Do you know what the most viewed video on Youtube of all-time is? It’s this one and it’s been viewed over 600 MILLION times since it was posted last year:
This is no surprise to anyone remotely tuned into pop-culture. But just made me think about the capacity of the Church’s efforts to shape culture ... vs. the capacity of the Bieber to do so. It’s not really fair to compare the two, as it really shouldn’t be one or the other. But I guess that’s my point.
I mean, the Church does a lot of work to change hearts and minds, working for justice and sharing truth. And it is ALL every bit worth it, it’s essential and we need much more of it. So don’t misunderstand me. But it’s always a good idea to reflect on how we might be able to do it more effectively.
After all, it’s hard not to at least question, for instance, whether or not Justin Bieber’s pro-life remarks earlier this year perhaps had a more profound impact on creating a culture of life than anything the Church has done in recent years—particularly with the youth (you know, the “future”). I think the answer might be yes.
If so, then logically, what we need to do is create like a Justin Bieber factory. Like a little teen celebrity factory, except with really good catechesis. And it sends young men and women out to infiltrate pop-culture like “baby, baby, baby ooooo” and instead of the next generation thinking it’s cool to be a single mom or to swing both ways, they’ll think it’s cool to go to Mass, pray a lot and discern one’s vocation.
And I don’t mean they’ll think it’s cool like it’s cool to wear a rosary around your neck (but not pray it) or to get Hebrew scripture tattoos (that you can’t understand). I mean they’ll think it’s cool like Justin Bieber is still cool even after admitting he’s pro-life.
By the way, another name for these little factories is “the family.” We just need to remind ourselves that it’s not just the job of priests and theologians to evangelize. Effective evangelization, just like in any ministry, is as much (if not more) about leadership as theology. This is as true for youth ministers as it is for pop-stars. The theology must be correct. But leadership and cultural influence will largely determine who hears about it. The Church is great at the theology. But maybe we need to put some effort into making some more Biebers? eh?
What do you all think?
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I so much agree… I pray every night that my children will grow up good and effective christians. I try to do my best to raise them well but who knows what they learn from school and from watching tv. May God have mercy on us all.
Another example just happened on The Glee Project. One of the young contestants stood up for his moral beliefs and rather than have to compromise them he chose to leave the show even though the producers wanted him to stay. In following his moral principles he showed something amazing to the viewing audience, and was voted fan favorite by quite a margin (he had been trailing before his departure from the show).
These young people who are standing up for their beliefs are not going unnoticed.
Three cheers for the domestic church! (Have babies-babies-babies-ooo!)
I’d have to disagree with the pop culture part of this article. At 31 years of age, I’m still recovering from being a part of evangelical Christian “youth group culture”. It tapped celebrities, especially musicians, quite heavily in trying to influence kids for Christ. But the vast majority of the time, there fails to be any lasting change within the lives of those who attend them.
Fame is fleeting and generally speaking, kids are attracted to artists and celebrities who put into words what they already feel. There are already factors in their lives (the majority of the time stem from their upbringing and family) that cause their words to resonate with them. Kids will go through different phases and there will be different people they listen to. But their families will always be there for them. And they are what mainly shape and mold people into what they become.
pax tecum,
tim :)
Tim - I completely agree that the family is the center of it all and ultimately, by far, the most influential - as I indicated in the post. But how do we influence kids who don’t have parents like that to grow and be parents who are? That’s where culture plays a huge roll.
I think the problem with the “evangelical Christian ‘youth group culture’” you are referencing is that they often don’t have the substance/theology that brings lasting fulfillment. They do a great job using pop-culture and leadership to attract people. It’s what happens after that where they fall short. I don’t think it’s wise to discard what they do well in this case because of that.
That said, there’s also a big difference between adapting our faith to pop-culture (as many pop-Christian groups do) and working to adapt pop-culture to our faith (what I’m suggesting). And the way we do that, is with leadership.
There’s nothing wrong with being attracted to well planned events with powerful, charismatic leaders, fine musicianship, beautiful art, or presentations that showcase highly skilled individuals. Those are all reflections of excellence and the gifts God has blessed us with and expects us to use. And if we embrace those with excellence and leadership, people are attracted to it. They look up to us - not because they are superficial, but because they see and love the excellence of Creation…they see the mark of the Creator. They are drawn to Him through it. And if we do that while living a life of holiness, it is a powerful combination that leads to the greatest treasures and ultimately to the deepest, most fulfilling relationship with Him.
I agree with what you’re promoting, but I would just say to be careful when comparing Christians to any pop culture figure, as it can get slippery. Because there’s a fundamental difference here: I believe that, while Bieber’s pro-life stance could very well have done a lot to influence this generation, it has nothing to do with the reason why he remains popular.
Rather, the reason why he remains popular even after the “controversy” is because his fans *are not obliged to care.* Bieber’s pro-life stance is something that you can take in or throw away at your will.
