Collide Magazine

My biggest issue is the lack of creativity that the Christian sub-culture has. “GodTube” seriously! How about the t-shirt companies who just sit around thinking of ways to rip off creative slogans and brands to Christianize them.

I was at Catalyst this year and saw a booth for big Christian company that shocked me. They had a huge banner behind their booth with a caveman on it above him it read, “So easy even he can do it” They didn’t even “creatively” make it Christiany.

I understand that in the design/advertising world this happens a lot, but I feel like Christians do it the worst.

Let’s be creative, innovative, original and come up with our own ideas.

posted at 12:06 pm on December 19th, 2007 by jordan

GodTube has inhibited creative exhibitions of faith from entering the mainstream marketplace. It is continually shown that mass media does not convert to faith, but they can make someone think. If the most creative of Christians were infused into the mainstream (YouTube), then the quality of faith-oriented media would rise. The media on GodTube is terribly unoriginal, and most of it is just plain bad. I stay away because I want something good, original and fresh. There is a lot of worthless media on YouTube, but it is harder to find because there is a mass quantity of good work there. If all of the media was filtered into the YouTube environment, the great work would shine and the mediocre work would fall in with the rest of the world’s mediocre media.

posted at 12:43 pm on December 19th, 2007 by Aaron

I think that GodTube is ridicules. Why do Christians have to seperate themselves from everything, are we not supposed to “Go into all the world…” not Separate your self from the world and hope the world follows…

Another thing I don’t like about GodTube is that if the content of the video isnt Christian related it can and probably will be deleted. I will say that GodTube is well put together and is professionally done, unlike most Christian media. That’s the thing I love about Collide is that it is awesome Christian magazine thats not a parady of some “worldly” magazine.

posted at 1:33 pm on December 19th, 2007 by Cody

GodTube is the perfect example of separatism. For me it’s simple, non christians will “accidently” run into christian media on YouTube and lives can and have been changed. They will never go to GodTube. I “get” what they are doing, but in some respects… “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”.

posted at 1:57 pm on December 19th, 2007 by Dave

I understand the reason why GodTube exists – to provide a smut-free alternative to YouTube for families. Fine. So be it. However, I agree with the above comments that it falls well short of the quality/creativity found on YouTube. In the past, creativity (i.e. art, music, philosophy, science, etc.)poured out from the Church and influenced the culture of the world. Today, it’s the opposite. We wait and let it come to us. I agree with Craig Gross – let’s take it to them!

posted at 2:18 pm on December 19th, 2007 by Kyle P.

GodTube.com and other sites/ideas like it will not stop with my ‘opinion’ of their dumb-ness. In-fact, they’ll probably pay for an ad in a magazine like Collide one day soon!

posted at 2:50 pm on December 19th, 2007 by Stevan

Godtube is just like everything else we have that is labeled Christian. Its an opportunity for us to take something that is popular in the secular world make it cheesy, give it a “holier” name cater to ourselves rather than thinking externally. There is something to be said for a place that equips and encourages Christians, but to seperate ourselves from the world is not the appropriate thing for us to do.

Like Kyle said, I understand why it was started. It is nice for families to have a clean place to go watch videos. However I think that teaching children right from wrong and giving them the ability to choose right always trumps sheltering them from the world. How is a child supposed to live an effective Christian life if he/she does not ever have to discern for his/her self what is right and what is wrong.

I’m rambling… This is just my opinion

posted at 2:58 pm on December 19th, 2007 by Matt West

Once again I find myself in the minority when it comes to the media world. I think GodTube is a brilliant idea. So far the only comments I’ve read here bash GodTube for its unoriginality while bringing up the ever present bashing of putting a Christian spin on worldly media. So where is all the bashing of the worldly for taking Christian content and making it worldly (e.g. using God’s name in vain, usurping bits of the bible while changing a word here and there to make it clever, changing the lyrics to hymns)

So what happens if and when GodTube becomes popular to the religious? Don’t you think you’d have more people posting original content and bringing up links for their community church to follow? Personally I’ll be uploading my videos to GodTube because I’m always a little weary as to what YouTube will bunch together at the end of my video (they always have links to other “related” videos). Do you really think that a different web address will hinder the call of God on the hearts of his children?

I’m rambling on as well, but it just doesn’t make sense why this is construed as a bad idea. I think what really erks me to no end is how people criticize a website that provides wholesome material for free viewing rather than charging an average of $15 for a 3 minute video clip. There’s your original Christian content right there… would you rather have the $15 loop of a waterfall, the $20 five minute mini-movie with a lost puppy, or a $10 five minute ticker? ooooh, but this one has quotes, and this one has trivia!… For a church that is barely paying off their multimedia upgrade debt, I’d be happy to go to GodTube, write the artist and ask for permission to show it to the congregation.

posted at 9:44 pm on December 19th, 2007 by Nathan Walker

tired: GodTube
wired: Blip.tv, Miro, Joost
expired: YouTube

Ok, I’m being a bit facetious. This thread, and especially the comments, raise some interesting issues. I don’t have any big issues with GodTube at the moment; personally, I don’t see to much value in it. We’ve seen fit to put some of our ministry’s videos on the site, but I’m not sure what the payoff is going to be yet. For me, it’s yet another social network I have to contribute content to.

It’s not a place I would hang out, personally – that sounds a bit snobbish, but I’m going to go where the content is, wherever it is. My hypothesis is that others follow that pattern, too. I guess it does follow a pattern of Christians making their own “mirror universe” – Christian wrestling events, separate education (guilty!), Christian death metal (not guilty), et. al. Back to that whole “in not of” discussion.

