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Jerry Maquire, Trainspotting, Liv Tyler, Evita, Dead Man Walking, Denzel Washington, Woody Harrelson. Recognize any of these names? You should.
These names are part of the enterainment industry, and they have impacted our generation immensely. When I began working with youth, I did not recognize a lot of these names. I know them now. Are you a parent or a youth worker who is not in touch with your teens' changing world?
Walt Mueller (Center for Parent/Youth Understanding) shares three points that sum up what youth ministry (and I think parenting) is all about: Know the unchanging Word; know changing kids in a changing world; take the unchanging Word to changing kids in a changing world.
Do you do #1 and #3 but leave out #2? All of us live in the same changing world, but not all of us are necessarily in touch with it. Do you know your changing world? Do you know your kids' changing world? I can hear the words already: Why should I bother to learn all this stuff? Isn't it dangerous? After all, "garbage in = garbage out."
Do you watch the evening news? Do you know the score of the hockey game last night? Do you know how much gold is worth right now? If you know that information, then you know your changing world, and this gives you a bridge to minister to those that do not know Christ. Your kids' world changes a lot, too. To understand their changing world will give you a bridge to understand them.
The apostle Paul set a precedent for us in Acts 17. Paul understood that in order to get the message across to an unfamiliar audience, he needed to find common ground. Paul quoted one of their own poets and used an illustration of about one of the idols that he had seen while he was walking around the city. Paul studied his changing world. We need to know ours.
The entertainment industry today is lot like the poets of Paul's era. Musicians today are basically poets writing what they have been through and what they are searching for. And when you're 15, you're searching for a lot of stuff, remember? When kids listen to music or watch movies, they are searching for answers. As followers of Christ, we can give an answer of hope unlike what secular artists can offer.
Jesus, Lamb of God, Saviour, Friend, Discipler, Father, Peace, Love, Healer, Counsellor, King of Kings, I Am. Recognize any of these names? You should.
Scott Lanigan is youth pastor at Arnold Community Church in Abbotsford, B.C.
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