With Christ, it can’t be the same. I definitely agree with the need for devoted, catechized leaders of the youth—but I tend to believe that, even if we had these people, in the end they would still be the minority, and we must be willing to accept that. Christ is hard because truth is hard (because if lies weren’t easier, there’d be no point in lying). Bieber’s pro-life stance is low maintenance. Christ is not. We must remember that most, if not 99%, of the work God does through us will be unseen.
I guess I don’t understand what you mean when you talk about “comparing Christians to any pop culture figure.” I’m just saying that authentic Christians can become popular, influential figures…for any number of reasons.
Their popularity may not be explicitly because of their Christianity (but it certainly could be - take Archbishop Fulton Sheen, for example). But that’s beside the point, anyway. The point is that they are influential and powerful. People listen to them and look up to them in all kinds of ways. And the more influential and powerful people we have who exemplify holiness, the holier many other people will become.
It has nothing to do with being the minority or not. Simply with effecting holy change, justice, saving more souls.
And it’s also not to say that popular leaders are all that we need. Far from it. But such leadership opens minds to things they would not have otherwise considered…which is a necessary first step, and often the hardest step.
The point is here (I guess) is that we must use our God given talents to proclaim the Good News regardless we become popular or influential because of it or not. We should also always pray for those celebrity christians, specially catholics, that they may stay strong in their faith and may become more effective evangelists using the platform they are on.
I agree too!! Pop culture prolife and faith messages, Matthew you’re brilliant, why hasn’t anyone thought of this before? Justin Beiber, he’s certainly the answer! Here’s some more inspiration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIgZ7gMze7A&ob=av2e
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu3VTngm1F0&ob=av2e
Really, Bob? Grow up, please.
Bob - I appreciate the insights. But non-serious people rarely take things seriously no matter what you do. BTW - “pedophilia” is not the primary sex abuse issue…that’s a misunderstanding of the issue as most all of the kids/teens involved were not that young. That said, it was still absolutely atrocious and it absolutely does hurt the credibility of the Church when speaking on just about any issue. You’re right.
I have three points that might help you though:
1) Abstinence has absolutely nothing to do with it. Every study I’ve seen shows that such sex abuse of minors occurs just as often - and usually far MORE often - in other institutions, including the public school system. So it is plain ignorance that suggests a priest’s vow of celibacy has any role in this problem.
2) Due to a biased media and the perpetuation of ignorant (i mean that in the truest sense) comments like yours, most people have no clue of a real sense of the real issue, how bad it actually was, what the real problems were, how much better it is now and what the Church has done (more than any other institution on the planet) to improve the situation.
3) Just because a small percentage of leaders in the Church do heinous, atrocious, absolutely horrible things, I would hope you have the sense of fairness not to malign every priest in the Church - the vast majority of whom are very good and some of whom are the most holy, helpful gifts on the planet.
I wrote more on the issue here if you’re interested.
God bless you.
Thank you, Matthew, for being a voice out there. May God bless you always. More power to you.
Dear Bob: If I understand you correctly, you are outraged (and rightfully so) about the sexual abuse committed by some priests. We are, too. But I don’t think that you can and will contest the teachings of the Church (e.g. Love God above all things and Love thy neighbor as thyself). You may not follow it, but I don’t believe that you can say that its wrong either. So please, direct your anger to the sin and not to the mother church.
Its not easy to be a christian. It never was. As a matter of fact, you will probably see only a handful who are really living Christ’s teachings. But it does not mean that Christ’s teachings are not good. They are. I bet you wish every one is like Christ. And guess what, that’s whats the church’s desire, too, that we convert ourselves from being a sinner to being a saint.
And Bob, the church is here to stay whether we like it or not. As long as there are sinners in this world, the mother church is here to stay to take each soul to Eternal Life.
“your social relevancy is long gone”... I do not think so. The fact that you care tells you otherwise. Actually it’s quite the opposite. The church is so relevant that it’s teachings become the norm of our society. You and I may not notice it as much as we notice an ad on a billboard because we live it every moment of our life. As long as people ‘love’, God will be relevant. And those people who love need God and need the Church. Remember, you cannot understand ‘love’ without understanding the divine nature of the word. We may not realize it now, but we will.
Anyway, thank you for caring. Again, don’t think that we in the church were not outraged of what happened. We were. It’s just that we were taught to forgive and move forward with hope and faith. That’s the difference between you and us. Does forgiving mean that we will allow another child to be hurt? Absolutely not. Forgiving means going forward with hope and confidence that we learned our lessons from our mistakes and vow to do better as we move on with our lives.
Pop stars that promote Church could suceed. If fallen away Catholics came back to Church with an open heart that is opened through the Holy Spirit they have a great chance of staying. Living as a teeneager in an evangelical church may seem great but it is not what Jesus gave us. It fullfils praise to God but not in the way Jesus wanted. So the power of the Holy Spirit in a CAtholic Church during adoration or Mass or just in quiet reflection would be powerful. Just need to get the people there.
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