Parent power!
The past few weeks have vividly illustrated that parents can be more influential than they might have ever imagined when they join together to resist negative influences on their children1. Almost every day before the elections on November 2, stories about concerned parents at school board meetings led the news, especially in Loudoun County, Virginia. Moms and dads challenged school leaders’ support of extremist ideologies such as Critical Race Theory’s “oppressed vs. oppressor” dynamics in the classroom. They also demanded the end of increasingly overt efforts to indoctrinate their children with transgender ideologies and Social-Emotional Learning, all of which crowd out academic instruction in favor of radical social justice propaganda.2 As statewide elections demonstrated, especially in Virginia, these parents made their points3 by defeating candidates who supported the politicization of their children’s education.
The problems are not only in schools, however.
Anyone who is paying attention4 knows that television, movies, social media, video games,5 and the music industry6 are determined to mold our children and their worldviews.7 These media are no longer subtle in their messages that promote dangerous behaviors,8 anti-Christian worldviews (remember the Halloween Twix commercial),9 and negative activities for even the youngest children.10 “Woke” pop culture messages, including a new bisexual Superman,11 surround us, which makes it extremely challenging for parents to safeguard their children against these influences.
From actress to pop culture expert
Tina Griffin, the Counter Culture Mom,12 is one of our country’s leading voices on the dangers of modern pop culture on young people.13 She not only offers parents and families insights into what is going on in the entertainment industry, but she provides many positive, healthy alternatives to counteract the increasingly dark messages. Her expertise on media and the pop culture world began when she spent ten years as a successful actress in Hollywood.
Dangerous agendas and behaviors
Tina14 grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin before she left at the age of twenty to pursue an acting career in Hollywood. While earning a B.A. in Film and Television Broadcasting from Cal State University, Los Angeles, she worked as an actress in television and movies and got to know countless celebrities and their behind-the-scenes lifestyles. What she saw throughout the industry was that negative behaviors were celebrated15 while the often-tragic consequences were rarely mentioned.
The Counter Culture Mom was born
After ten years in Hollywood, Tina decided to quit her acting career and start her Counter Culture Mom16 ministry. Her mission for the past twenty years has been to expose the real agendas behind the entertainment industry and to offer young people and their parents the tools they need to deflect the dangerous messages.17 She now travels around the world speaking at conferences, school assemblies, parent organizations, churches, and even prisons.
The Counter Culture Mom Show
As host of The Counter Culture Mom Show,18 Tina gives pop culture updates and interviews experts19 on critical topics such as online chat room dangers,20 bullying, Satanism in television and the music industry,21 and the pornography epidemic.22 She is known throughout the Christian and conservative entertainment and media world for her up-to-the-minute insights and especially for the family-friendly alternatives she provides.23
The Counter Culture Mom App provides a wealth of resources
A particularly helpful resource for parents and their families is the easily downloaded Counter Culture Mom App.24 With new alerts throughout the week, Tina provides a variety of guides to family-friendly entertainment, safe social media options, and homeschooling tips. She also warns about pop culture “codes” (just because it says Netflix for Kids does not mean it is appropriate for children), as well as indoctrination that is being attempted through television commercials,25 magazines,26 and school libraries.
A new nationwide tour
Tina Griffin recently kicked off a new “Pop Culture Purge Tour” at Alps Road Presbyterian Church in Athens, Georgia27 and had three fascinating guest speakers with her. After her “Hollywood Exposed!” keynote address, Tina’s guests spoke from their own experiences in the pornographic film industry,28 with Satanism and the occult,29 and with toxic relationships.30 As well as speaking across the country, these and many other experts plan to co-author a new book with Tina that will provide insights and guidance on a variety of topics which young people face today.
There are other important voices, too.
It is easy for parents to feel overwhelmed by the constant barrage of outside influences that they know are harmful to their children. There is help, though. In addition to the Counter Culture Mom, several other important organizations31 and individuals offer guides for families. Christian actors such as Kevin Sorbo32 and Kirk Cameron33 not only promote family-friendly entertainment through their work, but they have websites that are filled with information to help parents navigate entertainment offerings. Focus on the Family,34 Moms for Liberty,35 the Capitol Resource Institute,36 Salem Media Group’s Crosswalk,37 Dr. Ted Baehr’s “Movie Guide,”38 and Parents Defending Education39 also have a wealth of information.
