think twice, it's all right

So I talked with my youth about this Golden Compass movie tonight. I didn't tell them what to do...because ultimately they have to decide don't they? One of the biggest challenges for me is how to go beyond giving instructions and convince them to think. About their faith, about their actions, about their friends, and their plans...before significant growth happens they have to be willing to evaluate their lives. I don't want to say "this is the right thing" and have them buy it. That may produce temporary results, yes, but long term that is not going to stand. Until they question their faith it will never be their own. I've got 7th to 12th graders so this is difficult. Middle schoolers are simply not in a place developmentally where the can evaluate their lives. They can sense when things don't line up right but they can't put words to it or cognitively evaluate why. The kids in high school are not used to this for the most part either. Research papers in high school are more about copying (paraphrasing...) information than they are about reading and understanding and coming to a conclusion. How do I teach them to think? I can teach them about the Bible...I can teach them theology and biblical history. How to study the Bible. I can teach them how Christians should live. I can even (I didn't) tell them what movies they should see.

How do I get them to think? To ask why? Until they interact on that level I can preach all the sermons in the world and I'm just not sure how much good I'm doing.