Ministry and media

Group, Nov/Dec 2003 by Belknap, Bryan

biblical discussion starters

YOUTH AND CULTURE

mary j. blige

MUSIC

song: "Ultimate Relationship (A.M.)" (from Love & Life)

topic: Time with God

theme: The singer loves spending time with Jesus.

background: Mary J. Blige reclaims her rightful crown as the queen of hip-hop soul on Love & Life, attributing the hope and joy she expresses on these love songs to her discovery of God and her relationship with her fiance. Blige dazzles when she combines her sultry vocals with rappers Method Man, Eve, and 50 Cent. She also adds soulful punctuation to an ethereal chorus in "It's a Wrap" and "When We." In contrast, her solo ballads ("Feel Like Makin Love" and "Special Part of Me") sound overwrought and mundane. Like most R&B albums, 12 excellent songs would hold more power than cramming in 18 hits and misses. Also, it's difficult to square Mary's obvious devotion to God with her celebration of sex with her fiance.

discussion questions: Ask: Do you share the singer's excitement about spending time with God? Why or why not? What do you typically do when you spend time with God? What do you get out of these times? Read aloud Mark 1:35. What keeps you from making more time for God? Do you believe that spending time at the beginning of the day with God would give you more time for everything else you need to do? Why or why not? What would it take to make spending time with God your top priority?

skillet

song: "Imperfection" (from Collide)

topic: Self-Esteem

theme: God loves us intimately despite our imperfections.

background: Collide will definitely connect with listeners everywhere. Skillet rarely gains originality points with their overall music (which echoes recent efforts by Evanescence and Marilyn Manson), but they score off the charts for their crowd-pleasing hooks and melodies. This sonic juggernaut mixes metal, Goth, and electronica with killer choruses to create an overpowering wall of sound. The band's vague lyrical ruminations on pain and confusion stand on par with secular counterparts, but Skillet always affirms the existence of hope in the midst of storms. Without specifically naming Jesus or God, they speak of our need for something greater than ourselves, in a musical language people understand-which provides a perfect opportunity for Christians to connect the dots.

discussion questions: Ask: What kinds of failures and imperfections affect our self-esteem? What else can tear down our self-esteem? How does a low self-esteem affect our relationship with others? with God? Read aloud Ephesians 1:2-14. What promises does Paul list here? Why does God grant such honor upon imperfect sinners? If you wholeheartedly accepted God's promises, how would this knowledge change your self-esteem? your relationships? your ability to share your faith?

elf (pg)

Buddy (Will Ferrell), who's been raised as an adopted elf at the North Pole, travels to New York City to find his biological father. He experiences serious elf-out-of-snow issues while adjusting to cynical big city life and trying to gain his father's love. Elf delivers a minimal plot packed with a winning mix of surreal, slapstick, and situational humor. For the most part, it avoids potty talk. Despite the rudimentary story, the film touches on issues such as individuality, belonging, and family. One topic for in-depth discussion is loss of innocence-help students discern how to protect their innocence in our media-saturated culture without being naive or fearful.

MOVIE

discussion questions: Ask: How was Buddy innocent to the ways of the world? Would you want to have a childlike innocence as an adult? Why or why not? What's the difference between being innocent and being naive? Can you be one without being the other? Read aloud Proverbs 21:8. As children, in what ways are we innocent? How do we lose this innocence? Can innocence be regained? Can a person be aware of the world while remaining innocent? Why or why not? What's the best thing you can do right now to safeguard your innocence?

bringing down the house (pg-13)

topic: Bigotry

scripture: John 4:4-14

clip location: 1:12:15 through 1:14:00*

VIDEO

synopsis: Mrs. Arness tells stories about how her "Negro" servant Ivy served meals to the family, ate their scraps, and even sang to them. Mrs. Arness busts out singing an incredibly offensive spiritual, and Charlene barely contains her righteous rage.

gospel filter: The bigoted audacity of this scene begs discussion. Despite the lip service given to tolerance, bigotry thrives in hearts and minds around the world. Identify attitudes of bigotry, discuss how they affect all our relationships, and plan possible remedies for this cancerous scourge.

discussion questions: Ask: How did Mrs. Arness reveal her bigotry? What's the difference between racism and bigotry? Where have you witnessed bigotry? Have you ever stood up to a bigot? Why or why not? What are the root causes of bigotry? Read aloud John 4:4-14. How did Jesus fight against prejudice toward the Samaritans? Other than simply talking, what methods help combat bigotry? Where have you seen bigotry in school? in our community? our church? How can we fight bigotry as individuals? as a youth group? What positive results could we bring about if we joined with others to fight bigotry?