For use with devozine meditations for January 16–22, 2011. Print-Friendly Version
Are We Good News People or Juicy Gossip People?
MAKING THE CONNECTION
“It seems as if the words news and gossip have been merged so that the two are hard to distinguish. News of Kim Kardashian’s failed marriage is somehow put on the same platform as an APEC Conference, earthquakes, wars, famine, and political revolution. Much of our political discourse resembles gossip, with rumors of conversations that happen behind the scenes or the latest scandal that could easily destroy a career or two.
“Generation Y, more than any other generation, is served gossip on a platter. I wonder what the future has in store for us when people who have grown up hearing gossip disguised as news become adults and have children. Where will the ever-growing gossip market lead us as people of faith, as friends, as a global community?
“I’m keen for us to move faith beyond the borders of gossip, to reclaim friendship and faith, and to challenge people of faith to live a life free of gossip and full of good news. Good news lifts our hearts and souls but also speaks to the darkest nights and the biggest world issues. To reclaim our faith and life, we need to open our eyes to see beyond the blurry vision that has been perpetuated by our need for drivel and gossip. The God of Creation is calling us to be all we’ve been created to be, to give freedom to the captives and food to the hungry, and to speak into the political sphere a word of love.
“I’ll end my rant now . . .
“But what if our youth ministries and churches became places of good news rather than places to celebrate the latest gossip? If we learn to distinguish good news from gossip, then maybe our communities will see change.” —Darren
MEET THE WRITER
Darren Wright is a Uniting Church Youth Worker serving in the Riverina Presbytery in NSW, Australia as the Presbytery Youth and Children’s Ministry Worker. Darren has previously worked in congregational ministry, high school chaplaincy, and local government as a youth worker. (He’s also been a petrol station attendant, supermarket employee, dairy manager, and furniture sales person.) His interests include music (Moby, Radiohead, Ben Harper, The National, Muse, All India Radio), film (MegaMind, Harry Potter, How to Train your Dragon, Scott Pilgrim), TV (Chuck, Doctor Who, Big Bang Theory, Community), theology, the church, pop-culture, and working with young people at risk. He is particularly interested in how the church and theology connect with pop culture.
STUFF YOU WILL NEED
- sticky notes
- pens
- newspapers
- magazines
- scissors
- a copy of the scripture and quote list for each person
- candles and matches
- photos or printed images of people in each of these three groups:
1. celebrities featured in gossip columns (such as Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Charlie Sheen, Kim Kardashian)
2. people who have been famous humanitarians and/or people of faith (such as Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King, Mohandas Gandhi)
3. people from your congregation [Be sure to explain your project to these people, and ask their permission to use their photos and their contact information. Also, ask if a young person from your group may interview or have a meal with them.]
NOTE: Before the session, print or cut out of magazines or newspapers the images of celebrities and people of faith; display these around the room. Don’t display the images of people from your congregation until later in the session.
PLUGGED IN
If you’d like to explore using video, music, or film in this session to delve into the theme of gossip, here is a list of options. Be sure to preview the ones you consider using to be sure they are appropriate for your group.
+ Glee: “Rumours”
This episode from the second season of Glee will help your group enter into a conversation about gossip. In it, the gang is torn apart by a number of rumors, some spread internally and some spread and created by Sue Sylvester. The musical theme from this episode comes from the Fleetwood Mac album Rumours.
+ The Big Bang Theory: “The Herb Garden Germination”
In this episode from season 4 of “The Big Bang Theory,” Sheldon and Amy decide to perform an experiment on their friends by spreading gossip in the group.
+ The Office: “Gossip”
When Michael realizes he’s being left out of the gossip going around, he decides to start a few rumors of his own. Wikipedia includes a list of the rumors that were spread throughout the episode.
+ Mean Girls
This film starring Lindsay Lohan portrays a number of different ways (including gossip) that people are brought down in a school setting.
+ Saved
This film is particularly interesting because the protagonist in the story uses prayer as a means of spreading gossip.
+ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Rumors that are spread about Harry Potter leave his best friends questioning their relationship.
