If your class is meeting online, invite students to bring paper and pens/pencils to class.

Treating others as equals seems like an easy task, but often times we hold stereotypes and biases that make it more difficult than we realize—many of which we don’t even know we have. Let’s look together at these photos of people from all walks of life.

Hand out writing supplies. Instruct your students to answer honestly and assure them that their answers will be anonymous.

(NOTE: the following images are not available to print without purchase, but may be viewed for free online.) Click on the links below and show the photos to the group. Ask students to write down their assumptions about each person based on the photo. Collect the responses and read them out loud randomly while showing the photos again. Encourage discussion about whether or not those descriptions could be true of the person in the photograph even though they were not written about that particular person.

Share the following images one at a time to your students. Allow at least 30-45 seconds on each photo so students have a chance to think and write.

Image 1
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Image 5

Being equal does not mean that everyone is the same. Having differences or coming from varying walks of life does not mean that we should treat others differently. When we understand that others are also made in the image of God, we begin to see why it’s so important to view everyone equally. Let’s consider what we have discovered about our own biases and stereotypes.

Have students break up into small groups, and give each student another sheet of paper. (If your class is meeting online, you can use the breakout room feature of your video chat software.) Ask the following questions and allow the students to discuss responses within their group. Have each student write down their personal answer on the piece of paper. Ask a few students to share their personal answers with the larger group.

• Do we really know anything about people based on appearances and our own stereotypes? (Answers will vary, but might include: No, because appearances do not tell us what a person is really like on the inside, etc.)
• What did you learn about your own biases and stereotypes while evaluating these pictures? (Answers will vary, but might include: I hold more stereotypes than I realized; sometimes we don’t even realize we have them about others, etc.)
• What common interests, goals, and desires do all Christians have in common? (Answers will vary, but might include: to spread the Gospel; to love one another; to love God, etc.)
• In what ways does treating each other as equals further the kingdom of God? (Answers will vary, but might include: we are more effective at loving others and telling others about Jesus when we work together, etc.)

Ask your teens to think back on the video about the boy with autism and the time when someone accepted them and how it made them feel. Instruct your teens to think about one person in their frame of reference who appears to feel left out, rejected, or lonely. Challenge your students to reach out to that person in some way this week. Encourage them to take notice of their peers in the coming weeks and accept those who may be left in the margins.

Close in prayer asking God to give students the ability to see others how God sees them—as equally loved and valued. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide their interactions with others and remind them to treat others how they would want to be treated.