■ Bible Society TransMission a�tumn '99

Jesus did not flinch from public criticism. Encouraging and living a model of leadership based on servitude was implicitly to recommend a certain vulnerability and openness to the criticism of others. Ultimately, Jesus himself was to endure the full force of public opposition. The shepherd laid down his life for the sheep. The establishment of disciplines around those in authority is vital to a healthy society. In countries where bribery and corruption are perceived as inevitable, there is a huge waste of resources, minimal public trust and very little capacity for building a healthy society. It is said that you Dr Lynn Schofield are a mug if you do not accept a Popular Culture: Clark is a bribe in Nigeria today. That is Research their system. It is disastrous. In the West public confidence in Associateon the Replacing Religion politicians has fallen dramatically facultyof the over the last thirty years. Universityof Many of us exercise Colorado'sSchool for Today's Teens? authority over someone. I wonder if we have thought through how of Journalism and by Lynn Schofield Clark we should do that? These questions Media Studies. can be considered by anyone in She has worked authority: What public do I serve? Like it or not, film and television play a huge part in the Or, in other words, who do I have with teenagers in everyday life of most teenagers. These media are in-fluential; power over? Do I act with a proper variousreligious to such an extent that many young people seem to be impartiality toward all those for and civicsettings developing their belief systems from the comfort of their whom I have responsibility? Or do for more thanten armchairs or cinema seats. I deliberately favour friends, How is popular culture affecting the young and what might powerful allies or those who think years.She is we learnfrom them in this respect? Is the cinema becoming a like me and approve of me? Are currentlyworking substitute for the church? Lynn Schofield Clark has been there disciplines around my role so on a book From as to protect impartiality? These researching the subject ... may be rules or customs that we Angelsto instinctively dislike because we have Aliens:Teens and failed to appreciate their purpose. the Supernatural. Do we deliberately allow watch a lot of extraterrestrial compiled together about aliens. criticism of the way we exercise HI stuff," Jodie told me as she There's no doubt in my mind that that role so that we can learn? puffed her cigarette. "They're we are not the only intelligent Or do we view all opposition as different. It's a new outlook on life . . . God was a higher being. a hindrance? what could be happening, rather How do we know he wasn't an He said it wouldn't be easy. than on what already is alien? On X-Files, Mulder, he ■ happening, or what in the past would say something like that, how has happened." Sceptical about do we know God's not an alien?" Notes the God she associates with Stories like this one may organised religion, Jodie was seem troublesome for parents, ' F De Waal, Good natured: the origins of right and wrong in humans fascinated instead by other forms Religious leaders, teachers, and and other animals. (Harvard of the supernatural such as the other policy makers. Maybe the University Press, 1996) pp 128-132. paranormal, ghosts, and aliens. media have become a more 2 0 O'Donovan, The desire of nations, I met Jodie during a multi­ powerful influence in the lives of (Cambridge University Press, 1996) year research project on teens, the our young people than we think. offers a scholarly review of the media and religious identity in Before we conclude that authority of God. which I interviewed nearly 100 cinemas are becoming substitutes 3 Deuteronomy 10 17-18. American teenagers and almost as for church, however, we need to 'Deuteronomy 16 19. many of their family members and remember that very few young 'Job 29 12-13. friends.1 When I asked Jodie what people would describe the 6 Psalm 72. ' details from I Maclaurin, Tiger by television programme was most situation in that way. Teens, like the tail: a life in business from Tesco to like her religious beliefs, she offered those of adult age, are fairly cricket (Macmillan, 1999) pp 125-148. this intriguing answer: "It would discriminating viewers. To the 8 S A Renshon, High hopes: the have to be X-Files. Because, no dismay of the entertainment Clinton presidency and the politics matter what anybody says ... I've industry they aren't persuaded by of ambition (Routledge, 1998)- p 29. seen everything that everyone's everything that comes their way. Bible Society TransMission autumn '99

Often, in fact, they reject movies bit; but to understand the where religion might be seen as a • I' and television programmes despite relationship, we first have to look credible source, but only as one of huge marketing campaigns (think at how contemporary teens several possible sources, Godzilla) and embrace seemingly approach religious questions of presenting one of many possible unlikely candidates for emulation "truth." To put it simply, teens explanations, each of which are and adoration (remember that just don't seem to be very evaluated on an equal footing. predicted flop, The Simpsons?). interested in learning about This idea of the "possible" They know that these media ultimate truths from authoritative seemed especiallycentral to the products are "just" entertainment, sources like the Bible or religious religious beliefs of the teenagers I they'll tell you, suggesting that we traditions. It's not that they're interviewed. This is a generation shouldn't take them so seriously. looking to the movies for these comfortable with the ambiguities Yet on the other hand, when was things, however; rather young and unknowns of the supernatural the last time you saw a line of people consider themselves the realm, an idea that