No Turning Back - sample lesson

n o s s e L e l p Sam Teacher’s manual Written by Simon Smart to be used with

No turning back Student handbook and

No turning back DVD

Published 2005 by CEP Copyright © Christian Education Publications 2005 This resource is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, the only part of this book that may be copied without the written permission of the publisher are the photocopiable masters that are clearly indicated. These pages may only be reproduced for use in the Christian Education classes of the purchaser’s school or of the schools in which he or she has the responsibility for the provision of Christian education.

National library of Australia ISBN 1 921137 51 7 Christian Education Publications PO BOX A287, Sydney South, NSW 1235 Australia Phone: (02) 8268 3344 Fax: (02) 9283 3987 or (02) 8268 3357 Email: sales@youthworks.net Internet: www.youthworks.net PO BOX 74, Palmerston North, 5301 New Zealand Phone: (06) 358 8180 Fax: (06) 357 0281 Email: cep@gph.co.nz Internet: www.youthworks.net Written by Simon Smart To be used with No turning back Student handbook Editorial: Rhonda Watson, Sue Aiken Cover: OnLine Advertising Pty Ltd DVD production: Steve Williams, Crosstalk Technical Services 0419 607 429 Typesetting: Greg Mills

Bible quotes are taken from: HOLY BIBLE NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV) © International Bible Society 1984 CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH VERSION (CEV) © American Bible Society 1991 THE MESSAGE © Eugene H. Peterson, Navpress 1993 CEP has, where appropriate, pursued permission to reproduce copyright text and images used in No turning back Teacher’s manual. However, if you believe you hold copyright to some of this material and CEP has not requested your permission to use it, please contact us so that the situation can be remedied.

Contents Using No turning back Teacher’s manual

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Section 1

Grace – the greatest scandal

Section 2

Forgiveness – it isn’t fair!

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Section 3

Light and darkness – your choice!

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Section 4

A place to belong – finding your true home

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Section 5

Inheritance – the unexpected prize?

41

Section 6

New life – what if it’s true?

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Other CEP High School resources

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Using No turning back Teacher’s manual Welcome to No turning back teacher’s manual.

This publication is written for teachers of students in years 9–10, aged 14–16 years. It is designed to accompany No turning back student handbook examining six life-changing ideas from the book of Ephesians.

No Turning Back draws on themes from Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus. The themes also happen to be big biblical themes – something that makes the study especially relevant to a consideration of the impact of the gospel message on real life.

This is the Gospel of Jesus. In delving into the key ideas presented here students are left with a strong sense and keen appreciation of the heart of the Christian faith.

This unit forms part of the range of high school resources developed for Christian studies in independent schools and Special Religious Education in State Schools.

All Christian Education Publications are grounded in the belief that God is the source of all truth and his Word, the Bible, is where God reveals himself and his saving purposes. God has acted in Christ to achieve his saving purposes for humanity.

CEP high school resources aim to help students grow in their understanding of the Christian faith, to respond to the claims of Christ and to grapple with how to apply their faith to life.

CEP high school resources cover the following six aspects of the Christian Studies program assisting students to: Engage with the Bible Students will be helped to read, understand and learn to apply the Bible to their lives and will be introduced to the concepts of Biblical theology.

Know the gospel Students will learn about the life and teaching of Jesus, come to appreciate the significance of his death and resurrection and consider their own response to him.

Examine different worldviews In a safe and supportive environment students will be encouraged to question, discuss and evaluate critically other worldviews and practices.

Learn about their Christian heritage Students will have the opportunity to learn about key events and people who have impacted history as they have put their faith into action.

Examine ethical issues Students will be encouraged to see the relationship between faith and behaviour as they examine a range of personal and public ethical issues.

Have opportunity for personal spiritual growth Students will be encourage to grow in their personal knowledge of God and in their worship, trust and obedience in the context of Christian community and through opportunities to serve others.

Unit Aim To present students with six biblical themes that lie at the heart of the Christian gospel for them to assess as news too good to ignore.

Outcomes By the end of the unit the students will: Know about: • the promise of grace, forgiveness, entry into the light, a true home, abundant inheritance and new life for all who follow Jesus • what Paul says about the status of the believers in Ephesus in contrast with their former lives • the radical difference that Jesus makes to life both now and in the future.

Be able to: • recognise the difference that believing in Jesus made to the lives of the Ephesian Christians • understand this message about Jesus to be life-changing for those who accept it • understand why the news about Jesus is too good to ignore.

