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Engaging the Teenage Culture: A Model Approach Dr. William Brown President “The beauty of religious mania is that it has the power to explain everything. Once God (or Satan) is accepted as the first cause of everything which happens in the mortal world, nothing is left to chance… logic can be happily tossed out the window.” -- Stephen King, Author “Dear god, if you were alive, You know we’d kill you.” -- Marilyn Manson “Godeatgod” from the album Holy Wood “I would thank God, but I don’t believe in it.” -- Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam “I’ve got my own religion… If I get into trouble, there’s no God or Allah to sort me out. I have to do it myself.” -- Bjork “Yes, we are a nation that is unenlightened because of religion. I do believe that. I think that religion stops people from thinking. I think it justifies crazies. I think flying planes into a building was a faith-based initiative. I think religion is a neurological disorder.” -- Bill Maher Around the office, whenever I see a Christian, I scream and run away like a little girl. . . I am more afraid of Christians than I am of getting a flesh eating virus. . . . I am more afraid of Christians than I am of being shipped to Syria and tortured. Al Franken “Will and Grace, WWE Smackdown, Eminem, and Madonna have more to do with the direction of our culture than all of Congress.” Bill Wichterman Policy advisor to Senate Majority leader Bill Frist “More theology is conveyed in, and probably retained from one hour of popular television, than from all the sermons that are delivered on any given weekend in America’s synagogues, churches and mosques.” Phyllis Tickle Publisher’s Weekly “God-Talk in America” Q: What is the greatest competition for the hearts and minds of today’s Christian youth? A: Popular Culture & Entertainment Choices Q: What is the greatest frustration in what you do as a youth leader/teacher? Helping students learn discernment in their entertainment choices A: What keeps you from mentoring your students in discernment? I don’t know how to discern It’s so hard to keep up with popular culture I don’t have the time to research I don’t want to be “cheesy” in front of the youth What would benefit you the most in mentoring your students in this area? To be informed about what’s popular. To mentor the youth in making good choices. To engage the youth so they talk about what’s influencing them. What would you like to see accomplished? Give the student’s the knowledge and skills to discern. Present an image as being culturally relevant. What is a Worldview? “A worldview is first of all an explanation and interpretation of the world, and second, an application of this view to life.” W. Gary Phillips and William E. Brown Making Sense of Your World, p. 29. Elements of Worldview Thinking Explanation Focus: Biblical Instruction Goal: Think Biblically Interpretation Focus: Personal and Cultural Evaluation Goal: Discernment Application Focus: Personal Decisionmaking Goal: Christlikeness Examples of Worldview Teaching 1. Explore the distinctives of the Biblical worldview. Ask, “What if . . . “ 2. Explore the distinctives of other worldviews. Ask, “How would a ____ explain or interpret this?” 3. 4. Ask: “Why?” about everything. Collect worldview current events Examples of Worldview Teaching 5. “Enslave” yourself to everyone. Ask: “What are your favorite . . . songs/groups? Why? movies/celebrities? Why?” 6. So What? Ask: “What do these songs/movies/etc. tell us about ourselves? What is the underlying worldview? What values, actions, beliefs do they promote? How do these line up with a biblical view of life?” Engaging the Teenage Culture: A Model Approach Dr. William Brown President