Fortnite, 13 Reasons Why, Snapchat… The shifting currents of culture all play a role in shaping the teenagers you serve, and give you unique opportunities to connect the Gospel to what’s actively forming their identity.
What You’ll Find
Our Media and Culture section will give you a window into the world of teenage culture. From gaming and movies to TV and technology, we’ll provide expert advice and perspective that will help you to engage with them on a cultural level. We’ll also review the latest gadgets, tools, and tech that can help make your job a bit easier.
Spider-Man is legit. Teenagers love him. Parents giggle at him. Youth workers recognize him. He’s a bumbling, awkward 16-year-old named Peter Parker trying to have an ordinary life though he’s been given extraordinary gifts and responsibilities. Kind of like the tension our teenagers often feel.…
By Rick Lawrence I was driving home from a writing retreat, where I’d been off the grid for four days—no Wi-Fi, no cell service. I called my wife to let her know I was on the road, and I heard that edge in her voice that I know all too well… “Rick, there’s an active shooter situation happening right now, at the STEM school that’s 10 minutes from us.…
Avengers: Endgame is a generational film—and I’m not talking about its record-setting opening-weekend box office haul. Your teenagers likely don’t remember a time when there wasn’t an Avengers film in the theater. After 11 years and 21 movies, they probably know the nuances of the Marvel universe better than the Old Testament.…
Aquaman is the Rodney Dangerfield of the Justice League—for decades, he’s earned no respect from the comic-book superhero world. Yes, he has the power to influence the undersea world, so why does he work a day job at the very land-based Hall of Justice?…
I watched Bo Burnham’s comedy special Make Happy on Netflix for the first time in the fall of my freshman year of college. In the final song, Burnham emulates Kanye’s famously long and rambling rants from the Yeezus tour. It focuses on performance—and the joys, anxieties, and resulting pain of making your living on-stage.…
A couple of mornings every week, I walk my middle-school daughter and my cabin-fever dog to the bus stop on the corner before I head off to work. We live in Denver, and during the winter months it’s as cold as you think it’s supposed to be in the “Mountain” time zone.…
After 40 years, we’re finally learning Han Solo’s backstory—and it’s a big deal, because our backstories help others know us more deeply. And that’s exactly why it’s important to learn as much as we can about Jesus’ backstory… We got a lot of backstory about Luke and Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy. …
When the class of 2018 heads into their future there will a be a big hole in our youth ministries. The absence of their leadership and personalities will leave big shoes to fill. If you have natural leaders coming up right behind them, this transition may be something you’re ready for.…
“Your face is why filters were invented.” “Are you Jabba the gutt?” “I never date sluts like you.” Ahh, just another day spent strolling through the mean streets of the comments section. But the craziest part about these comments is, if new research is correct, some of these jabs were posted by teens…about themselves.…
The online adventure game Fortnite is exploding in popularity among adolescents—no surprise there. But its popularity is even more stunning with adults—it’s the favorite addiction of celebrities, professional athletes, and cultural influencers of all stripes. Ninja, a famous Fortnite player and Twitch gamer (Twitch is a website dedicated to all things gaming, a YouTube-like service for streaming and viewing video games), reportedly makes $500,000 a month playing Fortnite.…