What can you suggest?
These are just a few of many excellent resources for parents and families, but you might have others. Are there guides that you have found to be particularly helpful? Let us know! The more tools we can share, the more empowered everyone will feel to resist the negative messages that pervade our culture today.
Footnotes:
- https://thefederalist.com/2021/11/03/terry-mcauliffes-defeat-in-virginia-is-a-cautionary-tale-dont-mess-with-parents/
- https://www.theepochtimes.com/conservative-parent-groups-working-to-reclaim-schools-from-leftists_3793634.html
- https://nypost.com/2021/11/03/glenn-youngkin-win-seen-as-victory-for-virginia-school-parents/
- https://www.parentstv.org/
- https://app.podcastguru.io/podcast/the-counter-culture-mom-show-with-tina-griffin-podcast-1512805826/episode/video-game-reviewer-cheryl-gress-gives-the-low-down-on-the-gaming-dustry-242ed18d735149a945ca3e493af910d1
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM2KjnR-HrU
- https://counterculturemom.com/video-gallery/
- https://thefederalist.com/2021/11/01/washington-post-reports-on-demonic-energy-behind-the-lefts-culture-war/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHnzu6pm0XY
- https://elizabethjohnston.org/kansas-parents-horrified-after-school-passes-out-invasive-gender-unicorn-questionnaire/
- https://www.wsj.com/story/the-new-superman-will-be-bisexual-here-are-key-cultural-moments-in-comic-book-history-in-the-us-8b889fd7
- https://www.facebook.com/CounterCultureMom/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM2KjnR-HrU
- https://counterculturemom.com/biography/
- https://scottsdalerecovery.com/the-glamorization-of-drug-use-in-the-entertainment-industry/
- https://counterculturemom.com/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM2KjnR-HrU
- https://liftable.tv/ccmom
- https://omny.fm/shows/counter-culture-mom-with-tina-griffin/
- https://www.audacy.com/podcasts/the-counter-culture-mom-show-with-tina-griffin-podcast-38282/spotlight-with-tina-marie-sex-trafficking-and-exploitation-101-676153633
- https://subsplash.com/freedomproject/lb/mi/+5r4wgw7
- https://omny.fm/shows/counter-culture-mom-with-tina-griffin/learn-how-louise-barrett-raised-a-porn-free-child
- https://omny.fm/shows/counter-culture-mom-with-tina-griffin/spotlight-with-tina-marie-load-your-home-with-posi
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/counter-culture-mom/id1352294586
- https://thefederalist.com/2021/11/01/twixs-endorsement-of-child-crossdressing-is-just-the-latest-elite-effort-to-groom-kids/
- https://abcnews.go.com/Business/teen-vogues-evolution-high-fashion-magazine-community-activism/story?id=52104594
- See videos at https://alpsroadpres.org/
- https://www.faithpot.com/joshua-broome-pastor/
- https://subsplash.com/freedomproject/lb/mi/+352c3kr
- https://www.audible.com/pd/Bethany-Dumbleton-Explains-the-Ramifications-of-a-Toxic-relationship-Podcast/B0989SJKGQ
- https://www.thoughtco.com/top-conservative-advocacy-groups-3303616s
- https://www.samsorbo.com/
- https://www.kirkcameron.com/
- https://www.pluggedin.com/
- https://www.momsforliberty.org/resources/
- https://www.capitolresource.org/why-us
- https://www.crosswalk.com/culture/
- https://www.movieguide.org/
- https://defendinged.org/about/
A Practical Guide to Culture
Cultural pressure is increasing, especially on our kids. But even in a world of addictions, ever-present screens, and gender-identity questions, youth can have clarity and confidence. We must help them attain it.
In this honest and practical guide for parents, John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle will enable you to help your kids influence the culture, rather than let the culture change them.
The student edition of the popular A Practical Guide to Culture by Stonestreet and Kunkle delivers a hopeful message to readers ages 15–25 who live every day with increasing cultural pressure. These young people struggle to navigate contemporary challenges to their Christian faith and values; this book will show them how they can emerge as confident leaders.
