Media Men of God.

I’m doing a workshop next Saturday to a group of 16 - 18 year olds about being a Christian in the media. It’s basically to inspire them as to why there should be Christians in the industry, and how to cope with the unique pressures it brings.
I’ve had a rough go at it and this is my first draft: all comments very very welcome (formatting is rubbish, sorry).

Media Men of God

Before I start, it has to be said that the media is a battleground. It changes peoples lives, thoughts and opinions on a daily basis. It’s hard to be a Christian and work in the media.
But it is also had to be a Christian and an accountant, or be a Christian and work for a church. This talk is not claiming that media types have the rough end of the stick, it’s just aiming to be a starter kit on what challenges face Christians in the media, and my best efforts at combatting them.

<li>Firstly then - what is the media? What words define the media?

What are the first things that pop in to your mind when the word ‘media’ is said?

(papers, tv, news, scandal, money, glamour, studies… etc)

Why are you interested in the media?

(glamour, fun, opportunity to change things, creative….etc)

ACTIVITY - write up suggestions

I have always had a passion for working in the media - particularly the BBC. However, on telling people of my deep seated belief that this is where God wants me, i’ve had people tell me that it’s an ungodly place, full of lying and drugs, nothing on TV is worth watching, there is an evil spirit pervading it, christians are ignored or misrepresented… I’m wasting my time and should work for Church Times.

<li>So.. if this is the case, why do I, and why should you, bother?

Firstly, work is good – God created man to work.

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.Genesis 2:15

Secondly, he’s also given us interests and passions that we should use to serve Him. The old adage of ‘find a job you love and you’ll never work a day of you life’ is incredibly cheesy but actually quite true. If you love what you do, you’ll do it better, and glorify God more.

Thirdly, God is a creative God, and as we are made in his image so are we. I used to feel incredibly selfish that I wasn’t using my skills to help people - that to serve God better I should have become a nurse or nuclear physicist. However on realising that God gave me this skill and desire for a purpose i’ve accepted it’s quite ok for me to work in telly, and my work may have just as much, if not even more of an impact.

And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. Genesis 2:3

<li>So why media?

A few reasons…

1. We have morals and values that inform what is right.
A Christian friend of mine was put on a programme called ‘The Baby Whisperer’, which was about psychics ‘listening’ to babies and telling their parents why they were unhappy. She point blank refused to work on it as it was manipulative, evil and just wrong. She lost her job and her reputation was scarred – but she used her christian principles for good.

I’m often reminded of the verse in Esther: ‘And who knows that you have come to royal position for such a time as this.’ Esther 4v14

2. We have knowledge of a culture that is underrepresented, a chance to clear up misunderstandings and a desire to best serve them.

3. Most importantly, the media is all about telling stories. We are constantly being given thousands of messages and often don’t choose which ones we listen to. Christians in the media need to make sure the truthful ones get through.
What you hear informs your thinking - that’s a massive responsibility when you think of the millions who listen to what the media has to say on a daily basis.

ACTIVITY: Go through papers/ magazines/ music / news reports - what messages can you spot? How many of them are good?

<li>So what pressures do we face in the media?

SHOW - Screenwipe

1. Stress

There is a massive culture of ‘just getting it done’. Tight deadlines, live broadcasts - you have to deliver the goods, even if that means lying. Plus, when you work with the realisation that at least 800 people have applied for your job there is a constant question of ‘Am I good enough?’ It becomes less ‘what is God thinking’ but more ‘what is my boss thinking?’

2.Lack of security, desire for success

Having to look for a new job every 3 months makes you very self reliant and individualistic, not to mention vunerable. It becomes very hard to see God’s perspective and long term timing when you need next months rent. Plus, the media is a very young, and very small industry. People are always fighting for jobs and judging you by your last gig.

3.No work/life balance

Working 18 hour days can often be the norm, making having a quiet time the last thing on your mind. Long periods of time away also means church gets neglected. You may reassure yourself it’s only a short term measure… but then you get crewed up for the next series and committment to church slowly ebbs away.

Plus, when you do get to church, people there doesn’t understand the pressure you are under, and why you haven’t made bible study for the last 3 months. I am very lucky with my church, plus London is pretty good at catering for creatives in general, but many church leaders have no idea - they don’t understand the media or watch TV, and think it’s an bad place for you to work.

Church exists around black and white, but media is a lot more difficult to define - just look at the varied viewpoints and messages found in the stories early. However just because it’s vague doesn’t mean it’s bad - after all, Jesus spoke through often quite confusing parables

4. Media Culture

The social media life is just as, if not more dangerous than the work life. Drink, drugs and cynicism abound and it’s hard to stand up for what you believe.

<li>So how does a Christian survive in the media?
Practical answers to the above:

1.Stress

Realisation that God is your ultimate manager. It’s hard to stand up for yourself – but who are you working for? If you don’t say no, who will? Plus - massively hard to do - but simple things make a difference, watching your language, keeping calm, offering to pray for colleages facing illness etc.

2.Lack of security, desire for success

Accepting being out of work is hard and demoralising but it happens to everyone.How can you use your time wisely? Could you get around to having a quiet time?! Just because you are out of work doesn’t mean you are useless - don’t compromise your principles for money.

3. No work/ life balance

Try to make church a priority - but don’t kill yourself. At the end of the day it’s your relationship with Jesus, not your church attendance that matters.

Subscribe to a regular ‘thought for the day emails’ to keep you on track at work

Keep sermons on an ipod to listen to on the way to work.

Keep in touch with Christian friends - phone calls, prayer triplets, facebook are all great.

Make Christian friends at work - this is crucial as only people in the industry really get what you are thinking! There are several good organisations that work to support creatives and often fellowships in workplaces.

5. Media Culture

Same as above - keep yourself accountable to people.

Don’t be afraid to leave if it gets too tempting.

Be prepared with your conversations and answers - people in the media are generally cynical and very liberal so the idea of an absolute truth is very offensive. However, in an industry that is very insecure and often immoral, the sense of purpose and security a Christian has is very attractive.

Couple of other ideas:

Use your creativity in coming up with new ideas. What is the current perception of Christians by the general public - is it Songs of Praise or George Bush? However, remember the media is not a pulpit. The media has to make many different view points known. God channels have their purpose, but fail in evangelism.
Working at the BBC I have to realise that lots of different faiths are paying my wages – therefore how can I think of a way to represent Christianity that is worth their money too?

Be an active viewer – don’t passively engulf it all. Choose what you listen to and how it affects you. If you see something great then why don’t you write to the producer and say thanks?

You can be a Christian and work in the media by remembering that:

We don’t live for this world, but for a promise of heaven.

We serve a faithful and loving God who can sustain our every need.

Our identity is not in ourselves, or in our boss, but in Jesus.

We work for 6 days and work on the 7th - it’s only TV.

We don’t work for ITV - we work for God. (Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:22-24)

Working in the media is a job. A priviledge, a stress, but only a job.