Apologetics
Category 1: The Character and Nature of God
Category 2: Foundations of Christianity
Category 3: Scripture
Purpose – Mars Hill is a speech event which trains students to connect culture and Christianity. The name of this event is taken from the Apostle Paul’s Mars Hill speech in Acts 17. Before the speech, Paul engaged with the Epicureans and the Stoic philosophers of the day. It is this group of people who led him into the Areopagus, where he launched into his famous sermon. From one worldview to the next, Paul responded to the voices of his culture, never failing to speak truth to them. On Mars Hill, Paul explains and uses Greek cultural ideas to find common
ground, build a connection, and point to Christ. The goal is to have students recognize that God’s truth is not divorced from culture; rather, God’s truth undergirds all of culture because God is the maker and sustainer of all things. In addition, the intention is that students will begin to see shared cultural experiences as a way to draw unbelievers into a conversation which points to Christ in a natural and compassionate way. (Click the link if you are new to this event: Mars Hill Overview)
The views expressed in the MH topics do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of Stoa, the Board, or the Speech Committee.
Mars Hill is intended for competitors 14 and older due to some mature themes and elements included in the content.
Current Film and Television (last 5 years)
1. Dune Part 2 (PG-13) 2024 - Discretion Advised
2. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (PG) 2022
3. The Boys in the Boat (PG-13) 2023
4. Wicked (PG) 2024 - Discretion Advised
5. Andor S1. Ep10 “One Way Out” (TV-14) 2022
6. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (PG-13) 2022
7. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (PG-13) 2023
8. Elemental (PG) 2023
9. Free Guy (PG-13) 2021
10. Top Gun: Maverick (PG-13) 2022
11. Minari (PG-13) 2020
12. Belfast (PG-13) 2021
Current Music
1. “Beautiful Things” (Benson Boone)
2. “You're on Your Own, Kid” (Taylor Swift)
3. “Cleopatra” (The Lumineers)
4. “Pictures of Mountains” (Cody Fry)
5. “We Didn't Start the Fire" (Fall Out Boy)
6. “Orange Juice” (Noah Kahan)
7. “Jesus in LA” (Alec Benjamin)
8. “Mary” (Big Thief )
9. “What Was I Made For?” (Billie Eilish)
10. “The Search” (NF)
11. “Lydia Wears a Cross” (Julia Jacklin)
12. “Neon Gravestones” (21 Pilots)
Literature
Prose
1. Killer Angel: A Short Biography of Planned Parenthood’s Founder, Margaret Sanger (Revised Edition) by George Grant
2. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
3. Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
4. Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party by Ying Chang Compestine
5. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
6. “The Magic Shop” by H.G. Wells
7. “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury
8. Dracula by Bram Stoker
9. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
10. Maus by Art Spiegelman
Poetry
11. “A Poison Tree” by William Blake
12. “The Waste Land” by T.S. Eliot