tebow, barna, and culture [an interview with sam van eman]

The editorial team for HighCallingBlogs.com is really a pretty amazing group of people. I feel quite honored to be able to serve with this group as the Social Media Editor. I believe strongly in our mission to glorify God through the high calling of our daily work.

Another person I know that believes in that mission is Sam Van Eman. Sam is the Culture Editor for the network. In addition to that he is the Staff Resource Specialist for Coalition for Christian Outreach, and he blogs at A New Breed of Advertisers.

Recently I had the chance to chat with Sam about his role with the network, and to get his thoughts on some recent advertising and related research.

Dan: Sam, dude, tell my readers a little bit about who you are, what you do for HighCallingBlogs.com, and what your blog New Breed of Advertisers is all about.

Sam: Thanks for asking, Dan. I’m a father (just finished a game of Dutch Blitz in which I got crushed by my eight-year-old daughter) and a husband (enjoyed Pad Thai and spring rolls with Julie on a little I-was-out-of-town-for-four-days-and-left-you-home-with-the-kids date). I also think of myself as a teacher.

Writing is a way for me to teach, and at HighCallingBlogs.com that means writing about culture on Fridays and finding other writers to help me do the same.

My blog? Inviting marketers to become good neighbors to the consumer next door.

Dan: So you are a self-proclaimed critic and fan of advertising. How do you connect your faith to your interest in marketing and advertising?

Sam: As a critic, my faith says, “Taking advantage of a car driver’s insecurities may be funny but it isn’t any more than middle school bullying. Christ calls us to care for the disadvantaged and hurting, not run over them.”

As a fan, I’m fascinated by displays of creativity and technology and speaking clearly to a target audience. Add honor and dignity to those displays and I’ll sit up and pay attention to a vacuum ad.

Dan: You actually wrote a book on this theme…  On Earth as It is in Advertising?: Moving from Commercial Hype to Gospel Hope. What can you tell me about the book and the message that you try to send through it.

Sam: On Earth is mostly a critique. It describes how advertising often employs the “SimGospel” by simulating elements of the biblical narrative for the purpose of selling products and ideas. Essentially this means the SimGospel uses the only stuff anyone really wants: love, belonging, efficacy, tranquility – the stuff of heaven, if you will. Which is brilliantly devious for advertisers and oddly complimenting to the Gospel.

Most folks know the basic problems with pop culture advertising, so I thought it would be good to provide a deeper analysis for readers who care about the nuances.

Dan: Recently during the Super Bowl, there was an add that was a bit controversial. It was the Tim Tebow Focus on the Family ad. I’m sharing it here, but what are your initial thoughts on the ad?

Sam: I remember watching for it and then waiting for something significant to happen during it. But “nothing” happened except the airing of a decent and respectable TV commercial.

Dan: The Barna Group just released a study that they did on the effectiveness of the ad. In their analysis they mentioned that, “the ad shows the power of mainstream celebrities, like Tim Tebow, to garner attention and the related challenge for evangelical groups to get on people’s radar.” Is that a statement that you agree with? Why or why not?

Sam: Tim seems like an unusual case. In the football world, he’s enormous and he proclaims his faith in the same way. Few could garner the same attention and even fewer with this level of controversy. Having said that, plenty of Christian athletes could address this challenge but how many organizations have $3 million to shell out, or see the value in 30 seconds even if they did have the money?

Dan: The Barna analysis also pointed stated, “Faith and values intersected mainstream culture in a significant new way.” What do you think about that? Do you think that the ad had a significant impact, and what should other faith-based advertisers (and the church) learn from this ad campaign?

Sam: I should have asked David Kinnaman why he said this when I talked with him at the CCO’s Jubilee Conference last weekend! That would have been helpful, eh?

I don’t think this ad placement was terribly significant. Faith wasn’t discussed and even though a faith-based organization stood behind it, not many viewers made the connection between Tebow and Focus, as the study showed. On the other hand, college commentators always talked about Tebow’s faith during games.

And regarding values, we see PSAs frequently. Perhaps it’s more significant that so much buzz came from this particular spot.

Hmm, now I’m wondering if the same buzz would have occurred if Focus had paid for a spot on something less controversial. Like Stouffer’s, for example. Stouffer’s is doing a campaign called Let’s Fix Dinner [http://www.letsfixdinner.com/] and I think it’s great. Nobody would have cared if Focus were making ads about the healing value of eating lasagna together and yet it would have fit well with their ministry.

