Below are Kids’ Movie Talking Points for The Newsies.
Would you want to be a Newsie?
Would you say the newsies were good or bad?
They certainly worked hard and looked out for one another, which is good.
They also were fairly dishonest and violent at times, which is bad.
The newsies were poor and had a hard life. Does that make it okay for them to lie or act violently?
Even though circumstances make it harder to obey God we are still required to obey.
Proverbs 30:8-9 says, “give me neither poverty nor riches…lest I be full and deny you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.”
So, we see that though both poverty and riches bring unique temptations they don’t excuse our sin. Thankfully, there is grace in Jesus.
Why did Pulitzer decide to charge the newsies more for newspapers?
He wanted to make more money.
Ultimately, greed was the reason so many of the children were working in such poor conditions and often for nothing.
We don’t always know why God allows sad things like this to happen. But we do know a few things for sure: God is good, God knows all things, God is perfectly wise, God is in control and God will ultimately punish all sin justly. So even if we don’t understand why sad things happen like child labor, we can trust that God who sees and knows many things we don’t will use it for good and punish sin, both on the cross for those who trust in him and on judgment day.
How did the newsies free kids all over the city from working in unjust conditions?
They published the truth about child labor so that everyone could read it.
God also proclaimed the truth so that people could be free. How?
He gave us the truth of the gospel in the Bible. The gospel that Jesus Christ–who is the way, the truth, and the life–came to die on the cross and rise from the dead so all who trust in him are saved.
The freedom that Jesus offers is the happiest freedom and it lasts forever.
Mike McGregor
Mike McGregor (MDiv, Reformed Theological Seminary) is Director of College Ministry at First Baptist Church in Durham, N.C. You can follow him on Twitter at @m5mcgregor.
