Do you remember the first Disney movie your parents showed you? How about all the innocent songs, dancing animals, and defeated villains? What if I told you that there’s so much more behind that mask of innocence?

Well at InterHigh Monthly V, we delved into true worldview of Disney with about a hundred students from all over the Bay Area!

Worldview of Disney

We began with presentations from our very own mentors on the worldview of Disney, reliving our past a little bit (watching some among us do their best to sing some Disney songs!), and bringing a critical mind to the fantasy we’ve all seen as children. Most were surprised to find, through revealing videos and insightful discussion, how dangerous these fantasies really are: worlds where a woman must win a man with her body, even if it means giving up her voice (Little Mermaid) or withstanding his abuse (Beauty and the Beast); worlds where a man must be a handsome, hulking muscle-man; worlds where the ugly generally are unimportant or goofy side-kicks. Lastly, we see the consistent theme of romantic love as the “happily ever after,” which combats the truth that we will find no happy ending until we find it in God. We were called to watch even the most innocent looking media with the prudent mind of a Christian, and overturn the values we’ve been exposed to for so long.

Next we had some good food (and I guess some salad too), and followed it up with taboo and charades. But of course at InterHigh, you can never judge a game by it’s cover! What we REALLY played was a game I can only describe as the most ridiculous word-guessing game I’ve ever played, where at first you can describe the words (pretty easy), then you can only act the words out (bearable), and then use only your head and facial expressions! I must say, we have some talented faces…

What is the church?

To cap it all off, we had a thought-provoking message from Pastor Will, turning us to a reexamine one of Christianity’s most fundamental concepts: the Church. What is the church? What is our place in the church? Do we really need the church to be followers of God? As a part of the church, explained Pastor Will, we are part of the body of Christ, a group of people living for God and acting as a unit. How, then, does one part of a body act when it is severed from the rest? Could you imagine a hand sitting on the ground, severed from a body? Yeah, it’s pretty disturbing. Not only do we need the church to serve with the gifts God has given us, but God has given us the people and groups in our lives for a reason! Pastor Will exhorted us to serve our youth groups and the people around us as best we can, because we should never be wishing we had a different youth group; we should always be finding ways to serve to the best of our ability, no matter where God has put us, so that “if one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26).

Praise the Lord for another InterHigh full of fellowship and the Word! I can hardly wait a whole month and a half for Rise and William Lane Craig!

What was your favorite part about InterHigh Monthly #5?