Discussing Theology With Students through “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”
One of the year's most anticipated movies is finally out, and it is a strong possibility that many of your students will see The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Overall, the storyline is compelling as this prequel explains the history of the Hunger Games and how they became what we know from The Hunger Games trilogy.
Whether one chooses to see the movie personally or not, there are many themes that the movie portrays about humanity, sin/morality/salvation, and worldview that youth leaders can capitalize on to help train their students to develop a biblical worldview.
Humanity
One of the film's central questions is, “What is a Human?” Some characters believe that a person's value is based on where they live, money, or title. For example, the residents of the districts are viewed as sub-human by those of the Capital, similar to how many Americans viewed Africans during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The tributes are thrown into a cage to be viewed as a spectacle before the games and given little to nothing to eat. Because these “savages” are considered animals, those of the Capital are unaffected by their deaths in the games. Instead of mourning the tributes’ loss, they turn their suffering into entertainment and profit for their own selfish gain.
In contrast, the Bible teaches that all people, regardless of ethnicity, position, or socio-economic status, have been made in the image of God and are worthy of dignity, honor, and respect. One question to ask students is, “In what ways do you show favoritism to others based on their physical appearance or possessions?” James 2 teaches us that we should never show favoritism towards others because our God shows no partiality. Therefore, we must seek to shift the narrative of our culture that values people based on their external qualities.
Another aspect of humanity brought out in the movie is whether human beings are inherently good or evil. Cairolanus Snow and Professor Gaul believe all humans are inherently evil and unleash their predator instincts when placed in a state of survival or death. For them, there is no way humans can be redeemed from this wickedness. One can only look out for oneself and seek to survive. Yet, Lucy Gray believes all humans are born good and only commit evil when influenced by their cultural surroundings, such as the games. So, which is it?
According to the Bible, both views are wrong. Snow and Gaul are partially correct in that ever since the Fall, all humans are born inherently evil due to our sinful nature that was inherited from Adam (Rom. 5:12-21; Ps. 51). However, in contrast to Snow and Gaul, Scripture says that our sinful nature can be redeemed and transformed through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We can change through the power of the Holy Spirit and by repenting and trusting in Christ. Despite Lucy Gray's beliefs, we are not a tabula rasa or inherently good post-Fall. Instead, the Bible teaches that we have all fallen short of God’s glory, none of us seeks after God, and we are all in need of a savior (Rom. 3:10-23).
Sin, Morality, and Salvation
This brings us to the next theme presented in the narrative. Building off the question, “What is a human?” is the question of morality and what makes something right or wrong? Snow infers that a person is not morally culpable for what happens in the games. [Spoiler Alert] . . . When discussing what happened when he entered the arena during the games, Lucy Gray reveals that she knows that he murdered one of the tributes, yet Snow says, “We did what we had to,” but Gray says, “No, we are still murderers.” Earlier during the games, upon hearing that Snow murdered one of the tributes, his cousin Tigris shows sympathy to Cairolinus, saying, “It (killing the boy) must have been awful.” Even though Snow is conflicted with his feelings, he surprisingly responds that he felt power when he killed the boy, implying that he enjoyed it. Therefore, the film seems to communicate that power and survival are supreme qualities over love and compassion.
Morality is again questioned when Sejanus seeks to help his fallen tribute and help the people in need in District 12. Yet, each time Sejanus seeks to show compassion and do justice, his actions are questioned and deemed wrong by Gaul and Snow. Cairolinus says that what is right is obeying the Capital and honoring your authority, even if what they are telling you to do is unjustly harming others.
Some questions that can be asked from this theme are: what makes an action right or wrong? Should we believe that the ends justify the means or that an act is right if it brings about large amounts of human flourishing (utilitarianism), or are acts inherently right or wrong in and of themselves (deontological ethics)? Is there ever a time when it is right to defy the government to obey God and love and protect those being unjustly treated (see Acts 5:29)? Do our actions determine what is right or wrong or the context and circumstances in which we commit them?
Lastly, what should we do with our guilt? Cairolinus, Lucy Gray, Dean Highbottom, and Sejanus all struggle with the guilt of being responsible in some way for the deaths that occur in the games. Cairolinus tries to remove his guilt by justifying his actions as right due to the circumstances he was placed in or because they were the means to win the Plinth Prize and restore his family's honor. Dean Highbottom attempts to remove his guilt by numbing it with constant doses of morphine. Yet he also, along with Sejanus and Lucy Gray, seeks to absolve their guilt through good deeds, defending the weak and attempting to stop the games. The film communicates that the way to forgiveness and salvation is through making up for evil actions by showing love and mercy and doing good to others. Lucy Gray says that mankind must seek to do good and not cross the line into evil.
However, Scripture makes it clear that only the blood of Jesus can cleanse us of our sin and clear our conscience so that we can serve him (Heb. 9:14). We cannot be saved or forgiven by anything that we do because none of us can perfectly obey God’s law (James 2:10), and if we cannot fully obey God’s law we are cursed (Gal. 3:10). Therefore, we cannot be justified by our good works, but only through faith in Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:28; Gal. 2:16). Humanism cannot save us but only the perfect humanity and the blood of our great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ.
As Christians, we must be set apart from the world, but in doing so, we must not neglect opportunities the culture presents us to engage the culture's lies and show how these lies conflict with the teachings of Scripture. By discussing movies like The Hunger Games, we can better train and equip our students to have a Biblical worldview so that they can expose the lies the world is believing and shine the light of the gospel into a dark world searching for truth.