Posted on 05/29/2012 7:55:04 AM PDT by Gamecock
Full Title: Did Veggie Tales prove that you can teach kids to behave Christianly without teaching them Christianity?
A very interesting article here. Remember those veggies that sung like helium intoxicated chip munks and told stories from the bible almost similar to bible stories? Now there seems to be a hint of regret. You see…
VeggieTales “convinced kids to behave Christianly without actually teaching them Christianity.” So says founder Phil Vischer in a new interview.
VeggieTales was a rags-to-riches entrepreneurial success story. Vischer and his counterpart, Mike Nawrocki, left college to pursue their dream of making wildly creative children’s videos. At the height of their success in the late 1990s, VeggieTales videos sold 7 million copies in a single year and generated $40 million in revenue. Though primarily aimed at a Christian market, VeggieTales had a broader cultural influence, pushing forward the boundaries of computer animation and children’s programming
But success brought failure. Though Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber are still around, they aren’t the same. Big Idea Productions went bankrupt in 2003 and Vischer lost ownership and creative control of the whole enterprise. VeggieTales is no longer VeggieTales. The characters still exist – and in some cases are even voiced by Nawrocki and Vischer as hired talent – but the decisions are now made by studio execs who don’t share the vision or worldview of the original founders.
In a recent issue of WORLD magazine, Vischer acknowledged to interviewer Megan Basham that the bankruptcy and subsequent trials have given him perspective. His words reveal a man who’s beginning to see the difference between moralism and the gospel. And a man humble enough to acknowledge his role in confusing the two:
I looked back at the previous 10 years and realized I had spent 10 years trying to convince kids to behave Christianly without actually teaching them Christianity. And that was a pretty serious conviction. You can say, ‘Hey kids, be more forgiving because the Bible says so,’ or, ‘Hey kids, be more kind because the Bible says so!’ But that isn’t Christianity, it’s morality.
American Christian[s]… are drinking a cocktail that’s a mix of the Protestant work ethic, the American dream, and the gospel. And we’ve intertwined them so completely that we can’t tell them apart anymore. Our gospel has become a gospel of following your dreams and being good so God will make all your dreams come true. It’s the Oprah god… We’ve completely taken this Disney notion of ‘when you wish upon a star, your dreams come true’ and melded that with faith and come up with something completely different. There’s something wrong in a culture that preaches nothing is more sacred than your dream. I mean, we walk away from marriages to follow our dreams. We abandon children to follow our dreams. We hurt people in the name of our dreams, which as a Christian is just preposterous.
["It's Not About the Dream," WORLD magazine, Sep 24, 2011, 57-58]
I’ve been strongly critical of the Christian subculture over the years because I believe it does more to distort and discredit the gospel than almost any external threat or influence. It’s good to see one of the former saints of that subculture putting his finger on the same weaknesses. It’s even better to see “gospel awakening” in a man with such deep wells of creativity and talent.
And now, it’s that time for Silly Songs with Larry.
GRPL Ping.
Thoughts?
GRPL Ping.
Thoughts?
Is this a bad thing?
IMHO, a lot of parents have a very nasty taste in their mouth about Christianity because, their parents forced them to go to church - and they resent that. For them (and largely for me until about 20 year ago), going to Church was a punishment for a crime I never committed. It was a chore that was resented - in short - my parents failed, miserably. To get a child or young adult to understand church, they must enjoy the experience - if not, all you are instilling is a deep seated resentment, and a pretty solid garrantee that they will reject the teachings, and do their best to avoid this again in the future.
My parents failed - miserably with this very simple, and very common task. I have one brother who is now a professed athiest, a sister with a long history of drug abuse (with both of her kids currently in jail) and no interest in church at all, another brother who has (like me) completely renounced the denomination he was raised in, and opted for a different Christian church. 4 out of 4 children renouncing your denomination is pretty much a 100% FAIL in my book.
So, if this program teaches Christian ideals, without espousing Christianity - I do not consider that a bad thing at all. The principles of Christianity are not unique, in that compassion, forgiveness, acceptance and understanding are found in most enlightened cultures around the world. What ever lays the seeds of Christianity, is a seed that may one day bear “good fruit”.
My first thought was: where is my hair brush OH where is my hair brush
Granted legalistic churches can and do teach moral principles. Sometime with a smile that makes you feel good, sometimes by beating you up.
But of all the worldviews, only Christianity has God coming down to save sinners. The "good" people are pretty much left high and dry.
“And now, it’s that time for Silly Songs with Larry.”
But I want Love Songs with Mr. Lunt!
Kind of like public schools teach kids to think like Marxists without teaching Marxism.
Why do you need a hairbrush, you don’t have any hair!
I agree. Using the Bible and teaching morality is a part of what the schools used to do. That can only be a good thing as opposed to the immorality taught in the schools today. What would have kids have learned if Veggietales had never come to fruition. It may have reached a broader audience the way it was presented. In the long run it can still accomplish God’s purposes. Too bad though, someone else has control of VT today.
Self ping to mull over later.
I gave it to the peach he’s got hair
You can compare Veggie tales to the Gospels or the Cartoon Network. Compared to the latter, it’s a no-brainer.
And when our kids were under 10, there was almost nothing else. We also used The Donut Man and EWTN’s kid’s programming.
That is the irony of the New Testament isn’t it.
The good people go to hell and the bad people are saved.....
Is “Christianly” a word? I think not.
That is me...my parents crammed Christianity down my throat growing up and now I don't want anything to do with it...I'm so turned off to it...
I do believe in God but that's about it..know some Atheist who are the most moral people I have ever met and some Christians who wear it on their sleeves who are the most lying, theiven hypocrites out there but I know I should not generalize in either case.
Parents has basically disowned me, told me I was never welcome to come home ever again but it is over another lifestyle issue.(no not gay or drugs)...terribly sad over it and don't think I will ever get over it.
I don’t consider teaching principals but not teaching Christianity such a bad thing. If the goal was to teach Christianity, then they missed their mark, but teaching foundational principals is a worthy accomplishment.
This series should be a tool, and not the only tool, in a parent’s toolbox. It opens the door to more discussion. I am close to two little boys, who never had any Christian teaching before last year. Veggie Tales opened the door to more discussions. They asked me questions, and I was able to tell them about Christ. Veggie Tales opened the door, but I never expected them to do all of the work.
BTW - Veggie Tales helped soften Mom’s heart and prepare it for the seed of the Gospel - which is flourishing now.
It is the job of parents and the church to teach the Gospel and the heavier theological truths to children. Putting that responsibility on cartoon vegetables is not only unfair, but would probably be irreverent. Wholesome entertainment, with positive messages is great, but it is no substitute for work of the church.
Bfl
If it’s not it should be.
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