Written by Jonathon Goodenow. Media by Kayla Morton.
When we, as students, have free time, we often don’t consider challenging ourselves to think. After all, why would we want to? Isn’t coursework enough? However, taking the time to reflect can create discussion throughout a college community and allow God to break through distractions.
When the Cinematic Conversations class (CC@GC) met to discuss films for this semester, I was unsure of what to show. In this class, we use films as a means to provoke discussions with Greenville College students. These conversations could be theological or sociopolitical in nature. At each CC@GC event, they are prompted by a professor who speaks about major issues found in the movie of the night.
A film that I suggested we show was an old classic: “Inherit the Wind.” I was hesitant to suggest this movie because it is not modern, which means that it is not likely to bring in a large audience. Jake Amundson (the professor of the Cinematic Conversations class) confirmed my thoughts when he told me that the film wouldn’t bring in enough people to be worthwhile.
This made me think about how much media we consume and how little we allow it to impact us. I am not saying that “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” or “Hot Rod” does not have important themes for students to discuss. Nevertheless, only interacting with what is familiar or popular limits the ideas and experiences that God could use to influence our lives.
By being in a Christian college, students at Greenville have many avenues through which they can tackle difficult and interesting subjects. CC@GC is certainly one, but students should make a point to get out of their comfort zones. For example, recent events at GC include the faculty debate about black lives matter vs. all lives matter and Senator Kyle McCarter’s political discussion hosted in Ladue auditorium.
Greenville College often has events such as these and will likely have many more in the future. Don’t miss an opportunity to attend one of these events because you decided to scroll through your Facebook feed instead.
If you are unable to go to these campus events, the internet is a good source to get you started. You could look into a specific social, political or religious issue from different angles to gain a better understanding of the issue. This could help eliminate political bias and help you to come to your own conclusions. Podcasts, news networks, blogs and YouTube channels are all good sources to check out.
Free time is great but use it wisely. Take the time to learn something new, and you might find it to be worthwhile.
