intermedia » worldviews

Twelve questions to consider when watching the news

Tony Watkins — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 13:57:47 +0000

It’s very good to see Lars Dahle joining the blogosphere. Lars is Principal of Gimlekollen School of Journalism and Communication in Kristiansand, Norway, where I am now an adjunct lecturer. He’s heading up the media and technology stream for Cape Town 2010 (3rd Lausanne Congress). A couple of his early posts have focused on the question of how we engage with the news. He proposes twelve questions to reflect on while watching the news:

We need to actively engage the news. If not, we don’t appreciate the demanding and significant work of the journalists. Nor do we become critically aware of the explicit angles and the underlying perspectives in the news.

I propose the following set of criticial questions when watching, reading or listening to global, regional, national and local news:

To what extent did the various news stories engage you, interest you and captivate you? Why?

What themes, issues and conflicts are represented in the selected news stories? Why do you think those have been chosen?

Which of the stories are highlighted as major news? How and why?

Which sources and interviewees have been selected in the major news stories, as far as we can tell from the published news? Why do you think those persons have been selected?

Which perspectives and angles have been chosen in the editorial introductions, the actual interviews and in the graphic presentations? Why do you think these journalistic and editorial decisions have been made?

Whom do you identify with in the major news stories (if any)? Why?

Would you describe the major news stories as essential and important? Why? / Why not?

What kind of essential areas, topics and perspectives are missing in these news stories (if any)? Why? To what extent may this be representative for the news industry?

What kind of professional and personal values do you discover among the journalists in the major news stories? To what extent do you identify with these values? Why? /Why not?

If the Christian faith, Christian organizations or Christian individuals are covered in the news stories, how are these portrayed? Why?

To what extent did the news stories leave you with a sense of involvement, hope, excitement, indifference, despair – or maybe with a mixture of such feelings? Why?

How do a classical Christian view of humanity and the world help us to understand the wider context of the major news stories?

It’s a very helpful framework, not just for watching television news, but for reading the newspaper or engaging the news in any other context.

Introduction to Apologetics

Tony Watkins — Thu, 20 May 2010 23:11:42 +0000

At Above Bar Church, Southampton, we’re doing something a little different for the next few weeks on Sunday evenings. The congregation is splitting for the teaching part of the service. Andrew Page is teaching a series on Hosea, while John Risbridger is doing a Bible overview and I’m teaching a short series on apologetics. This is the first of six sessions, and it’s a very general introduction. I’m grateful to Marcus Honeysett for suggesting the great opening discussion question. Those of you who have read William Lane Craig’s Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics may recognise some of his influence on me here.

1. Introduction to Apologetics

View more webinars from Tony Watkins.

The handout is available here.

What should we make of the Atheist (non-bus) campaign?

Tony Watkins — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:06:58 +0000

The Atheist ‘Bus Campaign’ is now back on our streets, although this time it’s not actually taking place on buses, nor is it particularly atheistic.

The new poster features two children with the faded words ‘Catholic Child’, ‘Atheist Child’, ‘Humanist Child’ and ‘Anarchist Child’ amongst others behind them. In bigger, bolder lettering, are the words ‘Please don’t label me. Let me grow up and choose for myself.’

The advert appeals to our love of autonomy and the right to choose. Children are children. They shouldn’t be labelled according to a particular philosophy. They should be able to choose their beliefs for themselves when they are old enough to do so. Who could argue against that?

The poster, then, is superficially appealing, but largely on an emotional level. How often have you heard the word ‘label’ used positively about anybody? On a more rational level, however, is it is based on some seriously flawed ideas.

Read the rest of this article on theosthinktank.co.uk

Posted via web from Tony Watkins

Roger Ebert: How I believe in God

Can Atheism Save Europe?

Tony Watkins — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:12:55 +0000

Christopher Hitchens and John Lennox debated at the 2008 Edinburgh International Festival on the subject of ‘Can Atheism Save Europe?’ You can buy the DVD from The Fixed Point Foundation. When I posted this earlier today, it was available on YouTube, but it’s been removed.

Some recommended books on film and faith

Tony Watkins — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:01:41 +0000

At the risk of being seen as a shameless self-promoter, I would suggest that my own book, Focus: The Art and Soul of Cinema, is a key read for any Christian who wants to think about film and worldviews, largely because I wrote it to deal with this specific issue in a way no other books did (the closest being Brian Godawa’s Hollywood Worldviews).

Some other books I recommend highly (in alphabetical order, by author, not in terms of merit):

Peter Fraser and Vernon Edwin Neal, ReViewing the Movies: A Christian Response to Contemporary Film (Focal Point) (Crossway, 2000).
Brian Godawa, Hollywood Worldviews: Watching Films with Wisdom & Discernment second edition (IVP, 2009)
Jeffrey Overstreet, Through a Screen Darkly: Looking Closer at Beauty, Truth and Evil in the Movies (Regal, 2007)
Nick Pollard, Evangelism Made Slightly Less Difficult: With Study Guide (IVP, 1997)
William D. Romanowski, Eyes Wide Open: Looking for God in Popular Culture, second edition (Brazos Press, 2007)
James W Sire, The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalogue (InterVarsity, 2004)

I will update this page with further recommendations and some comments when I get chance.

Focus: The Art and Soul of Cinema

Tony Watkins — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 21:34:00 +0000

Once more good intentions of keeping up with blogging have gone the way of most good intentions. Anyway, the book, Focus: The Art and Soul of Cinema was officially published last Friday. My copies arrived on Monday – always an exciting moment to see the results of so much hard work nicely printed (11 pt Palatino on a very crisp white paper if, like me, you care about such things – and I realise most don’t) with a lovely cover.

Here’s the back cover blurb:

Films have never been more popular or, with the increase in television channels and home rentals, so readily available. But how much of what we watch do we really understand? Focus: The Art and Soul of Cinema explains how films communicate the worldview of the film-maker, helping us to engage more fully with the films we watch – and so to enjoy them more. With a passion for film and a deep concern to develop a robust Christian understanding of our culture, Tony Watkins equips us to recognise and respond to the messages in today’s movies. Essential reading for anyone who enjoys films and who wants to get more out of their viewing experience.

There is a little more blurb, but since it’s people saying nice things about the book, modesty prevents me from putting it here. You can get more information from the Focus microsite. You can even read all the nice things there, as well as see what’s in the book, read a sample extract and get additional resources.

If you feel inclined to buy a copy – at the bargain price of £8.99 – you can do so in a number of ways. Here’s three, all with different advantages: order it through a bookshop (the ISBN is 978-1-904753-15-5), buy it through the Damaris shop or buy it from Amazon.co.uk via the books page on my website (which has the small advantage of a little commission from Amazon helping towards our support, as well as encouraging more sales on Amazon). Wherever you buy from, it really helps when people leave reviews on the Amazon website(s) – it has a huge influence on what people buy.