This is an awesome mixer that's best used right before a lesson.
Supplies:
- None
How to Play:
Get the students standing. Tell them that you're going to ask a question or read a statement. If they agree with the statement or say "yes" to the question, then they go to the left side of the room. If they disagree with a statement or say "no" to a question, then they go to the right side of the room.
It sounds simple - it is. Our students love it though. It gives them a safe place to be opinionated even though their culture tells them that having strong opinions is a bad thing.
Most of the time students will want to explain why they chose to stand where they're standing. This either manifests itself by them asking you to elaborate or by students sharing with the people around them, why they chose to stand where they're standing.
I almost never elaborate but simply say: respond to the question as is, without any more information. They'll want to say that "But there are exceptions." To which you might encourage them that if they statement is written as an absolute... then that means they disagree with the statement because they think there are exceptions. Or you might encourage them to answer it however they want to.
Remember, for the most part, all they do is choose a side of the room. We make our students decide. No one gets to stand in the middle.
Again, they love it and they even ask for it by name.
Here's some examples of when we've used it in the past:
A Lesson on whether or not calling yourself a Christian, makes you a Christian
- Does Killing someone make you a murderer?
- Does being allergic to dairy make you lactose intolerant?
- Does Going to Church make you a Christian?
- Does Dribbling a basketball make you a basketball player?
- Does standing in your garage make you a car?
- Does stealing make you a theif?
- If you a rob a bank, are you a bank robber?
- Does farming make you a farmer?
- Does growing tomatoes in your backyard make you a farmer?
- Does having lots of money make you rich?
- Does having an IQ of 200 make you a genius?
- Does not owning a home make you homeless?
- Does cheating on your girlfriend make you a cheater?
A lesson on Spiritual Warfare
- Demons exist
- Demons are active daily
- Demonic possessions still occur today
- Most demonic activity in the bible could be explained by modern day psychology: Split personality disorder, manic depressive disorders, schizophrenia, etc
- Christians should fear demons
- Christians have power over demons
- Ghosts are really just demons
- Gods of other religions are in reality, demons
A Lesson on Baptism
- Jesus was baptized
- Jesus baptized other people
- Baptism existed before Christianity
- People in the NT get baptized more than once
- Every Christian is supposed to be baptized
- Baptism doesn’t count unless the person is fully dunked under water
- Infant baptism is not a real baptism
- If you get baptized as a Catholic or Lutheran or Methodist or Baptists and then you become a Pentecostal, Wesleyan, Presbyterian, or Non-denominational than you must get baptized again
- Only Pastors can baptize people
- When I have children I will baptize them as infants
A Lesson on Spiritual Disciplines
- Jesus fasted
- Every Christian should fast
- Jesus spent time in solitude
- Every Christian should spend time in solitude
- Jesus memorized scripture
- Every Christian should memorize scripture
- Spiritual disciplines are important for my faith
- I should practice more spiritual disciplines than I currently do
- I am able to name 5 spiritual disciplines
A Lesson on Church
- Church is important
- You don’t have to go to church to be a Christian
- I should go to church
- Church doesn’t offer anything more than what I can get at home when I read my bible and pray
- I should go to church more often than I do
- Going to youth on Wednesday night counts as going to church
- Jesus went to the Jewish synagogue regularly