relates to their young people snaking around the ultimate authority on what it relative understanding of truth. block waiting to get into a church? might mean to be religious or "Everyone is entitled to his or her spiritual.4 They take for granted a own opinion," as several teens Great Appeal certain cynicism toward told me. In fact; the only opinion institutions, just as their parents, that seems universally frowned Certainly, the mass media hold children of the 1960s, did before upon is religious intolerance. great appeal and interest for them. They also have a cynicism Teens, then, approach the young people. American toward history: their educational religious beliefs of others with a teenagers spend an average of 22 experiences have taught them of silent acceptance. Like their hours a week watching television, the many histories that have elders, teenagers have limited viewing nine hours each school remained untold, from those of knowledge of the religions that night. If you add video games the poor to those enslaved or differ from the ones in which they and movies seen on television to otherwise oppressed. The lessons grew up. Yet because these other that number, they spend 35 to 55 gleaned from comparative beliefs are accepted as plausible to hours in front of the television set perspectives rightly suggest that some, they are considered open to each week. More than half see a truths can be found in many exploration and consideration for movie in a theatre once or twice places and in different voices. all. This means that the media can a month. They spend an average Consequently, teenagers are not become a source of information of 4 ½ hours a week on the likely to accept a certain set of about other religions (and we Internet. All but one percent of beliefs just because a church says could, of course, debate about teens listen to music daily, and they are so. Instead, they ev,iluate their accuracy on that score). most listen an average of 20 to those beliefs in the light of other But there's more to it than 30 hours a week.' And these are sources, including what they've that: the media also become a only the hours of consumption; learned from parents, friends, in means by which young people are the time teens devote to school and, of course, from the introduced to a spectrum of discussing or reading about media.5 possible beliefs concerning the celebrities, rock stars, or movie supernatural. These may or may plots isn't even in that equation. not be borrowed from specific There's no denying that Relativism religious traditions, while the popular culture does a better job programmes may be fictional, than most churches at raising In conversations with religious factual or even "pseudo­ questions about the things that are leaders, debates about young documentary" in approach.6 especially intriguing to teenagers, people sometimes centre on In fact, in what might at and that includes things that are exactly this problem of first seem to be an odd twist, beyond this world: the puzzling, relativism. Religious institutions entertainment media seem to do a the mysterious, and the have often assumed that churches better job of presenting the 3 inexplicable. Think of the many possess a certain authority that is possible than the news media. In successful television programmes respected by young people and part because of their narrative and films aimed at teens that their elders. When religious structure, but also because they highlight elements of the weird and leaders look at the problem of do not attempt to present their supernatural. The WB television popular culture, then, it is stories as absolutely true, the network, which explicitly targets tempting to view today's entertainment media seem to be a the teen audience, has several, challenge as one of finding fresh particularly appealing source of including Roswell, Charmed, and updated packaging for the knowledge of the offbeat and Angel, and Buffy the Vampire retelling of the "old, old story". unknown. As one teen told me Slayer. On other networks there is It is relatively easy to see the when talking about television Fox's The X-Files and ABC's emotional appeal of movie programmes and films on aliens, Sabrina the Teenage Witch. storytelling; perhaps what we demons, and witches, "The Popular movies from The Sixth need, they surmise, is to borrow reason I like these programmes so Sense to The Blair Witch Project, from and imitate popular much is because they could too, suggest the enduring appeal of culture's narrative structure. actually happen." "Could, or do the supernatural in popular media. Yet my research suggests you think they did?", I asked. Why do these programmes something else. "There's a possibility," he replied. enthral so many young people, Today's reality for young "I mean, it's possible. and what - if anything - do they people might best be described as Theologically, scientifically, and have to do with religion? Quite a a flattening of religious symbols, everything else, it's possible."- ► Bible Society TransMission a�tumn '99

