"Reel" Life Discernment



Elise Jones,
author of http://www.liveonthefringe.com/


Screen your Screen.
My first post ended with this thought. My posts since then have summarized recent movies and media, and have challenged my readers to discuss  and analyze viewed movie content. But a question has been raised:

How do I decide what to watch, what to discuss, and what NOT to watch?

This is an excellent question. The author of http://www.liveonthefringe.blogspot.com/, Elise Jones, and I collaborated together and have supplied an answer for this question in an adobe presentation. The presentation is simple and easy to understand, and outlines basic tools and steps to take to use when applying discernment in our entertainment choices.

Check out the presentation here: https://mail.mbbc.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=5601ccc7ab6046cd9993bb0aca95ebbc&URL=http%3a%2f%2fmbbc.na4.acrobat.com%2fp48106432%2f

License to Kill- Rated G

   Crime shows have become widely popular across the globe. War is an issue in every part of the planet. Violence is running rampid in video games and across the television. But how can this be? Children are being taught in school not to use violence, so why has it becoming such a problem?

   The answer lies in the home. Children are indeed being taught that "violence is not the answer" in school, but then they go home and pop in Tarzan and watch the rifle weilding bad guy strangle in jungle vines. They observe Ursula, the sea witch, getting impaled with a plank of wood and then getting struck by lightening. They watch as Simba's uncle Scar gets his throat ripped out by a pack of crazed hyenas.
   How can we allow our youth to watch these scenes without explaining to them the evil of it? Without proper direction small children, as young as three years old, can latch on to the idea that "bad people must die, and bad people are the ones that go against what I want."

 If we as leaders allow this issue of violence to go undiscussed, we will without a doubt, regret it. Christ is quoted in John 14:27 saying, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you..." Revoke your child's G-rated liscense to kill! Discuss the issue and teach them about the peace Christ left for us through His violent death and vctorious resurrection.  

Friends Forever- Sealed with Sacrifice

    True Love. Its sought after all over the world and never seems to be found. But in the movies it can be found in a matter of days, or even hours! All you need is a beautiful girl, a handsome man, and some distressful situation. The script writers at Disney portray the very same concept in their movies. True love always begins with a kiss and ends in happily ever after. Right?

    I would like to take this opportunity to point out that real true love can not be found in a couple of days togather or even a kiss. However, Disney does accuratley show true love in their movies.

   It can be found in the best friend.

Think about it. Copper stepped in front of a gun to save Todd's life. Buzz and Woody risked everything, multiple times, to rescue one another. Phil mentored Hercules and returned to save him, even after Herc drove him away. Ray died protecting Tiana. McQueen put aside his dream to appease the simplicity of Mater. The list is endless, but the message is the same: True love is found in true friendship, and it is not shown through kisses and marriage. Rather it is worked at, fought through, and filled with sacrifice.

Through Different Eyes



Justin Cochran- A fresh perspective

I interviewed  fellow student, Justin Cochran, on the campus of Maranatha Baptist Bible College. Justin, like myself, enjoys watching movies produced by the Wonderful World of Disney. I thought it might be nice to get a fresh perspective on Disney today.

Q.   What was your favorite Disney movie growing up? 
A.   Aladdin... with Fox and the Hound at a close second.

Q.   What did you enjoy about them?
A.   Well I loved Aladdin because he was a nobody and all he wanted was to be a prince, so that Jasmine would like him. So he tried to be something he was not. And it turned out all he had to do was beeeee himself. Oh, and the Genie was really funny!

Q.   How do you feel that Disney has changed in the last 10 years?
A.   I think that Disney seems to have changed the way that they portray people. Heroes and heroines tend to be more rebellious and disrespectful. It seems like there is alot more action and alot less story. And I've realized there is more of an agenda now, rather then a moral or lesson.

Q.   How would you suggest that parents and/or youth leaders should approach Disney as a whole (movies, tv shows, music, icons)?

A.   I think that parents should make sure they know what their children are watching, and decide whether  a)their children are old enough to watch and understand it, and b) they want their children watching it. It seems like today parents are too loose on what they allow their children to watch. So I would say, watch it first or at least check up on the movie.

