Using Current Events & Pop Culture In Your Lessons

Author Quentin Schultze gives the following guidelines for using current events and "pop culture" in Sunday school lessons."

Use first-person stories. "When biblical truth…is linked to personal experience," Schultze says, "it becomes relevant, useful and meaningful."

Be authentic. Even if you have no stories of your own to tell, solicit tales from others about their interactions related to the topic at hand.

Be genuine. Youth and young adults will be more receptive to parallel stories from their own youth that feigned "hipness" about their culture.

Balance media and personal communication. Don’t rely too heavily on technology to teach your lessons. Leave plenty of time for debriefing and discussion.

Use a positive approach and intersperse some humor. Offer positive alternatives to negative media and urge kids to reclaim pop culture for Christ.

Emphasize grace. Young people need a strong dose of the sovereignty of God…even in pop culture.

(This article appeared in the "Spring, 1997" issue of "The Herald.")