wfn.org | [PCUSANEWS] Discerning the godly in the media

[PCUSA NEWS <PCUSA.NEWS@ECUNET.ORG>]

Note #8313 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

Discerning the godly in the media
PA04022
June 27, 2004

Discerning the godly in the media

Author says viewers must learn to separate wheat from weeds

by Eva Stimson

RICHMOND, June 27  - Can watching TV or movies be a spiritual practice?

Absolutely, said Teresa Blythe, an author and media analyst who was the
featured speaker at Sunday's General Assembly Media Luncheon, which was
sponsored by Presbyterian Media Mission.

The key to encountering God in virtual reality, Blythe said, is learning to
exercise discernment.

Blythe, a co-author of the new book, Meeting God in Virtual Reality: Using
Spiritual Practices with Media, filled in for actor Eric Close, a star of the
CBS-TV series, "Without a Trace," who had to cancel because of a scheduling
conflict.

"The main reason to be discerning with media is this: Jesus teaches it,"
Blythe said.  "He has told us to be 'as wise as serpents' in all aspects of
our lives - and we know what a large part of our life is affected by media
messages."

Referring to Jesus' parable of the weeds and the wheat, Blythe said
discernment "is our harvest tool" and helps us distinguish between "useful
information" and "throw-away information."

Blythe said many people today "cannot tell the difference between news and
entertainment." She said polls indicate that a large percentage of
"twentysomething" American males get most of their information about
presidential candidates from "The Daily Show," a fake news show starring
comedian Jon Stewart.

Discernment will also help us be aware of social injustices in the media,
Blythe said - such as the absence of Asian and Native American characters on
U.S. television and the effect on programming of pressure exerted on media
outlets to make profits for their owners, an ever-shrinking number of large
corporations.

To illustrate a process for discernment, Blythe showed clips from the
television programs "Without a Trace" and "Joan of Arcadia," and the films
"American Beauty" and "K-PAX."

The final step in discerning, she said, is "determining whether this media
experience was life-giving for you." She said this process led her to a
decision not to watch films containing graphic violence.

Blythe, a former broadcast journalist, became interested in theological
analysis of the media as a student at San Francisco Theological Seminary. She
has recently become the editor of the media- and book-review section of
Presbyterians Today magazine, and also produces online study guides on "Joan
of Arcadia" for the PC(USA) magazine. She is also a spiritual director and
works as a liturgist and retreat leader at Southside Presbyterian Church in
Tucson, AZ.

This story and many others may have photos, media, video clips that can be
found at http://www.pcusa.org/ga216.htm.

To subscribe or unsubscribe, please send an email to
pcusanews-subscribe-request@halak.pcusa.org or
pcusanews-unsubscribe-request@halak.pcusa.org

To contact the owner of the list, please send an email to
pcusanews-request@halak.pcusa.org