lot about ‘left-brain’ and ‘right-brain’ these days. Below is a helpful infographic summary. Of course, most of us are a mixture of both sets of characteristics, depending on our personality, gender and the culture we live in. But one side may tend to predominate.

A huge significance to these differences: our digital communication culture, and therefore the biggest influence on the way we all think and communicate, is much more ‘right-brain’ than the print communication it is rapidly replacing. Len Sweet’s book Viral is a useful exposition of this dramatic shift.

In what ways can you see this change taking place? Please add your thoughts on the Comments section.

Click on image to open in new tab, then use browser + size increase to display full size (and/or print).

Thanks to OnlineCollege.org for this infographic.

Culturewatch ministry Damaris has produced resources to bring out spiritual and life lessons embedded in two great new film releases…

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

The moving story of a boy with Asperger’s whose father has died in the Twin Towers:

Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (now a major Hollywood film starring Sandra Bullock and Tom Hanks) explores one boy’s search for meaning after the death of his father in the Twin Towers attacks. Peter S. Williams and Sophie Lister explore the deeper issues raised in both book and film, looking to point a way towards the answers that Oskar is searching for. Short enough to read in one sitting, deep enough to provoke further thought, this mini-eBook from Damaris is the perfect stimulus for anyone sharing in Oskar’s search for hope. Buy as a Kindle or iPad eBook (plus other related ebooks on movies and popular culture).

Incidentally, Damaris are also planning resources for the re-release of Chariots of Fire later this year. Producer David Putnam will be talking about the message of the film at the Christian Resources Exhibition 8 May.

And do sign up for their weekly email Culturewatch newsletter.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Damaris writes, “A delightful and stimulating movie that features a wonderful collection of much loved British actors.

It tells the story of a group of pensioners whose retirement takes an unconventional turn as they move to a hotel for ‘the elderly and beautiful’ in Jaipur, India, run by the ever optimistic young manager Sonny (Dev Patel). We are delighted to provide free official community resources which will enable all of us to make the most of this feel-good movie.”

Download free Marigold resources

Regular readers of this blog will have noticed an occasional tendency to enthuse about the Japanese animé films from Studio Ghibli. So here we go again! Arrietty is their latest.

Released in Japan in 2010, it came to Europe in early 2011 and UK/Australia in July. Now, finally, North America gets it too – released on 17 February, under the US title The Secret World of Arrietty. The delay must be in part because Disney, for better or worse, has rejected the existing English soundtrack and started again with different, American, actors. Actually, when watching Studio Ghibli I generally prefer to switch to the Japanese-language version and read the English subtitles.

Because it is a sheer delight. Pure treasure. The artwork and soundtrack are beautiful, detailed and subtle. At one point, you can even hear the sound of a ladybird’s wings starting to open. The story-telling is gently paced and harmonious. The opening song and other music from French Breton celtic singer and harpist Cécile Corbel a joy – see video below. (Lyric: English  | Japanese) Indeed, Ghibli theme music is usually haunting and first class, as this orchestral medley demonstrates.

True to the book

If you have read Mary Norton’s The Borrowers books or seen the BBC serial, you’ll recognize the first two books’ narrative as retold in the Ghibli version, although it is slimmed down and placed in a Japanese setting. It is very true to the spirit of the original, unlike the Jim Broadbent/John Goodman 2007 film which was pure gung-ho Tom and Jerry action. The BBC made a new 90-minute TV version with Stephen Fry, Victoria Wood, and Christopher Eccleston, shown Christmas 2011. BBC also aired two mini-series in 1992-3. All three are available on DVD.

If you want to come to the story fresh, skip the spoiler synopsis in the Wikipedia article, which has lots of helpful information about the film. For a sensitive and detailed review, see Helen McCarthy’s article. McCarthy is a foremost expert, writing and speaker on many areas of Japanese culture including animé. You can watch her lecture From Nausicaa to Ashitaka: The development of the heroic ideal in the 20th century works of Hayao Miyazaki at the University of Maryland.

Reviews in National Catholic Register and Christianity Today are enthusiastic.

DVD availability

If you missed it as a movie in Europe/Australasia, the English DVD (Region 2) is available in UK and many other countries. Release in North America is mid-2012 after its movie theater run. You can already buy the Japanese-language version (all-regions DVD with English subtitles) from good Asian suppliers such as ZoomMovie with cheap delivery charges. You may also prefer the British dub to the Disney US English dub (which inexplicably has removed Cecile Corbel’s song).

Gift ideas

Studio Ghibli DVDs make great presents! Individual titles are relatively cheap on Amazon. A boxed set (DVDs work in all regions) of all 14 movies is available from specialist animé dealers such as Anime United and often from independent sellers within Amazon.

If you don’t know the genre, start with the less fantastical Studio Ghbili titles such as Only Yesterday, The Cat Returns, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Castle in the Sky, Nausicaa, Whisper of the Heart, and Ponyo. The pre-Ghibli Castle of Cagliostro and (for younger children) Panda Go Panda are also fun. A further pre-Ghibli gem directed by Hayao Miyazaki is the 1978 26-episode made-for-TV Future Boy Conan. It’s not distributed in the West, but can be easily found on eBay or Asian anime suppliers. Similar films in the Ghibli style include The Girl Who Jumped Through Time, and Mai Mai Miracle. Most Ghibli films relate to any age group, through perhaps Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke and Grave of the Fireflies are too esoteric/scary (and Grave is sad) for younger ones. For teens and adults, check animations by the late great Satoshi Kon, such as Millennium Actress. You can find trailers for all these films on YouTube.

Christian parallels

Popular culture frequently gives us spiritual parallels and starting points for conversation. What can we see in Arrietty?

