- Quick Links:
- Modules
- Latest Lessons
- Search
- Showcase
Learning Objectives
- Identify different sources of authority for Christians.
- Consider some real life situations facing Christians.
- Reflect on influence of worldview in making moral decisions.
1. Identify different sources of authority for Christians.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End View Lesson»
The decision-making at the Pirates’ Brethren Council is compared with the way modern Christians interpret tradition and the Bible in making moral decisions.
Students will:
- Reflect upon the case for breaking rules
- Identify different attitudes towards tradition and rules from a film clip
- Evaluate the merits of the Ten Commandments
- Evaluate Christian rules for life from the Bible
- Analyse the demands of Jesus’ approach to rules
- Consider whether obeying the letter of the law is harder or easier than obeying the spirit of the law
- Synthesise learning by identifying some rules that apply in modern life, and suggesting the difference between complying with the letter and the spirit of those rules.
Tristan and Isolde (2) View Lesson»
Students use Tristan and Isolde’s struggles with authority as a springboard for investigating different sources of authority for Christians.
Students will:
- Reflect upon different levels of hierarchical authority
- Reflect upon the aspects of their own lives where they are under authority
- Analyse film clips and reflect upon the extent to which authority was used appropriately or abused
- Consider different sources of authority for Christians
- Analyse specific Bible passages and identify what they say about attitudes to authority
- Synthesise their learning by drawing up an ‘authority contract’ to model the ideal relationship between authority and submission, with one example for themselves, and another reflecting how the same situation might be different for a Christian.
Pirates of the Caribbean (2) View Lesson»
A light-hearted introduction blockbuster movie Pirates of the Caribbean leads to a study of how Christians follow rules for life.
Students will:
- Understand the difference between a rule and a guideline
- Evaluate Christian rules for life from the Bible
- Analyse the demands of Jesus’ approach to rules
- Consider whether obeying the letter of the law is harder or easier than obeying the spirit of the law
- Produce a personal rule to live by and analyse the implication of applying that rule in different ways
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade View Lesson»
Students compare Indy’s dependence on his father’s notebook in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade with Christians’ use of the Bible, and other sources of authority in making moral decisions.
- A worksheet that identifies different sources of authority for Christians, with the student’s own comments on how useful each is as a way of making moral decisions.
2. Consider some real life situations facing Christians.
Survivor View Lesson»
Students discuss the experience of the Christian contestant on the TV game show Survivor, invent their own imaginary game show and consider how a Christian would find taking part in it.
- A memo recommending why a Christian contestant should or shouldn’t be chosen to take part in a fictitious game show.
3. Reflect on influence of worldview in making moral decisions.
Torchwood: Children of Earth View Lesson»
An almost-impossible moral conundrum enables students to consider how different ethical frameworks can be applied to deciding the right course of action.
Students will:
- Reflect on the influence of different factors in their decision making, and on how their values shape the decisions they make
- Evaluate the moral implications of a dilemma faced by characters in the television programme Torchwood: Children of Earth
- Analyse six different approaches to making moral decisions and apply each to the dilemma from Torchwood: Children of Earth
- Apply the six ethical approaches to one or more other hypothetical moral dilemmas
- Reflect upon the importance of moral considerations when making decisions
- Synthesise learning by describing their own approach to making moral decisions
The Dark Knight View Lesson»
The Joker poses a life-or-death dilemma for the people of Gotham city, prompting your students to consider how a person’s worldview affects their moral decision making.
Students will:
- Reflect upon what makes some decisions difficult to make
- Reflect upon the moral implications of a life and death choice from the film The Dark Knight
- Analyse six different approaches to making moral decisions and apply each to the dilemma from The Dark Knight
- Apply the six ethical approaches to one or more other hypothetical moral dilemmas
- Analyse Bible passages to determine some of the factors that Christians might consider when making moral decisions
- Synthesise learning by writing a discussion between different superheroes, each of whom subscribes to a different approach to making moral decisions.
Doctor Who: Dalek View Lesson»
Different worldviews and their effect on decision making are shown from an episode of the science-fiction serial.
Students will:
- Reflect upon the significance of worldview in shaping behaviour and decisions
- Evaluate two extreme worldviews, as expressed in clips from Doctor Who
- Contrast these worldviewe with a Christian worldview
- Analyse the significance of a Christian worldview in shaping behaviour and decisions
- Produce a piece of written work speculating on how someone with a Christian worldview might react to the situation in the scenes from Doctor Who
Collateral View Lesson»
A hit-man justifies his life to a harassed taxi driver, revealing a worldview that accepts no sense of purpose or hope.
Students will:
- Reflect upon the significance of worldview in shaping behaviour and decisions
- Evaluate one particular worldview, as expressed in film clips
- Contrast this worldview with a Christian worldview
- Analyse the significance of a Christian worldview in shaping behaviour and decisions
- Produce a piece of written work presenting careers advice that is based on a Christian worldview.
The Beach View Lesson»
The film The Beach shows us how a dominant worldview will shape a group’s behaviour and guide it’s decision making process. Students imagine their own ideal communities and consider what they reveal about their own worldview.
- Students produce a worksheet showing what they believe would be important in a community, and a summary of how this reflects their own worldview.