In our culture that values ambition and success, the individual becomes a commodity or a statistic. Whether it is the academy or the hospital or the church, the personal needs of the individual can be lost in our race to greater status and growth. In this faith review of Patch Adams, you can discern these issues as the lead character challenges the impersonal structure of the medical establishment, so that we may recognize the worth and dignity of each person we encounter.  The film is geared toward an adult audience, with themes of sickness and death, but can also be appropriate for discussion with high school youth.

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Confessing our sins to one another can be a way to live an authentic Christian faith, both in the presence of God and before others. In this lesson targeting High School youth, the leader will show a clip from the film, Blue Like Jazz, and then lead a discussion concerning sin, confession, and forgiveness. Several discussion questions and group activities are included.

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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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This is a lesson about sin, penance, and forgiveness taught to us through a clip from the movie The Mission.  In it we witness the portrayal of Robert DeNiro as the former mercenary soldier, Rodrigo.  Dr. Pamela Mitchell-Legg  has crafted this discussion for adults and older youth, a discussion about the free gift of pardon from sin rather than the necessity of acts of penance.  In this 60 minute lesson, you will find that the 15 minute clip will generate conversations three-fold.  Click on the graphic or the QRcode to take you to the page for this Clip and Lesson.  You will find a lesson plan that you will want to read and use in your next educational program.

Union Presbyterian Seminary alumna Kelly Hames offers suggestions for using the three Lord of the Rings movies (Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King) in a discussion forum.

Click on the image to read her review.