Culturally Relevant

I went for a workshop recently which talked about the perspectives (past, present, future) of teaching the English Language in Singapore. The speaker said a few things that caught my attention. He said kids are not able to link what they learn in school to their real world. Their world is about visuals, TV, gaming etc. They watch pop stars, football stars, movies etc. The problem is that most things in school have no relevance to them. The challenge for educators is to find that link. It reminds me of a word I came across- edutainment. It’s probably the thing to replace education.

Anyway, I can’t help but draw parallels to the church in general as I listened to him. Whatever is said or taught in church should have its relevance to the real world. Why should pop stars, artists, entertainers capture people’s imagination way more than the pulpit man?

When Brazil won the World Cup some years back, billions saw the players giving thanks to Jesus. It’s a great testimony no church in the world can pull off at the moment. The recent article in Life devoted several pages to artists making an impact in Singapore. There’s a saying that goes- He who controls the media controls the world. I hope the church is not isolated. I hope the church is not trapped in religion.

I read what Lawrence Khong said recently in a Life article when asked why he is dressed in a modern sense (I guess he dresses differently from most pastors!). He said he was not trying to communicate with traditional church people, but with people who wear red sneakers and red-rimmed glasses. The music, the message must have its relevance to the man in the street.