Sadly, a couple weeks ago I finished teaching my Sunday School class on Modern Parables (published by Compass Classroom). It has been an excellent series, and I can't recommend it highly enough. Prodigal Sons is part of the Modern Parables series, and is, in my opinion, the best of the whole collection. Why is it called "Prodigal Sons" (emphasis on the plural)? Jesus' original parable, popularly called "The Prodigal Son," is probably inappropriately named (by commentators). The original story told by Jesus is actually about two lost sons, not just one. Prodigal Sons is the story of two adult sons of a wealthy ...Read More
Modern Parables
Modern Parables: The Widow and Judge (Review)
The Widow and Judge is a short film from the Modern Parables series. For my Sunday School class I played the film one week and then the application video the next week. This film, like all the other films before it, did an excellent job provoking discussion about some critical topics. Modern Parables is a film series put out by Compass Classroom, and like the other films in this series, The Widow and Judge does not fail to disappoint. Based on Jesus' parable in Luke 18:1-8, the film vividly portrays a prejudiced and corrupt judge and his unwillingness to hear the case of Hannah, a poor black widow. Filmed in black and ...Read More
Modern Parables: The Shrewd Manager (Review)
The Modern Parables series continues to be one of the best curriculums I've seen. Our Sunday School class has been engaging and rich. So far, I am very impressed with the level of discussion these films provoke. These last two weeks I've been playing The Shrewd Manager film and application video. The film is based on Christ's parable found in Luke 16:1-9. Jasper Crooks is a dishonest man through and through, but he's also creative and calculating. As manager of a large tenant farm in the South, Jasper is responsible for keeping the books, but when the landowner discovers he's been "misappropriating resources" (i.e. ...Read More
Modern Parables: Samaritan (Review)
As I said in my last post, I started using the Modern Parables series for my Sunday School class. I continue to be impressed with these videos. These last two weeks I presented Samaritan, both the parable film and the application video. This film is based on the famous parable of the Good Samaritan found in Luke 10. Samaritan is set in the modern context of a big city. The film opens with an old man laying in an alleyway, heavily beaten. He crawls his way to the street and rests against the side of a building, obviously traumatized. Two men have the opportunity to help: a deacon (who also happens to be a doctor) and ...Read More
Modern Parables: Hidden Treasure (Review)
In my Sunday school class I just finished teaching Hidden Treasure, the first set of video lessons in the Modern Parables series. I can already tell this series is going to end up being one of the most engaging classes I've taught to date. The short film is based on the parable in Matthew 13:44, "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." Set in a modern context, the "treasure" in this film is a reservoir of oil hiding beneath a seemingly worthless piece of property off the highway. A real estate ...Read More