Have had the opportunity to: • engage with the gospel message at a personal level, evaluating its significance for their lives • learn how the gospel has impacted people in contemporary settings • express their own opinions about the life-changing ideas in Ephesians • appreciate the difference that faith in Jesus makes to life • evaluate the Gospel message as being worthy of attention or not.

Our approach throughout this unit has been to present the things Paul and his first readers accepted as true, and to encourage the students to examine what such a life would be like for them. If they were to accept the gospel of Jesus as a plausible answer to life’s big questions, there surely would be no alternative more worthy of their allegiance and trust.

No turning back will allow you to communicate the essential message of hope that Jesus offers. Drawing on key components of Paul’s letter, the unit will aim to strip away preconceptions about religion, church and Christians, to get at the essential message of the faith. Real people and their stories will help students examine the impact of the gospel on the lives of those who have accepted it.

Radical and profound change has been the experience of many of the people dealt with in the pages of both the student handbook and teacher’s manual. This change mirrors just the sort of experience Paul speaks of when he addresses the early believers in Ephesus.

Paul’s letter of course assumes a Christian audience, and in most cases teachers can’t do the same. As such the approach here is one of ‘were you to accept as true, the things that Paul speaks of, what difference would it make to your life?’ It is an attempt to say to students, just imagine if what he says here is reality, and think about what a difference it would mean to your life. There is deliberate and specific room for students to express their own opinions; to debate and disagree. That is a necessary beginning point if the message is to be given a hearing at all.

At the same time there will be challenges to ill-informed views or misconceptions of what Christianity is all about.

Overall there should be vigorous and honest wrestling with the material. If you can develop an atmosphere where that is the case, the power of the message about Jesus will touch many hearts, and plant seeds in others.

Structure The structure of the unit is as follows: Section 1. Grace – the greatest scandal Section 2. Forgiveness – it isn’t fair!

Section 3. Light and darkness – your choice!

Section 4. A place to belong – finding our true home Section 5. Inheritance – the unexpected prize?

Section 6. New life – what if it’s true?

For much of the letter Paul paints a picture of stark contrast between the former life of his readers and the one they now enjoy. At stake is authentic existence in relationship with the creator. He shows what an astonishing, undeserved, and almost unimaginable gift it is that these people have received. In examining this contrast, the students are presented with just what is on offer to people who would choose to follow Jesus and put their trust in him.

For Paul, the experienced reality of new life given to him of all people, the feared persecutor of Christians made all the difference to him. He is famous for his rapturous praise of the God who is rich in mercy and love. He expected his readers to understand the enormity of what they had now entered into. With a right understanding of their change in status there could indeed be no turning back!

The hope is that by examining some of the themes in this letter, the students would be drawn to the transforming and redeeming power of the message; that it would speak to them as a credible and compelling alternative to the clamouring, confusing and ultimately misleading messages of the culture around them.

Interviews Pages 15 and 28 of the student handbook provide a break in the text with interviews of contemporary Christians. These may serve to bring the material dealt with in the unit into the realm of the experience of young people that the students can relate to.

Allow some time for students to read these interviews and to consider the way Christian faith has impacted the life of each person.

The No turning back Teacher’s Manual This teaching resource allows for flexibility in the activities chosen, to fit a wide range of contexts and time frames. It is not expected that all activities will be attempted. Use the ones that best suit your situation and the abilities and interests of your students.

DVD The DVD that comes with the teacher’s manual is designed as an introduction to the material dealt with in each of the six sections. The DVD is in the form of vox pop interviews with members of the public speaking about questions related to the relevant topic.

The questions and the responses should give a taste of the topics to be discussed, and provide a stimulus to get students thinking. These clips run for approximately 3–5 minutes and should be used to introduce each of the six themes.

Aims and Objectives These are included at the beginning of each section. They are intended to give you a sense of the focus of the section, as well as provide opportunity for evaluation of the lessons you give on each topic.

Background notes Background notes are provided for the teacher. There are of course any number of ways the material from Ephesians could be approached. The notes are there to explain where the section is taking you, and what are the key ideas. They will help you approach the student pages and any introductory or follow up material in a manner that suits you and your students. It is important to take time to read the notes in preparation for each section.

Controversy Corner This section offers some possible questions and/or objections to the material in each section, and suggestions about how to answer. These would be worth reading prior to teaching each theme as a way to prepare a fitting responses to some typical student questions.

They are not exhaustive. No doubt you will get some unexpected questions. Some that are included may not be of interest to your students. It is good to start to think in categories that your students may be thinking in, being able to anticipate and give responses that are thoughtful and of help to the whole group.

