Sadly, however, relativism, pluralism and political correctness have undermined intelligence and sold us a bill of goods in the name of “experiential learning.” Experiential learning has been a dismal failure ever since it captured the imagination of the West in the 1960s. In essence, experiential learning maintains that every individual must independently determine by personal experience whether a thing is good or bad.

Taken to logical conclusions, experiential learning is unsustainable as a lifestyle. Must every individual try drugs to find out that drugs are destructive ? Or commit murder to learn that murder is wrong ?

The good news is that we can learn from secondary sources. We don’t have to put our foot in a trap to know the trap will hurt. We can use intelligence.

Regrettably, a new wave of Christian media courses promotes sending vulnerable children to movies with corrosive immorality and corrupting philosophy. Some of these courses used in church schools, such as those developed by http://www.edchange.org/, promote pure Marxism under the guise of multiculturalism, diversity and tolerance. Some resources circulated to churches, such as the many materials sent out to churches about the DA VINCI CODE and THE GOLDEN COMPASS, have exposed vulnerable children and teenagers to pagan, hedonist and atheist doctrines under the guise of preparing them to talk to their friends about a particular movie or television program.

This is experiential learning at its most subtly dangerous. It is not media wisdom. Children are imitative and should not be given over to instruction by examples of depravity, but rather by examples of virtue.

The media-wise viewer of any age gathers intelligence from secondary sources before choosing a movie. He finds out beforehand whether a movie is good or bad and chooses the good.

If for any reason you need to discuss an abhorrent movie with your friends, you can get all the information you need from Movieguide.org.

Life is short. There are innumerable media choices we all must make. Wisdom is going to sources such as MOVIEGUIDE® so that you can choose the good and reject the bad.

(c) Baehr, 2008

NOTE from Dr. Ted Baehr : For more information from a Christian perspective, order the latest MOVIEGUIDE® magazine by calling 1-800-899-6684(MOVI) or visit our website at www.movieguide.org. MOVIEGUIDE® is dedicated to redeeming the values of Hollywood by informing parents about today’s movies and entertainment and by showing media executives and artists that family-friendly and even Christian-friendly movies do best at the box office year in and year out. MOVIEGUIDE® now offers an online subscription to its magazine version, at www.movieguide.org. The magazine, which comes out 25 times a year, contains many informative articles and reviews that help parents train their children to be media-wise consumers. MOVIEGUIDE® also regularly broadcasts several international TV and radio programs hosted by Dr. Baehr. Also, if you want to train your family to be media-wise, call 1-800-899-6684 in North America to order the book, video or audio version of THE MEDIA-WISE ! FAMILY, Dr. Ted Baehr’s latest book. © baehr, 2001