There’s something crazy about the Phil Neville commentary debacle. The bloke makes his debut as a commentator on the England vs Italy game, and rather than the main event simply being the match itself, very quickly his commentary becomes an event almost parallel in stature and ‘newsworthyness’. It undoubtedly highlights the intense, snowball-esque nature of social media,  generating its own headlines and stories through non-events. It’s a land where everyone can be faulted within seconds of any “offence”, and tall poppies are lopped down in a moment. Put yourself out there and you’re ours for the taking.

Fair play to Neville though. This BBC interview, below, shows he’s taken it on the chin, laughed it off, and even acknowledged weakness, which seems one way to quickly deflate a swelling social media bubble.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0212b70

I’ve since produced an updated list for Christmas 2014, here, and Christmas 2015, here.

A friend asked me the other day if I knew of any short ‘make you think’ type-of-films related to Advent or Christmas to use at school. I’ve seen a few used over the last couple of years, but after I emailed some friends and asked around on Facebook a whole load more surfaced.

And so it seemed to make sense to compile them here. The caveat is they do vary significantly in spiritual-content, cheese-factor, and apologetic value, but you can decide for yourselves…

(To download full versions or play in church, you may well need to pay for some of these – details should be on the various links below)

1. Someone is Coming (graphical Bible overview giving context of Christmas)

2. The Christmas Chord (great spoken word colloquial piece from Dai Woolridge)

3. Christmas in Dark Places (great new visual poem piece from Glen Scrivener)

4. A Social Network Christmas (this has been around the last few years)

or similarly:

5. Joseph (Dai Woolridge’s 2013 piece – really enjoyed this)

6. 21st Century Christmas (new spoken word piece from UCCF & Rael Mason)

7. Anti-Santy Ranty (last year’s Glen Scrivener & 10ofthose spoken word piece)

or non-text:

8. That’s Christmas (stimulating piece from St Helen’s from a few years ago)

9. What is Advent? Gangnam Style (enjoyed this!)

10. Bethlehemian Rhapsody (very clever)

11. The Shepherd’s Story (I have to include this because it features my bro in the prime of his youth!)

12. Animated Nativity (beautiful piece filmed by my friend Dan Millest)

13. Unto Us – Mary & Joe (earthy visual modern re-telling of Mary & Joseph’s situation)

14. The Christmas Gospel (meditation on Jesus’ birth through the lens of the cross, based on a Tim Keller sermon)

On Vimeo here.

15. Come Thou Long Expected Jesus (beautiful, clever piece telling the Bible’s story through a painting)

On Vimeo here.

What about you? Do you know of any others – please post them below.

We’ve fallen in love with soundbites and need a dramatic turnaround back to the importance of substance…

That was BBC political correspondent Nick Robinson’s warning when he gave the inaugural Brian Redhead lecture on politics and the media recently. Of course that’s my own soundbite summary, but his point was a perceptive one, certainly applicable for politics but with far more wide-ranging implications as well.

Robinson was arguing that our politicians don’t currently have enough space to properly explain their arguments and positions, and are instead being forced into short and snappy ‘made-for-press’ summaries to feed a media hungry for conflict, spin and sleaze. In a plea for more in-depth presentation, for discussion and debate rather than this current trend for controversy and hype, Robinson suggested more time be given over to explaining politicians’ policies on TV, and even dedicated channels that allow politicians themselves to express further depth ‘before those ideas are [then] dissected by the best interviewers or attacked by their opponents or derided on tweets or blogs.’

It’s a trend we could all do with being more aware of, particularly in the media’s relations with Christianity, as well as in Christian ministry itself. An example of the media’s tendency to do this to Christians is picked up by Adrian Reynolds, over at The Proclaimer, who has been reflecting on coverage of the women bishops debate. He notes that evangelicals often don’t seem to get a fair hearing in the press, and suggests this may be in part because ‘in a sound bite world, our biblical arguments are too hard for people’. I think there’s merit in his point.

Like Robinson says, as a culture it seems we’re increasingly guilty of dismissing the virtue of being ‘thought through’. I’m not talking about the person staunchly holding to a particular position, hands over their ears and eyes closed, like the child insolently declaring ‘I’m not listening!’ Obviously thinking should naturally involve listening and further engagement. But in some quarters to have convictions formed, and to have based them upon considered argument, can be seen at best as negative and at worst as mere pedantry. To be reasoned is equated with being bookish and dry; we don’t want to be persuaded by argument, instead we want to be entertained by enthusiasm, punch and panache.