Yesterday at our 4:00 Jazz Service, we focused on the parable of the Good Samaritan. At some recent youth events I have introduced this parable with clips from the ABC news series What Would You Do? This show is a fascinating examination of ethics that uses hidden cameras to see how real people will respond to a variety of situations. Many of these would make great discussion starters or provocative clips for reflection in worship.
Since the Fourth Church sanctuary is not really equipped for showing videos, I transformed one of these clips into a reading that I did with three other liturgists. The clip I adapted is about discrimination against a Muslim customer in a Texas bakery. You can see the clip here.
My adaptation wasn’t perfect, but I thought it worked pretty well and certainly conveyed the sense of the video. I might continue to explore this method of translating contemporary media into a format that can be used in our traditional gothic sanctuary.
If you are interested, here is the reading:
What Would You Do?
1: What would you do?
2: What would you do?
3: What would you do?
4: What would you do?
1: At a roadside bakery in Waco, Texas…
2: A Muslim woman with her head covered approaches the counter.
4: “I have a question,” she says.
3: “We don’t serve Muslims here,” says the man behind the counter.
1: What would you do?
3: “You need to take your business elsewhere. We don’t serve your kind.”
1: What would you do?
2: The other customers hear these strong words but barely look her way.
1: What would you do?
3: “Get back on your camel and go back to wherever you came from.”
1: What would you do?
4: “Sir, I’m an American. I was born and raised here.”
3: “No, you’re not. Americans don’t wear towels on their head. Take your jihad back to the parking lot.”
2: Several customers speak out.
1: What would you do?
2: “Sir, we’re not buying our pastries because you are really offensive.”
1: What would you do?
2: “I can’t believe you could be so discriminatory.”
1: What would you do?
2: “I don’t know any Jews or Christians who have blown up anything recently.”
1: What would you do?
2: “If I was running this place I would do the same thing.”
1: What would you do?
2: What would you do?
3: What would you do?
4: What would you do?
1: What would you do?
Loved the clip when you used it at Pathways John and your scripted version is captivating. Jeff and I have done the same thing with clips since our sanctuary is not projection friendly – yet!