There’s been a lot of talk about how we can get the economy up and running again. Well I’ve got an economic stimulus plan that has been proven time and time again. Sell pop culture, but make sure the label says Christianity. The money will flow like booze at a frat party.
“Justin Bieber: Never Say Never”: Will Paramount’s Christian outreach program get young men to see it? I’ve copied a few excerpts below.
Paramount has held 20 screenings in 20 markets at the end of January for Christian leaders, some of whom then offered written endorsements, arranged group ticket sales for their fellowship, or requested a copy of the study guide produced for the movie titled “Never Say Never: For Nothing Is Impossible With God.”
Execs recognized that the film’s message of hope and Bieber’s strong Christian beliefs, about which both he and his mother Pattie Mallette have spoken extensively, were an opportunity to reach out to the faith community. The study guide is a collaboration between Bieber’s mother and Allied Faith & Family, an arm of Allied Integrated Marketing…
Indeed, marketing to Christian groups became quite popular post-The Passion of the Christ…
So how effective will Paramount’s efforts be for this film? The study guide made its way into the inbox of Sean Meade, who serves as the National Network of Youth Ministries‘ national coordinator for middle school groups and also runs an organization called Stuck in the Middle, which holds events for middle school-aged students in the U.S. and Canada and does training for youth pastors. ”Big picture, I know a lot of people are planning to use this movie within their ministry,” he tells EW. “I work specifically with middle school students and with youth pastors who focus on that age group, and if you have middle school girls in your group, they’re gonna go see the Justin Bieber movie, and they’re gonna be talking about it, and those themes are something that really resonates with that early adolescent age. Youth pastors want to be talkin’ about this with their kids.”
I suppose I could write an essay explaining my thoughts about this, but I will simply offer these three quotes and allow the reader to infer what I think.
“And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13He said to them, ‘It is written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer,” but you make it a den of robbers.'” Matthew 21:12-13, ESV.
“As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.” Johann Tetzel
“There’s a sucker born every minute.” (incorrectly attributed to) P. T. Barnum
Thinking and Such 