We’ve been reading through Exodus as a family recently, and have reached the practical laws in chapter 21 onwards. It seems there were to be no boundaries for the Israelites in their concern and compassion for others. Foreigners were not excluded (22:21). Personal grievances were not to prevent aid (23:4-5). As much as I would love to just obscure the moral teaching of the Old Testament law under a blanket of redemptive-historical-fulfilment mumbo-jumbo, the truth is those laws reflect the heart of our generous God. Jesus was clothing himself with that law as he went about ministering grace to those in need, and summarising it’s teaching in the always-challenging parable of the Good Samaritan.

So why am I such a stinge-meister? Why am I so slow to seek out need around me? Why is generosity an effort rather than a knee-jerk reaction?

I’m pretty convinced it’s middle-class arrogance which needs to be confessed, gouged out and nailed to the cross. Truth is, I think of myself more highly than I ought. I see my time as valuable, my schedule as set in stone, and others as either resources to aid me, or obstacles in the way of my plans. I have an entitlement mentality rather than a grace mentality. I’m empowered, I’m self-sufficient, I’ve never needed the help of others – why would I put them in the awkward position of having to accept my help? As much as I’d like to be able to let myself off the hook by saying my gospel ministry is important and doesn’t leave time for much else, the truth is, people don’t listen to hypocrites round here.

We need to have so much deeper an experience and awareness of grace. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor 8:9). I thank God for the ordinary, unsaved people around me who he has used to convict me of my sluggishness to show the grace I’ve received, and my over-inflated view of my own importance. I pray I would walk more closely with my Saviour and not just study but imitate his example.

We’d started with simple talks based on their hardest questions (‘Why does God take good people and leave bad people?’ ‘Did God make dinosaurs?’ and ‘When Jesus comes back, will he be wearing old clothes, modern clothes, or will he be… naked?’ – ok, we didn’t do a whole week on the last question!). Then we began doing some narrative sections in the gospels, but still without directly engaging with the Bible text. Then this last year, we began by looking at the promises made to Adam, Noah and Abraham, all pointing forward to Jesus, and we used the Bible passages for that.

By this point, we had a consistent group of about ten teens, and were gradually piecing together the gospel with them. Ok, so most weeks we still had to send home a couple for bad behaviour, but the routine had been set – half an hour of Bible study, followed by half an hour of dodgeball (always, every week, without fail – their request! My knees have never been the same since…)

So I felt they were about ready for something like the Soul DVD – a nicely repackaged form of the youth Christianity Explored course (buy it from the Good Book Company here). How did it go down?

The DVD has seven episodes, and most clock in at the 15 minute mark. We decided it’d be best to show an episode, then have a time for Q&A afterwards. There is an accompanying study booklet, but that seemed a bit optimistic for our kids on top of the DVD!

The quality of the episodes is really good – it occasionally sails close to Christian cheese, but usually avoids that dreaded territory! I loved the imagery – it’s usually used as background to the voiceover, but sometimes as an illustration. There is one stand out moment where presenter Nate Morgan-Locke (yes, he’s got a double-barrelled surname, but he’s not so posh that the kids didn’t listen at all) retells Jesus’ calming of the storm, shouting it against the drenching rain of a full on studio hurricane, which at the words, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ dissolves into silence and sunshine. It’s powerful.

The gospel is clearly presented throughout, from Marks’ gospel. A lot of passages are read out, with the text always shown onscreen to follow as Nate narrates. This seems a bit odd at times, especially as the stories are often retold immediately following. The text is also never accompanied by music, which seems a bit superstitious – ‘the Spirit can only use the Bible when the text is visible and when there’s no music to manipulate people’s emotions’. I suspect the concern is to be demonstrating the source of authority – the Bible, not human opinion – but it often breaks the flow of an episode. Having said that, there was one point where Jesus’ words about plucking out eyes and cutting off hands to avoid sin were simply read out in silence (Mark 9:42-48), and man, that had an impact!

But what about the ‘youf’? How did they take it?

Well, it was mixed. Most sessions felt too long for their concentration length – we usually had to pause a few times during an episode due to too much heckling the TV. There was an amusing hang up with the kids insisting that I looked like Nate (I don’t see it. What do you think?!). The first episode – explaining why the best way to find out who God is, is to look at Christ – was quite philosophical and over their heads. I don’t think they got some of the irony either. But again, that’s probably another good reason to make the main feature of the episodes the Bible text itself.

