The Blog: ministry, music, media

Media Literacy, Faith and Conversation posted on June 10, 2009

If your everyday life of faith includes love and mercy, do the media choices you and your family make reflect it? Media choices can provide really good conversation in the family about how you faithfully solve conflict, share your toys and offer forgiveness even when it is really the hardest thing to do. The key is: good conversation.

How we live out our faith is evident in the choices we make, everyday. It seems plain enough; the thing is we forget to be intentional about that full blush, I am a person who believes in the God of creation and here is how I live that conviction, way of life. Our media choices reflect that confusion. I have talked with more faith-led parents than I can say who tell me (with a PG-13 or R rated film recently watched), ‘oh she’s only five but she knows the difference’ or, ‘he’s only 7 but he is really smart and understands everything.” Maybe this is true for some, but violent and sexualized media does have its influence. You learn what you are shown. We all do. If we confess a life of faith that includes justice and mercy, what does it say about us when violence becomes entertainment, sexism becomes humor, and persons become objectified to sell stuff?

Media is constructed to influence the choices we make on a daily basis. If it were not so, then strategic marketing plans would not matter and advertisements would consist of a picture of the product, the price of the product and where to make the product purchase. If it is a food product being advertised, the ad would tell us what was in the product. The point is that these media constructs are very specifically and meticulously created to influence you and me, the consumer of media, to make a choice, take action and respond to something. It is not all bad, of course, but it is something that media culture consumers and communicators, need to think and talk about.
That means all of us and our kids. And for people who claim a compass of faith, choices become more clear when we are communicating what we think, feel and pray.

Together we are going to talk about how to understand what media is saying, below the surface. For example:

I fully confess that CGR is media created to influence you, the adult, to resist media that would violently, sexually, or otherwise inappropriately come into the lives of the children you love as entertainment. It is our prayer here at CGR that music offering messages of hope, justice and love will be good for the children as an expectation that media can be filled with good messages about the common good among us. And, that children’s voices are valid expressions of faith on life’s journey.

Big Tip
The best media literacy tool you have as a parent, is you. This blog will offer some tips and helps about how to become media literate in your family.
The first tip: good conversation.
Intentionally be with the kids when consuming media so you can talk about it with them and they know you are listening, watching and caring about what they are consuming.

Music
When I think of being intentional some songs come to mind from our music line-up on CGR: Black Sheep’s, Time to Think, as we are reminded not to take for granted the freedoms we enjoy. Another song is Sweet Honey in the Rock’s story of a the song of the spirit that feeds the people, Ise Oluwa. And also listen for Dan Zane’s version of an old Jim Garland song, All I Want (is the right to live mister, give me back my job again), reminding us not to take for granted and the blessings in our lives. Hope it helps your family in talking about being intentional and making good choices, together.

Thanks with blessings for the common good,
Pastor Robin

There are 5 comments “Media Literacy, Faith and Conversation” was posted by Pastor Robin

Comments

1

Thank you so much for starting this. I look forward to those yet to come.

By Adly on March 18, 2010

2

Wow, this actually cleared some things up.

By RUTH30 on September 13, 2010

3

It is a brilliant theme about media and faith. what else?

By MARISSA3 on April 22, 2011

4

Parents like me need more of this. .

By parentclub on January 22, 2012

5

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