The approach is one of respectful debate, allowing for a range of opinions and responses. Encourage students to disagree, and to voice their objections in appropriate fashion. We really want them to be engaging with the material and that might mean strenuous debate in some cases. Where there is genuine enquiry you may be confident in the power of the message to speak to the students.

Taking it further Extension activities building on the key idea of each section are included in the manual. It is important to read ahead and plan for these, selecting the activities that are most suitable to your time-frame and students. Some of the movie and song ideas would suit an introductory activity.

There are a variety of options including discussion and debate as a whole class or small group. Newspaper stories, poems, magazine articles, songs and real life stories are included. Creative responses to the material are suggested. Extra Bible references and activities help to place the themes in the broader biblical picture.

Movie suggestions include recommended DVD scenes to show and follow-up activities to complete.

Many of the activities come with Black Line Masters (BLMs) for you to copy and use.

Using the DVD The DVD presents vox pop interviews of people in the street in a variety of locations. It is designed to spark interest and discussion related to the theme of each section. Please view each DVD segment prior to showing it in order to pick up on comments made and how to best utilise them in discussion.

Assessing the suitabliity for your context is also advised.

The DVD is best played through a regular DVD player in order to maximise sound quality. It may also be played on a computer with a DVD drive.

Light

and

darkness your choice!

Aim To consider the notion of ‘darkness’ and ‘light’ representing good and evil, and the way that Jesus came to overcome darkness both within us and around us.

Outcomes By the end of this section the students will: • have thought about the ‘darkness’ and ‘light’ present in our world and within each of us • understand that the Bible teaches that Jesus provides the way for people’s lives to be redeemed and brought into the light • be challenged to consider their response to Jesus as the one who has overcome the darkness.

DVD 1. Is there such a thing as evil?

2. What makes people act in an evil way?

3. Are you optimistic about the future?

Display these questions for students, before playing the DVD. These interviews have occurred in a variety of locations and with a variety of people. The opinions expressed are diverse and represent a sample of what ‘typical’ Australians may think.

It is recommended that the teacher views the DVD segment before the lesson to determine how to use the comments to spark thinking and discussion amongst students. Assessing suitability for your context is advised.

Background notes When Paul addresses the churches of Asia Minor he is conscious of their fear of the powers or the ‘powers of this dark world and … spiritual forces of evil’ as he refers to them in Ephesians 6:12. The people of the region were familiar with occult practices, worship of many gods, mystery religions and temples dedicated to the worship of Roman Emperors.

The early Christians were fully aware of the power of spiritual forces not aligned to God and it would appear these were the source of anxiety for them.

There is a need to acknowledge the ‘taint in our own selves’ as Denise Levertov puts it (page 21 of student handbook) before we fully appreciate just what is on offer to those who would put their trust in Jesus.

While there is some murky territory to negotiate here, the hope is that the brilliant light of Jesus and his rescue mission available to us all, will be prominent. This light can pierce even the darkest spaces and we mustn’t underestimate the power of this message to soften hard hearts and profoundly impact lives.

An important aspect of Paul’s letter is to emphasise the victory of Jesus over these powers and the fact that all believers can participate in this victory through God’s Spirit.

The message is the same today. Any close inspection of our world reveals as much darkness as was present in Paul’s day, even if there are many today who appear to deny, or pay scant attention to the spiritual realm.

In dealing with this topic, students are asked to reflect on the notion of darkness and light.

These are images immediately relevant to a world that students recognise is ‘not the way it is supposed to be’, or at least not the way they would wish it to be.

The redemption of all things is the great and sure hope that Paul highlights. This is an enormously attractive aspect of the message of the gospel.

When talk turns to the darkness within each of us, we may not feel so comfortable, and prefer not to face this aspect of our nature.

There are always ‘worse’ people that we can compare ourselves to.

This section aims to help students with an honest assessment of themselves as members of fallen humanity, and to consider the Bible’s answer to the problem.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Controversy corner Possible questions/objections If Jesus had victory over darkness, why are things still the way they are in the world?

The Bible teaches that when Jesus rose from the grave he defeated the power of sin and death and this victory is assured and final. His ascension into heaven and promise of return mean that we live in the in-between times after the cross, but before the final consummation of that victory.

For the Christian believer then, the victory is assured even though the battle between the forces of darkness and light continues. Paul urges the followers of Jesus not to lose heart but to live in a way that shows they know the war is won. Such a perspective is the mark of Christian hope and joy – the knowledge that in the end there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain (Revelation 21:4), even though we continue to live in times of turmoil, pain and death and varying degrees of suffering.

