Teaching Narrative (again...)

I was discussing Bible narrative with a college lecturer at the weekend, and he told me his current approach. He gets his audience into a story by directing them to the narrator and his art:

'Can you see how he has grabbed their attention by making a shocking opening statement?'
'Notice how the storyteller is using his surroundings as pictures for his story.'
'Did you spot the cliff-hanger at the beginning? Now the audience will be hanging on every word waiting to see what happens next...'

This approach would be too complex for younger children, who need a simple, clear story. But for older children and teens this can be an engaging way to get them into the passage. It also helps them to see that the Bible writers chose which narrative to include, where to put it and how to tell it - all great clues pointing to the main point they are making.

The Harry Potter Effect

A few years ago a flurry of books came out giving a Christian response to Harry Potter. Some were extreme. Others lacked depth. Having read a few, I was most convinced by 'A closer look at Harry Potter' by John Houghton. He gave by far the most balanced and biblical view of the four books that had been written at that point. Now that the series of seven is complete, plus five films so far, John Houghton has taken a closer look at the complete series. Here are two quotes from his latest book, 'The Harry Potter effect':

'Harry Potter's world, while outwardly set in the context of Greco-Roman medieval paganism, is modern. It is important to understand this both in terms of the wizarding society and the spells that they perform, and that is why to suggest that Rowling is seducing children into the occult is so misleading. A much more powerful argument would be to suggest that, if anything, she is leading them into a humanistic self-reliance on their own choices, exercise of will, and technological ability - in short, a life that has neither recognition of God nor his grace.' (p84)

'As cultural gatekeepers we must know when to exercise caution and when to make an outright ban. Some material will never be appropriate because it is implicitly evil in intent and in content. Other material may depend upon the age and sensibility of the individual child. The fact that something is considered to be entertaining or 'everyone's reading it' is not in itself a sufficient justification for letting children participate.' (p114)

Do you consider yourself a 'cultural gatekeeper' for the children and young people in your care? Do you want to help their parents think through these issues and apply them biblically? If so, this book will stretch your thinking way beyond simple concerns about glamourising witches and magic. You may not agree with everything it says, but it will help you see the underlying issues and think through whether or not they need addressing in your group, family or church.

'The Harry Potter effect' by John Houghton is published by David C Cook. ISBN: 978-1-842913-62-8

Image imagination

I'm currently reading John Houghton's newly revised book about the Harry Potter series. More on that when I've finished it - but I was struck by a comment John makes early on. While discussing the concern some Christians feels about the use of imagination, he points out that we are made 'in the image of an imaginative God'. That got me thinking...

We only need to explore our world a little to see the exuberance of God's imagination at work. (How else can you explain the duck billed platypus? Or the fact that we've been given five senses to experience our world through?) I'm so grateful that our world reflects the ingenuity of our Creator. But what does it mean for US to reflect His imaginative nature? If we are designed to be imaginative - and so are the young people we work with - what impact does that have on what we do with them? CS Lewis imagined Narnia, and then used it to portray some aspects of Christian truth. Most of us don't have a series of best-selling books hiding away inside us* - but maybe there are other ways, which we haven't tried yet, of using our imagination to faithfully teach God's living Word?

* If I'm wrong, and you do have a series of best-selling books hovering in your head, please let me know!

Christian counter-culture

I was chatting to someone in the summer about shopping for clothes. (A favourite subject for us girls!) She'd been spending her birthday money in Next and Gap, and was dressed head-to-toe in her new purchases. Even her bag was new (and seriously gorgeous!). But before you blokes switch off completely from this exceptionally girly blog, let me point out the sting in the tail. The girl I was chatting to was six - and the birthday money from her Granny was £150.

This same girl - a regular member of a Sunday morning church group - has recently told her leaders that she no longer believes in God. I can't help wondering if the two are connected. When a six-year-old girl is given £150 to spend on clothes, what 'need' does she have of God? When she comes from a loving family, has a full network of friends, and is in the top section of her class at school, how is she to understand that she is actually helpless and hopeless unless she puts her trust in Jesus?

Those of us who work with younger children constantly face this challenge - how do we help children to understand spiritual truth in concrete terms they can relate to? Especially when the culture that surrounds them seems to show, in such tangible ways, the exact opposite. Yes, we need to teach God's Word faithfully. Yes, we need to put the time into finding ways to illustrate God's truth that will be clear and understandable to those we teach. But, whatever age we work with, we cannot change a young person's heart. So we also need to pray for the Holy Spirit to open up their hearts to their real need, and to open their eyes to see beyond the culture that surrounds them.