Q.   Any closing thoughts?

A.   I'd like to thank Abu and the Carpet for teaching me everything I know and making me the man I am today.













Family Forum

Watch together. Learn together.

Looking for a couple quick tips on how to make home theatre time a learning opportunity? Here are a few to get you started:

• Make every one comfortable. Kids do not want to sit down to watch a movie when they know they will be drilled with questions at the end.
• Preveiw the movie. Growing up I was not allowed to watch movies my parents had not previewed first. I now realize that they were doing that to protect me, not to make my life miserable.
• Make the point. Whether you stop the film or wait til the end, make your point quick and clear. Once again, the movie is being played for enjoyment so allow the kids to discuss if they want to, but do not wax eloquent. This may cause your children to disengage, or worse, find ways to watch movies without you.
• Use scripture and Biblical principles. No offense, but God's Word is more reputable than your opinion. Most kids will respect that. Not to mention, if they tell their friends about it it sounds better quoting King Solomon, rather than "my mom".
• Leave them with someting. If nothing else, leave your kids with something to think about. What you say may not sink in right away, but small lessons that are well taught will stick to the memory of the movie; resurfacing when the film is rewatched.

All TANGLED Up

I finally got to watch the new Disney movie "Tangled" this week. Who would have thought it would be possible to take such an old fairytale and put enough of a twist on it that an audience from the 21st century would enjoy it? I read multiple reviews on the film before actually seeing it and I must say that I agree with almost all of them. The makers at Disney just did an incredible job with this movie.
I was presently surprised to notice how clean the movie was. It seems that there are more and more innuendos and adult themes creeping into children's films these days, but "Tangled" seemed to be genuinely free of that.
The film, instead, was carried on well written songs, an adventurous storyline, and the ultimate conquering of evil. All of my emotions were touched as the plot was carried out. There were times I was on the edge of my seat in fearful anticipation, and there were other times I was laughing uncontrollably. The writers also did a good job of developing an untainted romance, while also showing the tension that life can place on relationships.
Of course there were indeed some issues brought up that parents and teachers should address with young Rapunzel followers. Was it ok for Rapunzel to runaway? Is rebellion really just a part of growing up? Why was the young princess content, for the most part, in her tower?
These, along with a few others, are good questions to discuss with your young people. Don't let Satan take a few underlying themes from an innocent movie and beginning laying the ground work for bigger issues.
As a whole, however, I believe that "Tangled" was a well-made movie. So pop some popcorn, pour some soda, and plan a family night, because this one is worth it.

Lessons in the Fairytale Classroom

Christian Robots

Looking at the title of this post might cause someone to think one of two things: Robots are Christians or Christians live their lives like robots. In a sense both of these thoughts are accurate when looking at the Disney PIXAR film, WALL-E.

The movie follows the life of a tiny robot that has been left on Earth to clean up. During his daily recycling work Wall-E finds a small plant- the only plant on the planet. Out of curiosity he takes it home. Not long after, a spacecraft enters the atmosphere and drops a new robot, EVA. She has been sent to Earth to find "life", which Wall-E supplies in the form of his plant. As the story moves on, the two robots are taken back into space where the surviving humans have taken up residence on a spaceship that is run by other robots who cater to the humans leaving them to grow unhealthy, obese, and lifeless (in the sense that they do nothing but eat, sleep, and talk to computer screens). However, through a series of events Eva and Wall-E show the humans that life is more then existence. It is work. It is relationships.
In the end, the two tiny robots lead the humans home to Earth and everyone lives happily ever after.

So what does this cute Disney PIXAR film have to do with Christians?

The answer is seen in the principles the movie portrays. First we see a lone inhabitant of the Earth, left there to care for it, who is soon joined by a female help meet. Sound familiar? Wall-E's life follows that of Adam in the Bible.
The Biblical principle of taking care of the earth God has created is also focused on as viewers see the ruin that waste and pollution does to our world.

I would also like to point out the way that the director portrays the humans in the movie. We see them as lazy, high maintenance robots. They go through their routine, do what everyone else does, and have no idea what they are missing.

In an interview with WORLD magazine, the director, Andrew Stanton, stated the following:

"With the human characters I wanted to show that our programming is the routines and habits that distract us to the point that we're not really making connections to the people next to us. We're not engaging in relationships, which are the point of living--relationship with God and relationship with other people."

