For this blog, I read the most recent edition of the USA Hockey magazine. This magazine contains everything that is currently going on in the hockey world, from new equipment to recent games around the world and even what some NHL players are doing for charity and different children's hospitals. This magazine does a really good job of bringing new and effective ways of training at all levels, along with putting some of the myths about this and that to rest. This magazine helps to shape the human purpose through consumerism and promoting healthy eating, along with camps for children to promote an active lifestyle. USA Hockey is always trying so sell you different things and for a good reason, most of the stuff they promote is protective equipment, for good reasons. They sometimes show us how we aren't perfect and that even pros go out and redeem themselves by doing all kinds of work with sick kids, charity work, and promoting the sport of hockey as a good way to live an active lifestyle.
USA Hockey magazine I believe portrays the good qualities of the kingdom of God. Although sometimes the magazine points out our flaws in violence, but for the most part it shows us the good qualities. There are stories of people getting greedy with the amount of money that they make which is not what God wants, but the stories often end with the people getting their lives back on track and doing charity work or the work of God in other forms. Every issue of the magazine has a page devoted to helping people with their struggles in the sport or life outside of the sport and they offer ways of helping the people through their difficulties.
1) Why are we able to skip an article about the good in the sport or what people are doing to better the world or the sport with ease and dive right in to an article about violence?
2) Which do you believe to be a healthier lifestyle, actively playing a sport or exercising regularly and eating healthy?
This post brings up an interesting part of pop culture that we haven't really brought up in class before, magazines. While I don't think they capture the attention of my generation like they used to for others, I think they still have a large effect on our society. For instance, we see their images in all sorts of places, one prominent one being at the checkout lines at stores. Usually I'd think of magazines as telling us useless information such as the latest Hollywood romance or newest diet fad. And I think the advertisements in magazines usually serve into the purpose of our consumerist culture. So in this light I think it's great that you've found a magazine like USA Hockey that shows a different style than the norm. That's a unique thing to focus on redemptive stories. I think your first question is very revealing too. We are naturally drawn to violence and stories of deceit and disaster. It takes more effort for us to look at the good. So that's revealing for us as Christians, as we are called to do this.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thoughts about the magazine, Brandon. I would encourage you to consider the difference between consumerism (which you say the magazine is promoting) and consuming. Exchanging something for a good or service we can't provide for ourselves would qualify as consuming--which is a good thing that humans do in relationship with each other. ConsumerISM represents an idolatry of consuming, defining our value by the quantity and quality of stuff we're able to buy. What is the difference between consuming and consumerism for Christians seeking to live as Kingdom citizens?
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