On that blog I upload songs I have recorded and movies I’ve made.) What has caught my eye this month is the Roman Catholic church’s willingness to engage in debate about modern media. They have done so in two ways and it raises some interesting questions.

The official Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, said Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince made clear the difference between “good and evil”. In the past, the adventures of the boy wizard had been criticised by senior figures in the Catholic Church concerned about its focus on witchcraft. But under the headline “Magic is no longer a game of surprise”. He closed his review by saying that: “At the end of the film, what remains is not the scenes of magic, but these of the values such as friendship, altruism, loyalty and the giving of one’s self”. Interestingly, in 2003, before becoming Pope Benedict XVI, the then Cardinal Georg Ratzinger said the “subtle seductions” contained in the Potter series could “corrupt the Christian faith” in impressionable young children.

Secondly, Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols said websites MySpace and Facebook led young people to seek “transient” friendships, with quantity becoming more important than quality. He said a key factor in suicide among young people was the trauma caused when such loose relationships collapsed. “Friendship is not a commodity,” he said. “Friendship is something that is hard work and enduring when it’s right”. Of course the headline that leads this observation is: Facebook and MySpace drive teens to suicide, says Vincent Nichols (which is not what he is saying!)

As someone who tries to reflect theologically on culture and media, I am gratified that church leaders are speaking on the subject (it does not matter to me whether they are Roman Catholic or Anglican). However, what can we say about changing culture? Should church leaders speak out? I think the answer is yes. There needs to be public moral debate about popular literature and popular media. Very often technology and trends move so fast that people do not reflect upon their benefits or flaws. Instead they passively accept the good and the bad. This is particularly true of web-based media. The internet is significant part in many people’s lives. Nearly all of the under 40’s in this country use the internet on a regular basis. Yet, it cannot and should not replace genuine relationships and community. At Christ Church, as we increase our presence on the cyberspace, it should only be a reflection of the growth of community in ‘real’ space.

Therefore, we DO need to teach our children that meeting together has greater value than meeting on-line. Many a time has an ill-judged word in an email, ‘tweet’ or text be regretted. Better to speak face-to-face and resolve issues when you can see someone’s emotional response, not simply read the words. As Christians we should not simply be spectators in our culture, but rather participants. Jesus’ teaching that we ARE salt and light gives us confidence. We CAN bring light in darkness and flavour to blandness. Let us all be ready to think, to pray and then act when we see ‘good’ or ‘ill’ in our society