TV Comes To Sunday School

Ever been in a Sunday school class where someone raises a question straight out of one of last week’s TV shows or soap operas? Many times we, as teachers, are inclined to brush such questions aside as frivolous or unimportant. But, to our students, TV programs often have ways of bringing out the questions that, to one degree or another, they are also facing. In this age of electronic wizardry, it’s not only possible for us to see these TV shows in our homes, it’s also possible for us to record them and bring them to our Sunday school class. When you see a show listed in the TV directory that you think might lend itself to class discussion, record the show on your VCR. Then select a short segment of the show (say 5 minutes) to view in your Sunday school class as a discussion starter. To be really meaningful, Sunday school classes must be willing to face the real problems of life and, in many cases, the fictional events of a TV show or movie can be a great way to get into a discussion of these problems.

(This article appeared in the "Summer, 1990" issue of "The Herald.")