Sometimes I think its weird that I write a blog about finding God in secular TV shows, movies, music, sports, etc. It's like having my own little identity crisis. Just look at the list of top 10 posts...Jersey Shore, Harry Potter, Lady Gaga, Secret Life of the American Teenager...what the heck am I doing writing about how God is present in things so secular? Shouldn't I be talking about how terrible these things are, instead of how Harry Potter is an excellent example of God's sacrificial love? What the heck am I really doing?In all honesty, I wouldn't be writing this blog if I didn't think it would lead myself, as well as those who read it, closer to God. I know I approach topics like Lady Gaga from a different, maybe unusual, perspective, but I believe that if approached correctly and carefully, we Catholics can use pop culture to our advantage. I base this belief on a few things...
1) Nuggets of Truth are used in addition to, not instead of, traditional means of Evangelization. I would NEVER tell anyone to stop going to mass, stop going to confession, stop praying the rosary, etc. and just read the Nuggets of Truth blog for their spiritual gain. These Nuggets of Truth, just as any use of social media in Evangelization, should lead people to Christ within the context of the Church, especially to the sacraments. If you notice, almost every Nugget of Truth contains a reference to scripture, as well as a closing prayer. Nuggets of Truth should never replace someone's spiritual life, only enhance it.
2) Jesus used the culture to Evangelize... In the incarnation, God became man...he became just like us, lived in the same world and culture as the people of the time. He spoke the language of the people, and lived within their culture of the time. He did not rip the people out of their culture, but rather entered into their culture as one of them, fully immersed. He even used parables, metaphors, and symbolism that the people in that culture would relate to. How often in our scripture study do we say "well you have to remember what this meant to the Israelites?" If Jesus used the culture of his day to preach the Kingdom of God, why shouldn't we?
3) There are good messages out there...why not use them? Yes, there is a lot of garbage out
there. But scattered throughout the nonsense are beautiful golden "Nuggets of Truth." Look at the posts...we've been able to learn about things like true love, objective moral truth, fasting, examination of conscience, parenthood, and so much more from mass media. Kids today are watching these shows, and I'd rather point out some shockingly good messages in what they're already listening to than simply bashing them, trying to tell them that their faith could never be compatible with the culture they were born and raised in. I think pointing out the beautiful nuggets out there will help kids to start to notice the difference between the good and the garbage, and consciously decide to treasure the good and ignore the garbage.
After reflecting on all this, I have to conclude that the golden nuggets found in pop culture discussed in this blog are in fact not superficial or stupid or a justification for the world's evils, but rather an important and beautiful way to lead people to Christ. God is present everywhere, and is always reaching out for us, including in media. Jesus is our Good Shepherd, the shepherd who is always looking out for ways to rescue his lost sheep, maybe these golden nuggets in the cloudy water that is pop culture today are sent by our Shepherd who is calling us back to him.
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