Cultural Studies (Chapt. 6-9), How to do Media (Chapt. 6)

Cultural Studies: Chris Barker

Chapter 6

“Postmodern culture is marked by the blurring and collapse of the traditional boundaries between culture and art, high and low culture, commerce and art, culture and commerce.”
With boundaries blurring and spaces minimizing, the church has a great opportunity reach out to community through nontraditional means. This would need to be carried out with careful discernment, prayerful attitudes, and strategic planning. Nonetheless, instead of the church viewing the postmodern culture with scorn, we should see it as an opportunity to reach people. One of the areas they might want to explore or invest in is the digital culture on the Internet. Not that I am suggesting an Internet Church, but making an interactive website, informing people about ministry updates, or discussions boards, articles, etc. Because people spend so much time online, why not invest and make the church website as appealing and creative as possible.

Chapter 7

This chapter concentrates on the study of identity. The church should take note that a person is not composed of one but rather several, and sometimes-contradictory identities. This is caused by postmodern culture where there is instability of language, constitution of multiple discourses, and increasing number of social relationships and sites of activity. The church has a big challenge when trying to encourage one identity in Christ alone. I believe the church needs to be educated and in tune with culture to know what systems, languages, or discourses are shaping the identities of their congregation. In that way, they are able warn, challenge, and preach them back to the one true identity as children of God. This should continually be preached on Sundays and reinforced in the smaller communities within the church, but at the same time being careful not to encourage close-mindedness towards other ideas and discourses.

Chapter 8

Being part of a Korean American church, I see how unintentionally exclusive we can appear. Members are uncomfortable bringing their non-Asian or Korean friends because the church is overwhelmingly represented by Korea-Americans. There were attempts of becoming a more multi-ethnic church. This chapter provides ideas that can help my church successful transition into a multi-ethic church. That idea is Assimilation Strategies. The strategy of assimilation in The Cosby Show and the local news can be implemented in our church. It would have to start with staffing. If the leadership can be multi-ethnic, I believe that the church itself will be more inviting and less exclusive.

Chapter 9

My church can plan a sermon series around this chapter. There are clear distinctions between the roles of men and women in the Korean American church. Most of these distinctions are socially and culturally constructed, sometimes contradicting what the bibles says about who we are as men and women. Instead of assuming and sometimes oppressing either the male or female sex, the church should educate and train everyone about what the bible teaches about our roles. My hopes are that from this series the families will be healthier and leadership in the church healthier as well.

How to do media & cultural studies: Jane Stokes

Chapter 6

This chapter provides helpful insight in how to go about presenting some of the findings in the research of culture and media. The church can definitely learn how to train, equip, educate and present ideas from this chapter. There are definitely things that the church can learn from the research and professional world, such as putting together a presentation of a study that is both creative and comprehensive. I believe this is needed in some aspects of church leadership. Although there is room for casual conversations, when dealing with a program or an idea a professional presentation can be more appropriate or convincing.