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From 1999-2004 Jim Havens studied media in undergraduate and graduate schools. He was fascinated with visual storytelling and how it affects those who consume it. Jim broke from his media studies to study theology from 2004-2006. He completed a M.A. in Theology and Christian Ministry at Franciscan University of Steubenville and discerned a call to parish youth ministry. He understood how the popular media culture was negatively affecting young people and he wanted to give young people the true answer they were longing for: Jesus Christ.
Jim dedicated himself to full-time parish youth ministry from 2006-2008. He recognized three ways parents were dealing with the popular media: the unaware parent (“it’s not so bad”), the overprotective parent (“I will shield my child from all media”), and the wise parent (“I need to raise my child to understand the popular media messages and teach them how to reject the bad and choose the good”). Jim began thinking about an idea for a resource to help the wise parents. He called it Culture Gauge, and he hoped to launch a component of parish youth ministry to serve parents with this new idea.
Before Jim was able to implement the idea, he discerned a call to take a job with his local Catholic radio station. While there, in 2009, he was given the opportunity to implement the Culture Gauge idea as a live weekday radio show. Culture Gauge Live featured analysis on popular media from a Catholic worldview. Jim noticed the response of many parents who understood the need to keep current and were grateful for the service. Finally, Jim discerned a call to start a web-site where he could keep Catholic parents current on the popular media messages directed at their kids with a weekly briefing. CultureGauge.com was launched at 3PM on Divine Mercy Sunday 2010. |
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