By Christian Harvey

It is obvious that Christmas has gone from celebrating the birth of the prince of peace to a celebration of the victory of consumerism.  But how do we talk about it with our teenagers?  Here are a few resources that I have found helpful in starting up conversation around consumerism and Christmas:

What Would Jesus Buy?

A documentary following Rev. Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping as they travel across the U.S. toward the “shopocalypse”!  It is at points hilarious, at times troubling at times incredibly touching.  This film works equally well with adults or with youth, so try something crazy, get parents and youth to watch the film together!

Advent Conspiracy

A movement trying to get Christmas to be less about buying and more about worshiping fully, spending less, giving more, and loving all.  A website full of resources, ideas and stories, this movement to go from buying stuff to solving water issues around the world is something your youth may get excited about.  Check it out here.

Coyote Solstice Tale by Thomas King

One of my favorite children’s books of all time, this funny, touching and beautiful story can be a great way to ease youth into the conversation.  And seriously, who doesn’t love a kid’s book.

Now I know, it is getting really close to Christmas, and though these may be great ideas, it is a bit to late.  Well friends, it turns out that consumerism is not just an issue at Christmas time, but year round.  Here are some non-Christmas related resources.

The Story of Stuff

Shorter then WWJB, this film looks at the impacts of our consumption on the environment and other people.  Done in a very accessible way, this video is a great starting point for discussing the impact of our stuff on our world.  Check it out here.

Last, music video’s can be a great way to start the conversation with your youth.  Here are two that look at consumerism from very different angles.

Wings by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

One of my youth introduced this video to me.  A song about how the artist was recruited into the movement of consumerism through his shoes.  An amazing song and a powerful video.

I Own You by Wax Tailor ft. Charlie Winston

A really cool video, and an interesting song from the perspective of your stuff.

Consumerism is probably the biggest issue facing our youth and society today.  If we want to help our youth explore the God of Abraham, Moses and Jesus, we are going to have to make them aware of the current God of stuff that demands their allegiance.  If you have any resources, please let us know.

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Check out this video of 16-year old Sean Quigley’s remake of the classic “Little Drummer Boy.” Sean, who drums at his church in Winnipeg, takes Christmas to the streets (and youtube!) offering a rock’n'roll version, with just a drum.

Oh. And some camera equipment, guitar, bass, voice and a little help from his friends.

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How are you blogging your Christmas ?

This was just posted on youtube a couple of days ago, and has abour 400,000 hits already.  Viral gospel!

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Comedian Robin Williams talks about the life of Jesus and how a lot of Western Culture has kind of missed the point of Easter.  

He also recalls a quote from Ghandi, when Ghandi was asked “What do you think of Western Civilization?” and Ghandi replied “I think it would be a wonderful idea”.

Heads up: This is a stand-up comedy sketch from Robin Williams – some of the language is pretty strong and not all viewers will share the same sense of humour.  Viewer discretion advised.

(for some weird reason – the link pops up with ‘video no longer available’ and then plays anyway.  Not sure why.)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0WsnKQCax8   

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Rating: 3.5 out of 5 

First off, whenever anyone asks me what I thought of Religulous, I have to explain one thing. I saw the film as Bill Maher expressing great concern with the end of the world being caused by a ‘Holy War’ he focuses on this at the beginning then proceeds to interview fundamentalists about their views on the world. This did not feel, to me, as an attack on religion in general but of fundamentalists who promote violence, bigotry, or seem to have a larger investment in profit then in practicing what they preach.

I enjoyed the film as a vehicle to ask some big questions and to make some interesting points. Maher was incredibly prepared for every interview with quotes either from a religious text, of the individual or from history related to that group. I felt he was not in this to shock and awe the viewers; he genuinely felt lost in the shuffle of all these religions and didn’t understand why more people did not see religion as the vessel for the earth’s destruction and personal monetary gain as he did.

Though I may not agree with all the questions asked or feel the same way Maher does; I felt this film did what more of us should be doing; it asked questions. The interviews were performed in a way that felt comfortable, Bill Maher was speaking to his interviewees as equal individuals; he asked some tough questions and tried to cut interviews short when they started to feel unfair or uncomfortable. The juxtaposition through subtitles, archived video and music was brilliantly done. I would recommend seeing this film not to find any new answers or to learn a great deal about any one religion but to encourage you to ask more questions and hopefully have some really great discussion after the film.

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