+ “Rumors”
This video follows a Vimeo employee who wanders around the office to spread gossip.
+ “Gossip”
In this amusing clip by the Soul Refinery on Worship House Media, people use prayer as a means to spread gossip.
+ AsboJesus Images
AsboJesus offers a few interesting pieces that reflect on gossip:
+ “Gossip” by Vanessa Amorosi
Read the lyrics or purchase the song on iTunes.
+ Australia National radio, Life Matters Podcast: “In defense of rudeness”
This new addition to the ABC Radio National podcast series explores rudeness, gossip, and more—including a defense of gossip and rudeness.
CHECKING IN
Give everyone a few sticky notes and a pen. Invite people to wander around the room, exploring the photographs you have displayed and writing on separate sticky notes what they know about each of the people pictured. Ask people to post their notes near the pictures. [NOTE: You may want to play the song “Gossip” by Vanessa Amorosi (see “Plugged In”) during this opening activity.]
Bring the group together. Encourage people to talk about the photographs and about what they know about these people. Then invite discussion:
Where did you receive your information?
Why do you know more about one person than another?
What interests you about the people pictured?
What do you really know about the people pictured around the room?
About whom would you like to know more? Why?
EXPLORING THE WORD
Have available scissors and a stack of recent newspapers and magazines. Invite people to go through the stack, to cut out articles and pictures, and to divide them into three piles: “News,” “Gossip,” and “Stuff” (which fits into neither category). Encourage people to work together to determine what fits into each category.
After the exercise, invite people to look over the piles of material. Then discuss:
What struck you as you were looking through the newspapers and magazines?
What was especially interesting or amusing?
What did you notice?
What shocked or surprised you?
Invite further discussion:
What makes an event newsworthy?
What is the distinction between news and gossip?
Why is gossip attractive?
How much time do you spend reading or listening to gossip compared to the time you spend reading or listening to news?
What are differences between what Jesus called good news and what we know as gossip?
How do we become people who are all about good news in our community, school, family, or church—rather than people who are simply interested in juicy gossip?
Distribute copies of the list of scripture readings and quotations. Invite each person to read aloud one of the verses or quotations on the list. Allow a few minutes of silence after one.
When everyone has read one or more quotes or verses, invite discussion:
What quotation or reading spoke to you, challenged you, or made you think?
Do you think gossip is destructive? helpful? Why?
Have you ever gossiped or been the victim of gossip? How did you feel? (Be sure no one answers the question by spreading gossip!)
What can we do to keep gossip from being attractive or easy to spread?
How have the readings or activities in this session challenged the way that you look at gossip? the way that you look at news?
SHARING IN PRAYER
Invite people to sit in a circle, and give each person a candle and some matches. Place in the center of the group the photos of people your congregation. Invite people to see if they can identify each picture.
Suggest that one way to stop being interested in gossip is actually getting to know people instead of listening to what other people say about them. Then explain that the people whose pictures are in the circle have expressed a willingness to spend time with the members of this group.
Invite each person to choose a partner and together to light their candles and to place them on the photograph of someone they will ask to join the two of them for dinner or coffee.
After each candle has been placed on a photo, invite people to return to the circle for a time of prayer. Explain that their prayers will circle the group four times as you invite people to say different one-word prayers during each round:
- Round 1: Say one word that expresses fear, naming what frightens you about this week’s challenge.
- Round 2: Say one word of confession, naming a time when you participated in gossip, either by listening to it or by spreading it.
- Round 3: Say one word of thanksgiving, naming what you have been thankful for this week.
- Round 4: Say one word of hope, naming something that you hope for the group in the week ahead.
Conclude the prayer by saying, “Amen.”
TAKING IT FURTHER
Perhaps your group would like to put together a list of five questions that will help them get to know the people from the congregation whom they have agreed to invite to have coffee or dinner. You may also decide together how to debrief their “get to know you” experiences so that their conversations about the people they met don’t turn into gossip. Instead of spreading gossip or dwelling on the negative, challenge the group to share only the good and uplifting things they learned about their new friends.