There were moments throughout which captured attention – mainly where the visuals tied in closely with the content. The room of TVs, printers and cameras documenting our lives, as an example of how God sees everything in our heart, was strong. The GRACE episode was good, with a clever scene with Nate dropping large cards with writing on into a fire (‘I’ve never been arrested’, ‘I go to church’, ‘I’m nice to puppies’) to demonstrate how works are useless in getting right with God.

So the verdict? It’s a great resource, and for those at the club who were beginning to understand the gospel, it built on what they’d been learning before. But I think it’s still probably a bit too abstract and text-focused for kids for whom school sucks, TV is their teacher and the concrete realities of hanging out with their mates are what get them through the day. Soul will serve a purpose in middle-class youth groups with teens willing to focus, engage and grapple with conceptual questions. But it wasn’t down-to-earth enough for our kids – the visuals were more arty than everyday, perhaps impressive rather than effective. And it lacked a key ingredient which would have connected – humour.

So, Soul – thoroughly recommended as a resource, but it might not be suitable if your youth group has more chaos than calm in it! A lot of my criticisms above would probably apply to any DVD resource used in this context – I’m becoming more convinced that better ways forward in deprived areas are hanging out with your youths, taking them with you for street outreach, being unashamed to bluntly confront their attitudes and assumptions with the gospel, and generally showing them your faith exists beyond the scheduled Friday evening hour.

But what do you think? Have you used Soul at your church? Do you have a formal ‘youth work’ programme, or is there a better integration with the whole church? Drop in a comment below, and let’s get the discussion going!

Watch the first of the ‘On the Ground’ practical slots from this year’s conference, by Andy Mason.

To watch the rest of the videos from the weekend, go to the 2011 conference page.

This book is the fruit of many years of practical and theological engagement with urban mission. But don’t take my word for it …

‘Whether in the rapidly emerging cities of the global South or in the towns and cities of the Western world, this book will prove to be an excellent guide for students and practitioners alike who seek a deeper understanding of how the texts of the Bible can powerfully and prophetically speak afresh into our contemporary urban world.’

- Colin Smith, Urban Mission Training Centre, Kibera, Nairobi

‘Seeking a City with Foundations lays a foundation that all future urban theological works must reckon with if they are to be faithful to their task … Smith both instructs and inspires in this very important book.’

- Eldin Villafane, Professor of Christian Social Ethics, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Boston, USA

And here’s what you get …

Preface

1. Introduction

The garden and the city

The city of God

The challenge for theology

PART ONE: THE URBAN WORLD

2. The challenge of an urban world

The growth of an urban world

Urbanization in Africa

Cities of the rich, cities of the poor

Understanding the urban world

Agenda for an urban theology

3. The birth and growth of the city

The sacred city

The search for the good city

The fall and rise of urban cultures

The holy commonwealth

The city and the Industrial Revolution

Urban pathologies

Conclusion

4. Urban visions, urban nightmares

The garden city

The radiant city

Visions and nightmares

In the cities of the South

Storm clouds over the city

Back to the future?

The really big issue

5. City skylines, city meanings

From sacred centre to preserved monument

Moving down the hill

The forest of symbols

Visions of utopia

A city without meaning?

PART TWO: BIBLICAL AND THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

6. The Bible and the city: from patriarchs to prophets

In the beginning

Let my people go

The challenge of the cities of Canaan

Holy Zion: the promise and the failure

The prophetic perspective

The critique of urban religion

Love in the city

Lament for the city

Hope for an urban world

The promise of shalom

The cities of the world

7. The Bible and the city: From Jesus to John of Patmos

Jesus and the city

The tragedy of Jerusalem

Death and resurrection

Urban Christianity in the Roman Empire

Romans: a letter to an urban church

The new Jerusalem

Conclusion

8. Theology for an urban world

Idols of our time

Theology and hope for the city

The gospel for an urban world

Pentecostalism, theology and the urban world

The urban ekklesia: evangelical, emerging and catholic

Here is your God!

Bibliography

Social science perspectives

Biblical/theological perspectives

To watch the rest of the videos from the weekend, go to the 2011 conference page.

To watch the rest of the videos from the weekend, go to the 2011 conference page.

To watch the rest of the videos from the weekend, go to the 2011 conference page.