I find that this is to true in the daily lives of believers. We say we love God and others, but we are to easily distracted by things in the world and we become content just siting and allowing someone else to take care of the lost and hurting around us.

WALL-E is a cute, well-created, and clean family film that should be enjoyed. But it is also a great challenge and lesson. Don't get caught up in the "new gadgets" of life, learn to live. Live for Christ.

Learn from the 'christian' robot. Don't be a Christian robot!

Read more: http://blog.beliefnet.com/crunchycon/2008/07/christian-themes-in-walle.html#ixzz1GcxmCS9M

Disney Character

There are so many Disney Princesses out in films now. Some are animated. Some are real. But every Princess has a little "princess" somewhere in the world that wants to be just like her.

I personally, remember watching "The Little Mermaid" over and over again as a child, just hoping that someday I could swim and sing as well as Ariel, and have a prince fall in love with me. It was a dream. But thankfully my parents didn't allow it to become more then that.

As soon as my sisters and I were old enough to understand my parents would sit down and watch our Disney movies with us and would then proceed to talk to use about the content.

Was Ariel sinning when she disobeyed her daddy?

Why did Belle choose to stay in the castle with the scary Beast?

If Cinderella was treated so bad, why didn't she run away?

These questions were posed to us at such young ages that growing up we were able to watch and learn from our Disney rolemodels, both how to act and how not to act.

Disney did not do a terrible job when creating these characters, as some people seem to think. However, as leaders of young people, we need to be aware of the characteristics that were created. Ask a question. Start a conversation. Teach the generation of tomorrow how to really shine, today.

Screen Your Screen

• Miley Cyrus: Tattoo’d and Smoking
• Miley Cyrus Caught on Tape Doing Drugs
• Disturbing Miley Cyrus Lap Dance Video Goes Too Far
• Miley Cyrus’ Pole Dance at Teen Choice Awards Sparks Controversy
• Miley Cyrus in New Racy Photo Scandal

These are the most recent headlines found on the teen pop star, Miley Cyrus. But who is this girl? Why are her choices being plastered all over the web and the television? Why should we care what she does with her life?  These questions can be answered with just two words:

       Hannah Montana
      That’s right. Disney’s top rated tv show about a talented little country girl is once again getting huge publicity. Unfortunately, it’s not quite the same.

      On March 24, 2006, Disney aired its pilot episode of “Hannah Montana”. The plot followed the life of Miley Stewart, a 13 year old Southern beauty, who attends a normal school with normal friends during the day, and rocks the pop stage at night. The show caught fire fast and lasted for 4 seasons, allowing America to basically watch this blooming star grow up before their very eyes.
      In all honesty the “Hannah Montana” show was not bad. It was a hit for a reason. Miley was seen working through problems an every day, average teenager would face. Different episodes focused on honesty, friendships, respect, forgiveness, and relationships. Miley showed viewers what it meant to sacrifice for others. She revealed how important family relationships are. And she taught by example how vital good time management is,

      So what happened?
  Since her debut Miley has climbed the ladder of success, reached the top, and is now sliding down. Her father, country star Billy Ray Cyrus, blames himself for his daughter’s demise. Recently on CBS Cyrus admits that he wished he would have been a better parent to Miley, rather then a friend. CNN has also been covering Miley’s downward slope. In a news report just three days ago CNN’s Dr. Drew stated that Miley needed not only rehab, but possibly religious redemption. 

     The final question is then raised: Why should I care?
  Whether you are a child, teenager, parent, teacher, counselor, pastor, or youth leader, this issue effects you! Miley Cyrus “Hannah Montana” is a poster child for Disney. She is a pop star. She is a role model. While there is publicity about her recent scandals there is also excuses being made for her behavior.
          “She is just going through a phase.”
          “She is just trying out her new freedom.”

NO! Miley Cyrus is influencing the young minds in America today to believe that you can indeed get “the best of both worlds” without consequence. We must decide today to protect the future of our youth.

      Don’t allow the name “Disney” to make you feel safe about the content. Proverbs 22:6 tells us to “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

  Be a leader.

  Screen the screen.

  That is my “scoop” on Disney.