One more point, to the “separatism” statement: for content creators, it should be both/and not either/or. Christian media we make goes to Blip.tv, iTunes, blogs, our own site, YouTube, MySpace, del.icio.us, wherever we can get it. If GodTube will take our content too, I’m all for it.

posted at 1:10 am on December 20th, 2007 by Allan W.

Honestly, it’s been a while since I’ve given this type of issue much thought, but here’s my hot sports opinion: Christian parents are lazy [pardon the blanket statement]. Rather than investigate what their kids are listening to or looking at, they feel comfortable as long as everything their kids are into has some sort of Christian subculture stamp of approval. While I see some value in having your kids grow up in a Christian bubble (I was one of those kids), it’s a bit unrealistic, isn’t it?

posted at 9:11 am on December 20th, 2007 by Phil

[...] First, keep chiming in with your thoughts on GodTube from yesterday’s blog post. [...]

posted at 12:55 pm on December 20th, 2007 by Collide Magazine » Blog Archive » Links of the Week

I think it’s cheap and lame. Why do “we” feel like we have to create our own crappy subculture of something that’s already out there. We feel the need to redeem EVERYTHING to make something “holy.”

Point in case: Lifehouse is one of my favorite bands. Their first song “Living by a Moment” came out and was a huge hit on the secular radio. To Chrsitians, they were just another secular band writing love songs. Then, it came out that the lead singer was the son of missionaries and was a believer. Then, the song was suddenly acceptable to play on Christian radio.

What changed? Did the meaning of the song suddenly become holy because we found out it was written by a Christian? Was the song suddenly Christian enough to play on Christian radio?

It boggles my mind. I choose to be IN the world. Just because I am in it doesn’t mean I have to be OF it.

Community WITHIN the world.

posted at 2:21 pm on December 20th, 2007 by Aaron

[...] to keep you occupied until Christmas Jump to Comments * First, what are your thoughts on GodTube…interesting conversation happening on this one… * Yale is beginning to offer some of [...]

posted at 2:36 pm on December 20th, 2007 by links to keep you occupied until Christmas « between sundays

Here’s my two cents.

As a “christian podcaster”; when I want to send a message of love, hope, and reconciliation to the world then I post it on YouTube. When I have a message specifically for christ followers; then I post to YouTube AND GodTube.

There is a minuscule population of atheists that go around GodTube looking for a fight. I’m willing to engage with them if for no other reason then to set the record straight on whatever mistaken ideas they have about scripture.

posted at 9:57 pm on December 20th, 2007 by Scott Wilder

there is absolutely no need for a “holy” version of youtube…not to steal aaron’s words from yesterday…

this is just the mindset of the church in north america, or maybe world wide. we have become inward focused, asking the world to come to us. instead of focusing on what Jesus told us to do…”GO”. it more comfortable to just sit and expect the unreached to come to “us”. so people in the church, some of whom are following Christ, have fallen into this rut and for the most part don’t even realize it.

God has really been hitting me hard with this lately and how we can take our “church activities” away from the church and engage people where they are. we’re not told to stay and get cumfy, but to “GO”.

posted at 9:33 am on December 21st, 2007 by jon

To quote someone from ChurchyMedia.com (forgive the plug) “There is nothing wrong with what they are doing and I commend them, but ask yourself this would Christ go to the bar or church?”

I think we have two mentalities here that probably cause this great debate. I believe it’s based partially on the different theologies of the Protestant divisions. I won’t get into all the meaty details, but I believe it boils down to the target audience. Some of these videos, let’s face it, are targeted towards those who already believe. Whereas other videos are more seeker friendly.

The reason I love GodTube is because it caters to those who are already disciples by feeding their spiritual needs in a nourishing environment. If you equate this to the statement above about whether Jesus would go to a bar or a church, then you must also remember that Jesus frequented the temples quite often to question the religious. I guess my point is that believers need to be fed just as much as those who have not excepted Christ, and I choose GodTube so I won’t be drawn to things that appeal to my worldly desires.

posted at 10:23 pm on December 21st, 2007 by Nathan Walker

I like and support Godtube.com because it filters out all the bad stuff. Yes we should and can use youtube.com, but for some and Craig should know this, it can be a temptation to look or see something they shouldn’t nor want to. I say this, because this is my struggle and I HAVE TO stay away from youtube.com but love the features so I CHOOSE Godtube.com because of this. And if I had kids I would want them not to fall into the same mistakes I have. We have Godtube.com, because we can and choose to and should as Christian and as American’s; we are free aren’t we? Yes I agree partly with what Craig is saying, but for the other side consider the fallen man in us all and Godtube.com is there to help not hurt or take away, it only takes away or does a better job at limiting Satan’s hold. Thank you and Merry Christmas. And btw I still support you Craig and 3X Church.

Peace,
TC

posted at 2:54 pm on December 22nd, 2007 by travis

In my opinion, both sites have two main weaknesses . . .

1. They both mainly offer user generated content.
2. They both publish and even encourage, by their very existence, flagrant copyright violations.

User generated content rarely satisfies anyone but the user who created it. And Christians should be models of propriety when it comes to obeying the law.

Come on, let’s not set ourselves apart, and then produce substandard and unoriginal media.

posted at 5:01 pm on January 13th, 2008 by Brian Davis