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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I wonder how many Canadian priests are now furiously preparing video responses to this.

If you’ve got a rapping priest, or if you’ve got some rhythm in you, you might want to check out this article about Rev. TyTe, the beatbox vicar.

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By Christian Harvey

Last night my wife and I attended a mind blowing concert by the Wisconsin band Bon Iver.  Bon Iver’s self titled second album was released earlier this year, and in my opinion is by far the best album of the year.   What makes Bon Iver so incredible is the way that they take a bunch of random, and odd sounds and bring them together to make something beautiful.  At any one moment the nine person band could all be singing in harmony, one of their two drummers could be soloing, there could be a clarinet solo, a trombone creating just a layer of noise, a massive saxophone (is there such thing as a bass sax) making bizarre noises, trumpet valves being used as percussion, with Justin Vernon’s falsetto rising above it all.  If you were to hear any of these parts on their own you could not envision that when layered together they would create a breathe taking soundscape, but that is exactly what happens.

As I was watching them create I began to realize that I was having a spiritual experience, and it had nothing to do with the words of the songs, I have no idea what he is saying most of the time, but it is the beauty of the music itself through which I was experiencing the presence of God.  In his book Simply Christian, Bishop Tom Wright once wrote:

“The arts are not the pretty but irrelevant bits around the border of reality.  They are highways into the center of a reality which cannot be glimpsed, let alone grasped, any other way.  The present world is good, but broken and in any case incomplete; art of all kinds enables us to understand that paradox in its many dimensions.  But the present world is also designed for something which has not yet happened…Perhaps art can glimpse the future possibilities pregnant within the present time…Perhaps art can help us look beyond the immediate beauty with all its puzzles, and to glimpse the new creation which makes sense not only of beauty but of the world as a whole, and ourselves within it.”

The Bible is the story of God bringing about God’s peace, God’s shalom, on earth.  This peace is not just the absence of war,  but rather the harmony of God, humanity and creation all living in right relationship.  Isn’t this what beauty is?  The interplay between individual parts to create a unified whole.  It is how colours contrast, how sounds work together, how movement and words are combined, how words are placed together.  When we experience beauty, we are given a glimpse of that peace of God that the world is heading for. What if we began to share this with others?  Began to tell others that the transcendence that they experience in the beautiful is a glimpse of the peace that God is bringing into the world all around us?  We are all wanting to experience God, what if we let people know that they already have?  That those experiences with beauty were experiences with God.  How would this change how people see God?  How they see art and beauty?  How we see worship?  How we experience the world around us?

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Green Day’s latest album is reviewed by

Andrew Stephens-Rennie, Member of the Youth Initiatives Team.

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Written by Anglican Kyle “DJ Cranmer” Wagner (PEI), and Lutheran Peter “Via Media” Reinhardt (BC), this awesome rap was professionally (!??) produced on a macbook.  

Written, recorded, video filmed and produced at the Ask & Imagine May 2009 program at Huron University College.  Not officially part of the planned program, it just sorta happened.

S’up Dawg?  Full communion, baby!!                  

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9FoF7HzmEo

Read the lyrics here: Read more…

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Let’s put it on the table right now.  I am everything a savvy hip-hop music reviewer is not.

I’m female. I’m over 40.  I’m white.  I’m a mother of early adolescents.  But you’ll be surprised to know that our living room regularly kicks it with the fresh and driving sounds of MANAFEST – a Christian hip-hop artist.  His 2008 release of “Citizens Activ” landed on us from the result of a search for practice music for an up and coming b-boy hip-hop dancer in our house.  (Thanks for the tip, Reggie B.)*

Manafest (aka Chris Greenwood) is from Pickering, Ontario.  He’s a Canadian suburban kid who performs across Canada and, like many Canadian bands, has a bigger following in countries other than his own.

Christian Hip Hop? Is this just going to be just another ‘jeesus weejus’ praise-band knock-off with theologically thin lyrics packaged with a different back beat?  You’ll be surprised.  Greenwood’s lyrics engage youthful life at its grittiest, honest and most beautiful and often speaks at a suprising depth of spiritual experience.  Yes, he’s an idealistic dreamer who doesn’t quite realize that not every kid will get to be a rock star, and sometimes basks in a naive ‘dreams can come true’ space in some lyrics. But that doesn’t detract from the energetic exuberance of his club songs, or the raw truth of rapping through his life-experiences like dealing with the suicide of his father (on the album “Glory”).  The full range is there.  The single “So Beautiful” is an expression of living a path that’s life-giving.  It’s not about the rock-star lifestyle, really it’s a musical expression of Fredrick Beuchner’s (“Beuchner? is he on iTunes?…”) quote that appears on the side bar of this site - “The place you’re called to be is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep need meet. Both these things”.  Clearly, Greenwood has found his deep gladness, and it meets a deep need for music which resonates in meaningful ways in young (and no-so-young) hearts and lives.

” …When everything else fails you were where I dwell
Wind under my sails thunder that brings health
Wonder of the earth, love and cover my hurts
Up-and-coming, so stunning, you’ve been healing my world…”

Don’t take an old fart’s word for it.  Go listen for yourself.  Manfest’s website is www.manafest.ca.

“So Beautiful” music video on Manafest’s website

(click on the link for ‘multimedia’ on the home page.  Press pause (bottom left of the screen) to shutoff the auto play tracks before clicking the video

And, if you want to read another review, see what Christianity Today had to say, or check this from his website… Read more…

judy Music Shake Me Up

Last spring marked the sophomore release from London, Ontario’s own, Article One.  This group is quickly becoming one of the great Canadian rock bands of our generation and this second album will surely solidify that position. 

“Colors and Sounds” is filled with uplifting and positive songs that will be genuine to your ears.  I am always a sucker for hearing strings in contemporary songs, and Article One does not disappoint with nearly every song having a violin in it.  Each song seems to speak on a different aspect of Christianity that I can relate to and understand.

From the opening track Without You (I’m Not Alright), which aptly speaks of the need for God in our lives, to the title track Colors and Sounds, Article One’s driving melodies and total mastery of their instruments keep you coming back for more.

This is one of those albums that you’ll buy and play over and over.  Each song can be a hit in its own right, and will speak to you on a level that is clear and contemporary.  I know I’ve purchased CDs in the past that had two or three good tracks, however “Colors and Sounds” will be one of those albums that has something in each track you’ll love.

One of my personal favorite songs on this album is Love You Tomorrow which promises the unconditional love of God, no matter our own circumstances.  As well, it is easy to note the song Never Too Late to Call that assures it is never too late to go back and try to right some wrongs in our life, that ‘the bridges have not burned downed’.

If you get the chance, definitely take in an Article One in concert.  For more information on Article One, check out their web site

~Matthew Reszitnyk

matthew Music