The Social Network tells the story of the remarkable ingenuity and ambition of Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook. The narrative is set during his undergraduate years at Harvard, where strife with friends and associates marked his early path to success. In this faith review by Jeff Smith, the basic plot lines are given, highlighting some themes for theological discussion, such as friendship, competition, and greed.
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In our culture, love has become an easy and sentimental thing. Yet, true love — the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ — is willing to sacrifice all for the sake of another. In this lesson for middle or high school youth, you can lead a discussion of love and sacrifice as illustrated in a scene from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001). Discussion questions are included, in dialogue with a biblical text (John 15).
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We are called to abandon our “futile thinking” and “darkened understanding,” given over to indulgence and without sensitivity (Eph 4:17-19). We are called to a new life, “like God in true righteousness and holiness” (4:24). What factors might help us awaken to the new life that God has given us in Jesus Christ? Explore this theme by observing a clip from Despicable Me where Gru recognizes his selfish ways and moves outside of himself. Included in this lesson are discussion questions, aimed primarily for high school students.
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Our priorities are often a relentless pursuit of selfish ends — security, prestige, renown, pleasure. Yet, these selfish priorities can be disrupted by love, beauty, and grace. We are then torn and must make the choice of whether to reorient our priorities. In this lesson by Russ Pearson, you can lead your students into a discussion involving this dilemma, as demonstrated in the film, Despicable Me. Discussion questions include a comparison with Jesus’ priorities in Luke’s gospel.
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What is true greatness? In the film, Despicable Me, Gru wants to be the greatest by performing the crime of the century! In Luke 22, the disciples want to be the greatest in the Kingdom of God, but are their priorities much different from Gru’s base ambitions and desire? What does Jesus say? Explore this theme in this lesson by Russ Pearson, designed for middle or high school youth.
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