"Hello world, goodbye brain...!"

If culture and the media are such powerful forces on our lives then we've got to think through the messages we're taking in. Too often I meet people with the "feet up, TV on, brain off…." mentality when they watch TV. Or reading books and just drinking in the values and morals of the author. If we're really going to live the life and go for God then we've got to engage more with worldviews of culture around us.

For example, Jesus says "Blessed are the poor"? But the gospel according to most adverts is "Blessed are those who buy our products….buy them and get friendship, love, self-confidence, credibility, and of course irresistible sex appeal, even if they're selling sink cleaner.

This is the sort of stuff we're going to be engaging with in CULTURE. What are the hidden - or not so hidden - values and assumptions which TV, films, books, albums etc have?

• What do I want to affirm about this worldview? Some books, films, TV etc will have a positive influence. You get no prizes for guessing which way Chariots of Fire and Pulp Fiction influenced people.
  
• But also what do I want to critique? What's wrong with this worldview? What do I want to challenge? What is inconsistent with a biblical Christian perspective? Don't just be a moaning Christian, but be prophetic.