What can the world’s biggest YouTuber teach you?
As a theology graduate, former pastor and now on the staff at Moorlands College in the communications department, I am learning all I can from everywhere I can about how we can get our message across in the contemporary world. Where to turn?
Well, I have just watched a video of a car with a jet engine strapped to it. The goal is to see how many buses it will jump over. If you were one of the 47 million people who have so far watched the video you will know that this was just one of eight other equally audacious ‘experiments’ put together by YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, AKA ‘Mr Beast’ (see photo). If you haven’t seen any of Jimmy’s videos before, they involve everything from subscribers competing for private islands, to creating a replica of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. As the most subscribed-to individual on YouTube, Mr Beast is redefining what the modern-day entertainer looks like.
culture watch
A Christ-like Pinocchio?
James Paul
‘What does it mean to be human?’ and ‘What makes a good life?’ are two key questions which all cultures, whether religious or secular, must ask.
The answers are rarely expressed as a clearly articulated philosophy, but rather embedded in what philosopher Charles Taylor terms a ‘social imaginary’, which he describes as the way ordinary people ‘imagine’ the world to be, and ‘imagine’ life to work. This imaginary seeps into our unconscious through the myriad of ‘images, stories and legends’ which make up a culture and shape our daily lives.
letter from Australia
Turning from the Lord to ‘Saint Jordan’?
David Robertson
The results of the 2021 Census in Australia showed, as expected, continual decline in the number of those who state that their religion is Christian.
Although Christianity is still the largest religious grouping at 43%, this has shown a decline of some 1 million in the past decade. The largely middle-aged white liberals who inhabit most of Australian media were quick to proclaim this as being the result of young people leaving the church.
Can you inherit faith?
We greatly appreciate the blessing of being brought up in a Christian home, but does this guarantee children from Christian families will all be converted?
A recent study by Pew Research Center conducted across the world showed that Christianity and Buddhism don’t have a very high success rate of passing on faith through the generations.