3 simple questions to help young people learn cultural discernment
Using questions to compare and contrast the worlds observed in tv shows and movie and the world in which we live helps young Christians learn cultural discernment
About a decade ago, some of the young people in my Youth Group had graduated high school. They were spreading their wings and learning to fly.
These young people were learning what independence really looked like. They were engaged in ministry to others and serving the body of Christ. And with this newfound, real independence they were also asking themselves and each other, “When will you travel to Europe?”.
Now, when I’d chat to them about seeing the world, the question of why they were planning to do this always came up. And the answer was usually:
“It’s just something I’ve always really wanted to do”.
I found this answer curious (even when I found it on my own lips!) as it would usually be the trump card, the end of the conversation. A long-held and strong desire was reason enough.
Even though “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do” means the same as “I want to”, it held a deep currency in our culture at the time. That the truest expression of our identity is what comes from deep within us—our feelings and desires. And it was such a strong sentiment that it was even on the lips and in the reasoning of young and earnest disciples seeking to live God’s way as they made significant decisions about travelling overseas and so many other things.
A recent publication, Faith for Exiles, looks at the practices that ‘resilient disciples’ have in common. The book suggests resilient disciples are those that have a lasting and thriving faith after adolescence. In Faith for Exiles, David Kinnaman and Mark Matlock found that typical 15–23-year-olds consume 2,767 hours of screen media on average, every year. The same age churchgoer takes in an average of 291 hours of spiritual content. That’s 10 times the amount of screen media than spiritual content.[1] We are deeply influenced by the culture that we are embedded in.
The question is this:
Do Christian young people know the difference between the ways of the culture and the ways of the kingdom of God?
Do they know that there is a difference? Kinnaman and Matlock demonstrate that lasting faith is characterised by the act of cultural discernment: “the ability to compare the beliefs, values, customs and creations of the world we live in with those of the world we belong to (the kingdom of God)”[2].
Just like my friend who grew up between the worlds of a Catholic school and an evangelical church. She grew to understand her own faith in Jesus more deeply and become more invested in her church community because she had to constantly compare it with the world she encountered at her school. She exercised cultural discernment.
How can we help young people become more conscious of the cultures and subcultures they inhabit and observe? How can we help them see the ways in which these cultures interact with and rub up against their Christian faith? One powerful tool is to help young people ask three simple questions of any part of culture they encounter (a TV show, a movie, a meme, their school):
Where is God? Who or what is God?
What claims are being made about the way the world works?
Where can hope and redemption be found, if at all?[3]
I’ve used these questions with young people as we have thought about the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, StarWars , Minecraft and even the NSW education system! Each time the conversations have been fruitful and young people have been better equipped to navigate the various worlds they encounter or inhabit. Here’s how it goes with StarWars:
Where is God? Who or what is God? The answer is “The Force” which is an energy that is in everything and is a passive presence, able to be utilised for good or evil.
What claims are being made about the way the world works? In Star Wars, if you allow strong emotions such as love, hate, sadness or joy to surface, you will be corrupted by them. This is the struggle of Anakin/Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. Mastery of your emotions is the realm if the Jedi Knight.
Where can hope and redemption be found? If at all? In Star Wars, everything is put to rights when Darth Vader turns on his master, sacrificing himself to save his son, Luke Skywalker. Redemption comes for Luke (and for The Empire) through the sacrifice of another.
The last piece of the puzzle in cultural discernment is to compare what you’ve observed with what the Bible says.
In the example above there are some striking differences and similarities between the world observed in Star Wars and the world to which young Christians belong. Unlike Star Wars, the God of the Bible is distinct from creation, is active in the world and is unable to be used for our own ends. A bit like Star Wars, the Bible calls us to have self-control, but goes further by suggesting that our emotions should be in submission to and shaped by God’s Word. Like Star Wars, redemption is found in the sacrifice of one for another. But the sacrifice of Jesus is sufficient for all time and all people.
It’s actually pretty simple to use these questions with young people in all sorts of settings. At home, at Youth Group, in church, in Bible studies, in resources, in conversation and more. Often, the conversation is lively and fun!
As these muscles of cultural discernment are exercised, young people become more and more able to navigate the barrage of cultural information they consume and observe online, on-screen and in the different communities they inhabit.
Why don’t you use these questions in your ministry or your home this week?
[1] Kinnaman and Matlock, 2019. Faith for Exiles, p25
[2] Faith for Exiles, p71
[3] Faith For Exiles, p103