The main theme is the need to escape from an untenable situation with a journey to an unknown freedom. This resonates clearly with the Exodus story (itself reflected so tragically right through Jewish history), which the Bible clearly positions as both a historical physical escape and a figurative parallel of spiritual journey into new life.

The restricted enclosed world in which the Borrower family has lived in reasonable safety (due to wise precautions) is finally compromised. Likewise we may live for years within a limited or non-existent understanding of ourselves in relation to God’s purpose and plan for us. Sometimes it needs a crisis to jump-start us into a spiritual journey, to search for who God really is and how Jesus fits into this picture.

You may see other parallels too? Please add them using the ‘Comment’ link below.

7 reasons to like Studio Ghibli films

1. They are tender and gentle, not in-your-face, all constant action, noise and smart-guy banter. They don’t try to doll up a thin story with a thrill a minute.
2. They appeal to people of any age. Before she was five, our youngest granddaughter could easily understand Nausicaä – Valley of the Wind, and proclaimed it her best movie. Yet they are not ‘children’s stories’. In Japan, these are mainstream adult viewing as befits their deeper levels of complexity.
3. They reflect the many attractive facets of Japanese culture, where politeness, harmony and understated gentleness are key. (Japanese cuisine is like this too – cooking is a delight of subtle harmonious flavors.)
4. Many Ghibli films tell their story through the eyes of a child or young person, who is learning to face challenges in the wider world. Frequently, this is a girl, in contrast to Western animations where, with the exception of princess stories, it’s normally a male lead (as The Guardian discusses in an excellent article).

   Using Christopher Booker’s Seven Basic Plots definitions, Ghibli stories frequently include the ‘Voyage and Return’ theme. ‘The Quest’ and ‘Overcoming the Monster’ themes are common too. (Review of Seven Basic Plots book)

5. Ghibli films demonstrate a far-reaching contrast to Western ‘me-centered’ individualistic culture. Consider, for instance, most of our favorite Disney princess-themed stories. It’s all about the heroine and a her journey to get her life-goal – usually a prince and freedom. She may receive and give help to others along the way. But the big prize is exclusively hers. (See hard-hitting cartoon and discussion on Disney princesses, which happily does not criticise the saintly Belle!)

   Eastern culture is different – the community is more important than the individual. Ghibli heroes and heroines are not about getting, but giving. They usually bring redemptive help to others around them, rather as Vianne channels healing to her repressed village in Chocolat. Indeed, their main prize is the satisfaction of having helped others, while gaining maturity and wisdom from the life lessons in this journey.

   I wonder which is the more biblical?

6. Villains are not usually portrayed as utterly evil, but honestly nuanced with at least some good motives or traits, and they frequently find a measure of redemptive resolution through the leading character. (Again, compare with Chocolat.)
7. The central character is also honestly depicted, often with flaws or other issues. They are not cutesy, stereotyped or cloyingly sweet.

You can read more about Ghibli films in Studio Ghibli: The Films of Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata(also available in UK).

Coming soon

Now Ghibliphiles must wait in happy expectation for the next film: From up on Poppy Hill (Kokuriko-Zaka Kara).

This is an updated version of a post first published in August 2011

Here’s some sheer musical talent to honor. And yes, Zoe Thomson is only 8. Her Stratosphere guitar is likely older than her.

Music is an integral part every culture, throughout history and across continents. We are hard-wired to communicate through music. The study of music in different cultures is called ethnomusicology. Using music in order to better communicate the good news in a cross-cultural mission setting is becoming increasingly understood. Often, culturally-appropriate music can be a key to unlock the message. Check these ethnomusicology resources.

Music strengthens almost any message – that’s why movies have music backgrounds. It’s like a flavor enhancer in cooking.

Words set to music are also memorable, of course. That’s one reason why Christians have always used music in worship, even in OT times. And in oral cultures, memorable lyrics are a way of understanding and remembering Christian teaching.

Do also check these free downloadable MP3s challenging us to share the good news.

Tim Stevens’ book has a valuable message.

Pop Goes the Church: Should the Church Engage Pop Culture? – valuable challenge on why and how to use popular culture for evangelism and ministry. Stevens presents the biblical mandate for this, and gives examples from his ministry.

“Pop Goes the Church should be read by every pastor, church leader, and layperson who wants to connect people to Jesus but is finding it hard to be heard in our media-saturated culture,” says Bill Hybels. “You have to get your hands on this book.” – Terry Johnson.

Watch Ed Stetzer interview Tim Stevens:

Author: Tim Stevens
Publisher: Power Publishing, ISBN 0979017491
Review

Our November book competition has now ended, but please check our range of free ebooks. Included is the definitive book on ministry collaboration: Well Connected – Releasing Power, Restoring Hope Through Kingdom Partnerships by Phill Butler, Using Film in Christian Communication by Tony Watkins, and a range of other books relating to church sites, social networking, movies, and more.

‘500 Years Of Female Portraits In Western Art’ is an intriguing morph video, tracing how representations of women have changed throughout art’s history. Watch as Johnson delicately weaves together famous portraits to show what traits and characteristics of the female figure have been deemed ‘ideal’ from epoch to epoch.

How a culture portrays itself and its ideals in art (including film, literature, music, even clothes design) is obviously deeply intertwined with its worldview.

What trends can you see here?

Women In Art from Philip Scott Johnson on Vimeo.

It is vital that there should be followers of Jesus in the creative arts. See our Open Letter to Christian Artists.

And art should matter to Christians, says Neue Magazine.

The creative arts are also a great conversation starting point. See how Justin Wise draws out some thoughts about Van Goch’s Church at Auvers. There are embedded truths in many of the creative arts, just waiting for us to use them to share the good news.