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August 19, 2008

New Movies: Humor or Mockery?

Tropic Thunder, the new Ben Stiller movie that opened last week makes fun of “retards,” blacks and Jews, and is being boycotted by some of these groups.

Meanwhile, previews for Hamlet 2, which opens Aug. 22, pokes fun at Christ. The film shows what happens when a high school drama teacher in Tuscon, Ariz., tries to update Shakespeare, complete with a musical number called “Rock Me Sexy Jesus” (see the video here).

Here are some questions you can explore with your group:
–When does humor cross the line to become mockery? And who determines this?
–Exactly of whom are these films making fun? Do they attack “retards” and Jesus? Or, are they poking fun at moviemakers or drama teachers who exploit mental illness and religion? Or both?

Disabilities groups like the Special Olympics aren’t laughing at Tropic Thunder, and have organized a boycott. Religious groups are already complaining about Hamlet 2. How will you handle these films and the questions they raise?

Leaving School or Leaving the Faith?

USA Today says seven out of every 10 Christian high school students leave the church by the time they are 23.

John Decker, a volunteer for the InterVarsity Chapter at Syracuse (NY) University believes the key to reducing this attrition is for Christian groups to make the acquaintance of incoming freshmen early–like, within the first week–or before.

To prove his point, Decker’s been working closely with local Young Life groups to connect with high-school students, some of whom likely will be attending Syracuse eventually. He invites them to on-campus meetings and teaches them how to arrange for Christian roommates.

“This puts more earnestness in their own preparation and their own spiritual life while they’re still in high school,” Decker says. “We also encourage the incoming students to prepare their Facebook page in advance so they will establish a Christ-honoring identity from the outset and include some creative expression of their faith” (www.intervarsity.org).

Better Safe than Sued
Jack Crabtree; Zondervan; July 2008; 240 pp. $16.99
www.zondervan.com

Where do we find the balance with students between fun-loving friend and responsible adult leader?

Jack Crabtree isn’t asking us to play it safe so we don’t get in trouble. He is calling us to create an adventurous ministry and be careful with the precious cargo God and parents have entrusted to us. “As a youth leader, you no longer are responsible for just your life. You now are responsible for the safety of every young person under your supervision and care” (p. 20).

Nobody would accuse me of being a helicopter parent, yet I’m pretty cautious about who’s in charge when my two middle school kids attend retreats, mission trips or summer camps because some leaders have not embraced this responsibility. Almost weekly I receive a reference call from a church asking me to vouch for someone applying for a ministry position. Nearly every call ends with the same question: “Would you trust your own children with this person?” Unfortunately, every so often I have to say no.

Crabtree presents this essential advice without being pedantic. He loves to have fun and immerse students in adventure, but he also recognizes we all can become overconfident and take unnecessary risks. This book is filled with heart-wrenching true stories of tragic incidents and near misses, some of them avoidable and others unforeseen accidents.

With great compassion Jack provides preventative measures for minimizing risks inherent in camps, retreats, mission trips, sports, high adventure and transportation, as well as offers keen insights for dealing with serious accidents when they occur.

Avoiding a lawsuit is not the sole purpose of this book. “I’d like to keep you out of the courtroom, but there is a more compelling motivation for safety in youth ministry … Make it your goal that every young person and parent involved in your ministry would say your words and actions showed you loved the kids” (p. 8).

It doesn’t matter if we are just driving a student to McDonald’s for a Coke or leading a mission trip to Bolivia, we are accountable for returning these precious young lives back home safe and sound.

—Reviewer Mark Cannister is Professor of Youth Ministries, Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts.

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The YouthWorker eJournal Survey Results: Are Your Kids Smoking Pot?

Forty-two percent of Americans have tried marijuana, according to a recent study. What about your kids? Are they smoking pot? We asked you last time. Here’s what you told us.

Marijuana is a problem for some of our kids. 45%

Marijuana is a BIG problem for some of our kids and a constant temptation for others. 35%

Marijuana is a problem in our area, but none of the kids in our group smoke pot. 20%

We don’t have problems with drugs. Alcohol is the drug of choice for kids in our area. 0%

[To subscribe to Youth WorkerJournal, click here]

Thanks for joining us for this issue of the YouthWorker eJournal. See you next time.

Sincerely, Steve Rabey, YouthWorker Journal editor, and our entire crew