So (now that this answer has gone on way too long) perhaps all the buzz was really about the use of TV space as a discussion board for ethics. I’ll be interested to see what happens in 2011. Will others follow suit? The answer to that may end up being the real measure of significance.

Dan: What can people look forward to from you on HighCallingBlogs.com?

Sam: Life-changing experiences. Ha! Okay, how about cultural observations. My mom didn’t trust me to buy the right jelly, and for good reason, but folks have said I have a way of making observations. So that’s what I’ll bring to the table. Some bring organization; others, stamina, or conviction, or grace. As the culture editor for HCB, I’ll bring connections and try to share them as well as I can, either directly or through the writers I pick.

Dan: Thanks Sam! I look forward to following along more with what you do!

[12 days of awesomeness] day three: not so fast

This one is a fairly new friend that I’ve made online, but… DUDE, I like that way she thinks! I love it when I see people who challenge the status quo, and not simply cave in to popular culture because it’s just easier that way. And this is exactly what Not So Fast is all about…

As regular visitors here may already know, I’ve recently started contributing a weekly post as the Faith Editor at HighCallingBlogs.com. After joining the editorial team there, I’ve gotten to know Ann Kroeker though our posts and comments to each other. Ann is the Family Editor at HighCallingBlogs.com, and always does an amazing job sharing insights relevant to families and parenting!

Her blog Not So Fast shares the same name as her book. In the book she talks about the very counter-culture idea of slowing down from the [too] fast-paced lifestyles that we live today. And her blog is devoted to providing thoughts and practical tips on how families can slow down and reap some great rewards from slowing down!

This is the kind of wisdom that we need more of in the church [and the world] today. If you are not too busy, then you should check out Ann’s blog sometime…

 

Check out the complete list!

[12 days of awesomeness] day one: paper bridges

Monica Brand is a rebel with a cause.

She blogs at at Paper Bridges where she calls herself “just another Jesus freak, homeschooling mom with a blog.” The web is full of homeschooling moms who have taken up blogging, but one thing that I really appreciate about this one is that she seems to love to engage culture. She discusses things things that are culturally relevant, and never seems to be satisfied with everyday, typical church-ianity.

I think that I originally found her blog through the HighCallingBlogs.com network, where she is listed with the culture blogs.

However,  my most significant interaction with her came when she joined a group blogging project here at BibleDude.net on Dino Rizzo’s book Servolution: Starting a Church Revolution Through Serving. Her vlog on chapter two of the book is still one of my favorite entries for a group blogging project so far. Partially because she is still the only one to submit a video entry as a post for one of these projects, but also because I can see how she strives to apply the concepts at a very practical level in her own life.

I love to see people who stretch themselves and other people for the faith. I encourage you to check out Paper Bridges, and join in with her in taking on the culture head-on. I don’t think that you’ll regret it!

 

Check out the complete list!

how to be awesome

Recently TED Talks posted an organ performance from Qi Zhang that was simply awesome! This is what the TED website has to say about her…

Originating from Shanghai, China, Qi Zhang graduated from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music with a Bachelor’s in Electronic Organ. She is currently a Master of Music student at University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, studying organ performance with Professor Cherry Rhodes.
 
Zhang has been playing since the age of nine, performing in various venus in Shanghai, nationwide and overseas, including an electronic organ concert at Shanghai Concert Hall. She won First Prize in the International Electronic Organ Competition in Spain in 2004.

“The music being played sounds nothing like an organ; it’s a symphonic tune reminiscent of a Walt Disney World fireworks show. But all being played by her! Whoa! Drums, percussion, horns, strings … incredible.”
             — Brian Stokes

 
YouTube Video :: Qi Zhang's electrifying organ performance

After watching this performance, I had a few thoughts about how to be awesome…

1. You don’t have to ease into doing something amazing.
2. You don’t need the coolest tools in order to create something awesome.
3. In order to do something excellent, you must commit your whole body to it.
4. It’s okay to throw in a little extra for dramatic effect.
5. Sometimes you need to go fast, and other times you need to slow it down.
6. Doing something great takes a proportionate amount of focus.
7. When you rock, people will applaud you for your performance.
8. It is important to be gracious when people applaud your work.

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