I know that there has been some discussion here regarding the Family Integrated Movement. Evidently they have produced a "documentary." I would like to watch it at some point. But I did see this review by Challies today and he blasts it. And if what Challies is saying is true about "Divided," I would have to agree with him.
Link to Challies' review: http://www.challies.com/dvd-reviews/divided-the-movie#more
Link to "Divided" website: http://www.dividedthemovie.com/
Thanks Kyle. I had not heard anything about this film. I watched the promo only and was impressed with how well the filmmaker can stare at the camera. He's good.
ReplyDeleteI read Challies post too. Man...he is the man! I praise God for his clear discernment and cogent reasoning. Note to self- run ANYTHING by Challies before you make a film or post it on the www.
I appreciated his clear insight. What stood out to me was,
"The heart of the problem is that many young people are being raised in homes and in churches where the gospel is absent. They are being raised by hypocrites and are rejecting that life of hypocrisy."
Also,
"[The film] majors on the minors, making family integration the pivotal and central doctrine for the church. It identifies a genuine problem but attempts to solve it in a way that elevates methodology instead of the gospel message."
I will take his advice, "The church would do well to ignore it."
Again, thanks for the heads up for us all.
I had an opportunity to watch the movie last Friday. It was really interesting.
ReplyDeleteSome takeaways and further questions:
- There is a danger for youth pastors to usurp the roles of parents in discipling their children.
- Leaders in youth ministry need to communicate with, involve, and provide resources for parents to better fulfill their (the parents) primary discipleship role.
- Is it completely true that before the 1800s there was never any form of youth ministry?
- For the sake of argument, assuming that the above is true. Does that mean that youth ministry is necessarily wrong?
- The conclusion reached at the end of the movie could be summarized as this: "Youth ministry is unbiblical, completely opposed to God. And it is quite possible that God is judging the American evangelical church for their practice of youth ministry."
- Is the NT mentioning of children and adults together in Ephesians and Colossians really enough for one to conclude that any sort of youth ministry is completely opposed to the Bible?
- What would the advocates of the FIC movement say to churches, such as all of ours (I am assuming), who have one hour of youth ministry and one hour of corporate, integrated worship?
Prior to the 1800's, there may not have been any youth ministry as we know it today, but even as far back as the early church (3rd century), we have examples of "age-segregated" ministry.
ReplyDeleteCheck out what Timothy Paul Jones has to say in the book "Perspectives on Family Ministry":
"Organizing church members according to their ages or their needs is not new. In churches in the third century AD (probably even earlier) all the generations worshiped together, but men, women, and young people sat separately...Jonathan Edwards gathered groups of young people for age-organized Bible studies...later in the eighteenth century, Robert Raikes taught and evangelized clusters of street children in early Sunday Schools." (21-22)
He goes on to argue, "If neither age-organized ministries nor failures to fulfill parental responsibilities are recent phenomenon are new, what is new? What is relatively new is the assumption that specialized church ministries can or should become the main means by which Christian children mature in their faith." (22)
Great statement but I also question if this was not the mindset of parents when children were sent off for months at a time to boarding schools!
I am intrigued by the argument of mentioning children in Col/Eph but this wouldn't argue that there was not "youth" ministry at all. All it implies is that children were present during the reading of that letter. I believe we can make much of the positive implication- children should be in church, but not much of the negative implication- youth ministry is not allowed.
I am currently reading a book on these issues. I HIGHLY recommend it to us involved in ministry to minors (children and students). It's called Perspectives on Family Ministry: 3 Views. Here is the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Perspectives-Family-Ministry-Three-Views/dp/0805448454
Hey Pastor to Pastor group. My name is Gary Morris and I am a lay leader at Mt Morris Community Church. Paul Stewart passed me this link a while back and some of us at church often check in here to be a fly on the wall.
ReplyDeletePaul encouraged feedback if we have it so I hope you all dont mind if I give my 2 cents on this issue. I dont think I can add much more then has already been said by either your comments or the link to Tim's blog on the issue. But never the less here are a few things I took away after reviewing the movie.
1. How are we encouraging parents to be more involved?
It seems we offer up open statements like, parents are free to join us during youth group or families are free to come to retreats but other than leaving the door open are we actively pursuing ways to get parents involved?
2.Are we making children and youth ministry an aid for parents while making it an imperative at the same time?
To the dad or mom who would like there child to join them during the main service, are they quickly pointed down the hall to where the children ministry is or encouraged to stay?
3.Are we allowing bad parenting to be swept under the rug?
Those parents who do not invite the church family into their life can hide those rebellious or improper moments of their children from others and never grow.
4.How are we integrating our youth into the active duty of the church?
I also think that Austin Duncan did a great job tackling this issue at the Shepherds Conference not to long ago.
But ultimately I think by in the large I agree it should be ignored. With no biblical leg to stand on we are in personal preference zone (which can be scary). Not to mention the verses used by Voddie and others such a Uzza touching the Ark simple are poor examples for the argument and will only push the argument further away from any serious review.
Hope you all dont mind and not sure if I added anything new but enjoyed you all reviewing this movie.