Another important factor is that a delay in Jesus’ return provides the opportunity for people to hear and respond to the message of the gospel and find relationship with Jesus.

Why did God allow evil to enter the world?

Surely if he is as powerful as we are told he is, he could have stopped it!

This is a question that should be expected because it is a good one. There are no easy or complete answers to this and of course it is one that has troubled both simple minds and brilliant.

The best answer must acknowledge that we don’t really know why God allowed evil into the world, but that the Bible provides what believers think is the best explanation for the problem of evil as well as the best hope for a solution.

The fall, as described in Genesis 3, tells us that with choice came rebellion, and humanity is responsible for a breakdown in relationship with God. The catastrophic nature of this rebellion may be tracked through the ages that are littered with suffering, conflict, selfishness, disease, disappointment, broken relationships and death. Throughout this time, God has reached out to people, seeking to bring them back to him. Rebellion and rejection of him has persisted. Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 9:10) and this marks the high point of God’s love and mercy. Our task then is to respond to Jesus.

The final solution to the problem of evil is found in Jesus. He has provided a way for our personal evil to be dealt with and through his death and resurrection he has gained complete victory. When he returns evil will be dealt with once and for all.

I’m just not as bad as some people who commit murders and atrocities. Don’t try to put me in the same boat as them.

A biblical worldview holds that people both bear the image of God, and are fallen and tainted by sin. They are at the same time of immeasurable value, and in need of redemption. God has mercifully provided a means to re-establish relationship with himself through Jesus his son. We either accept this gift or reject it, and find ourselves either in relationship with God, or not.

There is no doubt that some people lead worse lives than others. To say otherwise would be to deny what is plainly obvious. Yet history shows that given the right circumstances people are capable of cruelty, hatred and terrible acts, and this speaks of a side of our nature present in each of us. Taken out of our comfortable lives, wrenched from our secure and loving environments, we don’t know what might emerge in our actions and character. What is required is for us to acknowledge our sinful natures, surrender our lives to Jesus, admit to him that we need him so we can be friends with God.

If Christians have ‘crossed over’ from darkness to light, why are they not living perfect lives?

The Christians I know are no better than anyone else.

Just as the creation waits for Jesus to return to finally bring all things under his control, Christians exist in the in-between time. When a person accepts Jesus into their life they are forgiven, and begin the process of becoming who God wants them to be.

This may be a very gradual process and they remain sinful people, and far from perfect.

Christians have accepted the gift of God to be in relationship with him. That should make a difference to how they live their lives as they respond in thanks, but it isn’t about being good in order to make yourself right with God.

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Taking it further Make a copy of BLM 1 (page 29) for each student.

Ask them to mark the images as ones they would associate with ‘light’, those that represent ‘darkness’, and those they would regard as neutral. They should then discuss the reasons for the choices they made.

The word Ask the students to read John 1:1–14, reprinted on BLM 2 (page 30). They are asked to circle ‘word’ every time it is used, as well as ‘he’ when it refers to Jesus. Then refer them to the Denise Levertov poem ‘On the mystery of the incarnation’, (page 21 of the student handbook) to answer the question – what does the poet mean by ‘entrusts, as guest, as brother, the word’?

My own Prison My own prison is a song from the band Creed. It comes from ‘My own prison’ (1998). The lyrics to the song are available on any number of lyric websites such as http://www.azlyrics.com/ or http://www. lyrics.com/ . Obtain the lyrics to the song and display them to your group.

Analyse the lyrics and as a discussion exercise ask the students to consider how the song from Creed relates to the concept of light and darkness in Ephesians.

Express yourself Ask the students to write a short role-play or short story that captures an aspect of the theme of darkness/light. Include the notion of a choice between darkness and light and the consequences of the choices that are made.

Alternatively the group could write a poem or song to illustrate the theme.

Our world Take newspapers from any given day. In groups the students should select stories from the papers and try to categorise them as belonging to ‘the light’, or to ‘the darkness’, or those that they think of as neutral.

Discuss their findings.

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Film A Simple Plan (Motion picture 1998 Rated M.) Bill Paxton, Bridget Fonda and Billy Bob Thornton star in this film that says much about the way evil can reside within seemingly good people.

In this case it is greed that unfurls the ‘dark side’ of the characters in the drama. Two brothers and their friend find $4 million in the cockpit of a crashed plane. The pilot is dead and no-one appears to be looking for the money. A ‘simple plan’ to keep the money and wait a sufficient time for it to be safely theirs, taps into the characters’ darker sides.