► Did this teenager, or do "the truth". At least these other Notes others, believe in the existence of sources are honest about their aliens, demons, witches, and other limited claims to "the truth", a The author gratefully acknowledges supernatural beings? Sociological teen might reason. Religion is less support from the Lilly Endowment research has demonstrated that interesting, then, partly because its and Louisville Institute that made "true believers" in such "truth" is so mainstream, so possible this research. phenomena are relatively rare.7 acceptable. Yet as several teens like this one This is not to suggest that 1 For more information, see the told me, they believed that they what I'm observing here about project's web site: http://www. colorado.edu/Journalisrn/MediaLYF were possibly true, and this is an teens is somehow frighteningly 2 Statistics on teen media use are important distinction. My research new or irrevocably linked to mass compiled from the following sources: points not to the appeal of aliens media. In fact, traditions of 1992-1993 report on television, or the paranormal as a cohesive so-called "folk" or "illegitimate" (NeilsenMedia Research, New York): belief system of some sort, but to religious practices of the Author, T D Snyder and CM the appeal of the idea that such supernatural date back to the Hoffman; Digest of 'tducation phenomena might possibly be earliest days of any tradition. Statistics, ( National Center for true. And this, perhaps, is a more They have been passed down Education Studies, Washington, 1993); widespread stance than has been through families, around J D Klein, J D Brown, K W Childers, reflected in surveys that have campfires, and during whatever J Oliveri, C Porter, and C Dykers, asked, "what do you believe in?" preceded sleep-overs for a long "Adolescents' risky behaviour and mass media use", Paediatrics 91, 1993; rather than "is this or that time. To return to my original JG Bachman, Lloyd D Johnston, and possibly true?" To take just one question of whether or not PM O'Malley, Monitoring the Future: illustrative example, one of the popular culture is replacing Questionnaire responses from the most devout teens I interviewed religion: perhaps instead of nation' s high school seniors, (Survey said she doubted that paranormal replacing religion, the role of Research Center, Institute for Social phenomena were "real". But she'd popular culture and many other Research, University of Michigan, seen The Exorcist on cable, she sources outside the religious Ann Arbor, 1992); R Bezilla, (Ed.) said, so she was going to get rid of institutions are, and always have America's Youth in the 1990s (George her ouija board, just in case. been, playing a role in what our H Gallup International Institute, When the media young people believe. Nor, if we Princeton, 1993); National survey of teenagers, CNN/ NSF articulate the possible, then, they are honest, is the effect limited to USA Today I I Gallup Poll, March 20-27 1997. are subtly and unintentionally young people. Perhaps the only The number of hours on the Net is providing the fodder for a change thing "new" is our current on the rise, however. in religious beliefs. It's not that the willingness to investigate- the 3 Several authors have focused on the writers of The X-Files intentionally factors which shape the religious role of media in religious imagination set out to undermine the classic beliefs we hold. among adults. See for example: J W faiths of Judeo-Christianity. But This does not change the Martin and C E OstwaltJr (Eds), that programme, and others like it, implications of my research, Screening the sacred: religion, myth, look at the idea of an unknown however. Certainly, leaders of and ideology in popular American 'film, force controlling the universe. religious institutions need to learn (Westview Press, Boulder, 1995); These fictional programmes raise a from young people about what is Margaret RuthMiles, Seeing and question that resonates well in the appealing to them in popular believing: religion and values in the movies, (Beacon Press, Boston, 1996 ); context of our times, in which the culture and what questions it John RMay and Michael Bird (Eds), certainties of Modernism - science, raises for them. But rather than Religion in film, (University of theology, reality itself - have come borrow popular culture's forms in Tennessee Press, Knoxville, 1982). into question: there are happenings order to attempt to continue in its 4 For discussions on the rise of personal and events in this world and authoritative position, perhaps authority over religious decisions, see beyond that remain unexplained. what is called for is a little more W C Roof and W McKinney, American These are profoundly religious radical. Maybe leaders need to mainline religion: its changing shape considerations, of course. recognise and acknowledge the and future. (Rutgers University Press, Unfortunately, religion is place of religious institutions in New Brunswick, 1987); PEHammond, not handling them well. the current and historical systems Religion and personal autonomy: the third disestablishment in America, Perhaps the fact that these of power and "truth". (University of South Carolina Press, weird and strange phenomena are Teens are surprisingly well­ Columbia, 1992) rarely discussed or taken seriously versed on the foibles of religious 5 Numerous media researchers have in legitimate circles of religion or institutions already anyway, from pointed out that the media are more science only solidifies their appeal. the Crusades to its patriarchal influential on topics about which the After all, with today's commonly­ leadership styles to its role in consumer has little knowledge. See accepted notion that neither contemporary "culture wars". for example: M L DeFleur and conventional religion nor Maybe it's time to respect teens' S Ball-Rokeach, Theories of mass conventional science has all of the scepticism, and to admit when we communication, (Longman, New answers, teenagers might naturally don't have all the answers while York, 1989). assume that there's more to it ' An example of the latter is the talking about how we live with famous "Alien Autopsy" programme than they're being told. The less ambiguities ourselves. Otherwise, that began airing on the Fox "legitimate" sources of books: the religion may continue to seem too network in August, 1995. Web, friends and the mass media pretentious, too presumptuous, ' R Wuthnow, After heaven: are perhaps even more appealing and too closed-minded to the Spirituality in America since the to a generation cynical about an questions teenagers find most 1950s, (University of California institution that claims it knows- intriguing. ■ Press, Berkley, 1998).