Remembering MTV
Few of us were up watching TV after midnight, August 1, 1981, to witness the debut of a newfangled cable channel called MTV; but before long, most of us were watching and talking about this visually stunning, r...
Kids for Sale: Corporate Consumerism and Its Primary Target
In your better moments, you may view young people as the future of the church; but for some of America's largest corporations, young people are little more than an irresistible target market."The Merchants...
Hunks and Hotties Hooking Up
Please note that the URLs in this article may link to offensive material.Jessica Simpson can't always distinguish between chicken and tuna, but she's smart enough to know that sex sells. The arguably talented 2...
A Serious Look at Cartoons
Christians often have a hard time taking pop culture seriously. This unfortunate tendency is even more pronounced when it comes to something as seemingly silly as comics and cartoons. Journalist Mark Pinsky aim...
Fame Is the Name of the Game in Youth Culture
Basketball player Sebastian Telfair is a national celebrity.His skills in shooting and ball handling have been broadcast live on ESPN2. He's appeared on the cover of Slam magazine and been featured alongside mo...
Developing a Theology of Pop Culture
About once a year, the folks at Fuller Theological Seminary take temporary leave of their senses and ask me to teach a class called "A Christian Perspective on Popular Culture" at the school's branch in Colorad...
Culture: Enemy or Friend?
Pop culture always has accentuated differences between younger and older generations. For example, people who during the 60s rebelled against their parents by listening to artists such as the Bea...
Cries in the Dark
What the heck is film for? Most folks see mainstream Hollywood movies as a form of entertainment or escape. For them, seven bucks is a small price to pay for 90 minutes of silly jokes, noisy chase scenes, pumpe...
Consuming Kids: How Sellers Create New Generations of Buyers
It was supposed to be an emotionally moving, reality-TV moment, but it didn't go entirely as planned. Thirteen-year-old Jennifer Schofield's room was getting a complete makeover, thanks to the folks at "Trading...
They’re Not Grown up Yet: Leaving Adult Decisions for Adulthood
It's a question we've all heard before and pondered in many of our quiet times. "Why does it seem that the church has no power to keep youth, or most people for that matter, in relationship with God?" How many ...