What looks simple, quickly becomes messy as things rapidly spiral out of control for the three men involved. They find themselves on a path of murder, deceit and self-destruction that says much about the human heart when it gives in to temptation.

Look especially for the capacity for evil evident in the apparently normal, happy, small town couple.

Sarah (Bridget Fonda) is especially interesting and perhaps the darkest character in the film. Her cold and calculating manner of handling the increasingly difficult circumstance she and her husband find themselves in is chilling.

‘Hank, do you ever feel evil?

I do. I feel evil.’

Jacob to his brother Hank when their ‘plan’ had come spectacularly off track.

BLMs 3–4 (pages 31–32) provide an exercise to carry out with scene selections. You need only show the recommended scenes. Following each of the scenes there is a short exercise for the students to complete. Discussion of answers to these questions would be worthwhile. Keep in mind the key to this section of the unit, and draw attention to the darker side of human nature, and the way that in the right circumstances, normal people are capable of cruelty and evil.

Only do exercise ‘f’ if you have time. Exercises up to and including ‘e’ would be required for the activity to be useful.

SeCTion 3 BLM 1

You decide Mark the images below as ones you would associate with ‘light’, those that represent ‘darkness’, and those you would regard as neutral. Discuss the reasons for the choices you have made.

In groups discuss the reasons for the choices you made.

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SeCTion 3 BLM 2

The Word Read the following passage from the first chapter of the Gospel of John. Place a circle around ‘word’ every time it is used, as well as ‘he’ when it refers to Jesus.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

1

He was with God in the beginning.

2

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

3

In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but

4

the darkness has not understood it.

There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7He came as a witness

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to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not

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recognize him. 11He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to

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become children of God – 13children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the

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glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

?

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Refer to the Denise Levertov poem On the mystery of the incarnation, on page 21 of the student handbook. What does the poet mean by ‘entrusts, as guest, as brother, the word’?

A Simple Plan

SeCTion 3 BLM 3

Film:

Film:A Simple Plan//Starring:Bill Paxton,Bridget Fonda,Billy Bob Thornton//Distribu

A Simple Plan stars Bill Paxton, Bridget Fonda and Billy Bob Thornton. Two brothers and their friend find $4 million in the cockpit of a crashed plane. The pilot is dead and no-one appears to be looking for the money.

A ‘simple plan’ is hatched to keep the money and wait a sufficient time for it to be safely theirs.

a

View Scenes 1, 2 and 3

Under each name make brief notes to summarise the thought processes and the justifications that each character makes about keeping the money.

Jacob (Billy Bob Thornton)

b

View Scene 5 ‘Hank Tells Sarah’

Hank (Bill Paxton)

What do you think about each person’s response to the question of what to do with the money?

Sarah – ‘It is wrong because it is against the law.’

c

d

View Scene 6 ‘Return to the plane’, and ‘Tom Butler’

Lou (the friend)

Hank – ‘Nobody is getting hurt by this.’

What do we learn about Hank in this scene? Why is this surprising?

View Scene 10 – What does the audience learn about Sarah from the exchanges in this scene?

‘Sarah discovers the deadly duo’

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SeCTion 3 BLM 4 Film:A Simple Plan//Starring:Bill Paxton,Bridget Fonda,Billy Bob Thornton//Distribu

Summary scenes 14 & 15

In scenes 14 and 15 things begin to really unravel. Hank convinces Jacob to trick Lou by taping him confessing to the murder of the old farmer (something that Lou was not involved in). They do this as a precaution to hold over Lou’s head should he become too difficult to handle.

Lou is drunk and becomes violent. He threatens Hank with a gun. Jacob shoots and kills Lou. Lou’s wife comes down from upstairs where she was sleeping. She tries to kill Hank and he shoots and kills her. The two brothers are forced to cover up the murders with more lies and deception.

Later Jacob asks Hank ‘Do you ever feel evil Hank? I do. I feel evil’.

e

View Scene 19 ‘Barber shop’

Sarah says to Hank, ‘No-one would ever believe you were capable of doing what you have done’.

What does she mean by this statement?

Why is this line such an important one in the film?

How does it relate to the ideas we have looked at in No turning back?

f

View Scene 21 ‘Just like it used to be’

What motivates Sarah to say the things she says here?

How does she justify what they have done?

What does this say about her character?

What hope do they have of things being ‘just the way they used to be’? Explain your answer.

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