Studies in religion and popular culture
Forshey, G.E. (1984, Fall). Studies in religion and popular culture. Explore: A Journal of Theology, 7. Evanston, IL: Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.
OVERVIEW
Pastors and religious scholars...have generally regarded...television and films...(and) best selling novels...as disreputable forms of escape. Yet these entertainments create a mythic world for the individual and society in which human limits and possibilities are shaped, ordered and given meaning.
...we are finding that the way we understand ourselves and our churches may be as deeply shaped by the myths available through popular culture as by the biblical images on which our faith officially rests. (p. 17).
The article continues with a historical bibliography.
IMPLICATIONS
Parents. To become fully human—that is, to be socialized—children must develop cultural myths. The imaginations of children construct myths from the conversations of elders, from school stories, around the dinner table, and increasingly from television. It is important to add bedtime stories, to share myths and life stories with teens, and to enter into the mythic world of contemporary culture—the stories of the screen and rock music. This latter exercise is not to capitulate—but to understand, appreciate, and challenge current social responses and values. Teachers and all educators. Current studies note weaknesses in the imaginative, affective, and value training of American children grades kindergarten through six. Indeed, many do not feel that this is the prerogative of public education, because it is influenced by scientific positivism. Yet, secular education is now asked to provide children with a sense of purpose and meaning, capability and worth. Responsibility must be added to the three "Rs." These senses in children depend on a mythic understanding of the meaning of it all and one’s place in that scheme. Youth workers. Youth leaders must listen to rock music, see teen movies and television, and scan teen magazines and novels in order to understand the myths of the youth culture. These myths are not automatically bad or good; they are cultural and necessary. They are the means by which we understand kids and frame our communication with them.
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