Group Discussion
Barry Landis: How many of you thought that you were coming here today to sit and listen to speeches? No, we need you to work. You will be gathering and sharing and working and coming up with some answers and solutions before this is over.
David Osborn: You here today are unlike any other group we’ve had here before. It is clear that we represent every point on the spectrum of many theological areas. Remember to focus on the really important things.
This process is linear and iterative. Now we need to ask one important question. How is this different from the three meetings I’ve been to over the last year? Participants in recent workshops and discussions, tell us what went on and what you have learned. Your conclusions are worth putting on table.
Karen Covell: Why are Christians not more effective at impacting culture?
Michele Suh: We need to stay connected and unified. We will need to stay on it when we leave here.
Terry Botwick: I find that the resulting frustration lies between what we want to do and resources available.
Christina Battisti: It seems that Believers in the industry are reluctant to help. It is hard to find the ones who are willing to help. Some of the most effective discussions I’ve been a part of were those where many different groups were represented. We need to find ways we can help each other.
Dan Scott: What we can do to help Christians bridge the gap of ancient time to present?
Barry Renfro: When trying to clean up a given industry there is no regard for life transformation and no long-term sense of care.
Christina Battisti: We have a unique opportunity to engage culture here then communicate it outside of here. How do we do that?
Mervin Louque: We need a unifying Christian value system. The foundation of our value system is challenged.
Becky Norton Dunlop: I am in the policy world in D.C. and have found that people confuse principle and preferences. Typically the principles get lost in the battles. We need to come out of our discussions with principles today.
Matson Duncan: We have lost so much theology of vocation. How do we integrate vocation with doctrine? How is it that we have been lost in our vocation for so long and how do we recover?
Dan Johnson: Our conversations today are more desperate. We find we are feeling like we want to have an effect but are frustrated by just continuing on with the discussion. We need to have our dreams become the igniter of something.
David Osborn: We will do some level setting. We will need to turn to determining what we do, what it will take, and how we will do it, and then test some ideas.
Lou Carlozo: I’m from Chicago where the perspective is different. The tensions lie between art and agenda. Art conforms to the agenda in Christianity. It would be meaningful to address how to get the taste of really great art and leave agenda out.
Nigel James: I am from the UK. Our observation on impacting culture is different. From an impact on worldwide culture, the US is viewed as a world leader. It has a far bigger Christian entertainment subculture. The advantages in the US are that there is more opportunity where in the UK there exists only mainstream opportunities.
Terry Renfro: We are here because of what is concerning us as Americans and also the distance with Hollywood. There is huge potential but if we try to alter our agenda, we might loose our message. We are concerned it would bring about worse things.
Joel Pelsue: Children want to come to Los Angeles that have talent but, have a lack of seeing God big enough there. They are afraid.
Robb Kelley: We need to talk to young people. They are lacking mentors to help them create artistic excellence and to love, nurture and equip them. Artists are suffering and we need to help them in their healing so that they can go forth with their gift with power.
Reed Arvin: At the end of the day we are magnetic to art itself and those of us who create have to make a culture change tomorrow. Help us as artists to be encouraged because isn’t it just a question of courage? I need inspiration and encouragement.
Tammy Bennett: Where kids and culture are concerned, divorce is the number one element affecting children today. Art is a healing outlet for kids. How can we produce the resources to help parents and kids? What do kids need that church and parents are not providing?
Andrew Varner: I have a conservative Christian background and I am confused about where I am supposed to go. Regarding the tool of evangelism, what is the purpose of this media? Do we witness or recognize art is gift from God?
Nancy Delmar: When we are raising up artists and doing marketing in LA we need to pull together and truly support that artist. Together we could really be a huge marketing force.
John Young: My wife will ask what happened here today. Can I take home the white board guy with me and the board? Like Barry, I’ve given away hundreds of ROARING LAMB books. We need to think of the church as an aircraft carrier and equip Christians going into the culture field so that they can go fly in heavily armed places, and come back and get refueled. Our final roar is that this summit is exactly what Bob Briner wanted.
Rich Westfall: Here is an analogy from software industry: garbage in garbage out. Is the work we do conveyed in excellence, both in form and content?
Michelle Borquez: These are all issues that have happened over a long period of time and will not be resolved overnight. We need to ask ourselves questions around what we can do differently. Our arrogance is a curse. We need to be humble. Why are we not buying our own products? The answers to these questions can help us to be better as artists and professionals. We need to come up with some great, wonderful solutions that can impact our children. I have six kids. I would like my kids to reap benefit from this.
Larry Black: Christians stink. There is scripture reference to this in the Bible, “the smell of life in one is the smell of death in another”. In Colorado Springs I once saw a bumper sticker that read, “Focus on your own damn family!”
John Horton: We need to recognize that Christians have not always entertained the best reputation, especially when it comes to quality product and business principles. How we operate is paramount to our perception.
Dan Scott: There have been some major Christian statements in some movies, like the “Passion of Christ” but, what about films like “The Lord of the Rings”? It was not recognized as having a Christian message. We need enough prep in the Christian community to help everyone recognize themes as Christian.
David Osborn: Thanks for your observations to get us started. We are now passing out lists as part of your scanning. We’ll break into eight groups which were configured ahead of time because we wanted you to work on topics with a good mix of folks on the teams. You are each assigned to one team. Let us know if you need to switch groups. We will assume you want to work with the team we assigned you to.
In an hour, each team will come back in and present a seven to eight minute report. Each team has different assignments. Five teams have articles for reading where they will have twenty minutes to scan them and see if there is anything relevant to what we’re doing. In some cases there may be conflicting points of view in the articles to stimulate discussion. Talk about it for forty to fifty minutes and prepare your report out. In your breakouts, facilitate yourselves and assign your own group leaders. Use those white walls and later on you’ll condense your work down for report out. If you need a model or picture, Andy is for hire. He can help you frame your ideas.
Barry Landis: So, you get the idea of why you are here, right? Are you excited? We are. Thanks for giving the time and energy to be here.