God in the movies : a guide for exploring four decades of film

Movies are important. Despite the avalanche of new media crashing in around us, movies remain the gold standard of storytelling, taking us on a complete journey in one sitting. Movies affect culture—military pilots cite Top Gun as inspiration, and scientists reference Star Trek’s seeking of new worlds. Movies also affect individual viewers. Storytelling has had power since the ancients sat around campfires, but the combination of the visual, aural, and narrative in a movie creates a perfect storm that only increases its impact. On Mondays, Christians have trouble recalling the theme of Sunday’s word-oriented sermon, but years after a movie comes out, Christians and non-Christians alike can recite lines of dialogue from that film. It is the power of a movie to tell a story that this book engages. This informative guide helps readers combine their love of movies with their desire to grow closer to God. Foremost experts on faith and film, all connected with the Reel Spirituality Institute at Fuller Seminary, explore forty leading movies from the last four decades to encourage movie lovers and small groups to reflect critically and theologically on their film choices. God in the Movies introduces and analyzes the spiritual content of top films from the 1980s through the 2010s, opening viewers up to a conversation about life, faith, and God.

Following a format similar to Barsotti and Johnston's successful Finding God in the Movies, this completely new book covers different films spanning four decades. This engaging resource contains production notes and film synopses, relevant Scripture texts, theological reflection, discussion questions, film stills, recommended film clips, and more, serving as a treasure chest for hours of film viewing, discussion, and ministry. Clips from the movies referenced in each chapter are available online. This informative guide helps readers combine their love of movies with their desire to grow closer to God. Foremost experts on faith and film, all connected with the Reel Spirituality Institute at Fuller Seminary, explore forty leading movies from the last four decades to encourage movie lovers and small groups to reflect critically and theologically on their film choices. God in the Movies introduces and analyzes the spiritual content of top films from the 1980s through the 2010s, opening viewers up to a conversation about life, faith, and God. Following a format similar to Barsotti and Johnston's successful Finding God in the Movies, this completely new book covers different films spanning four decades. This engaging resource contains production notes and film synopses, relevant Scripture texts, theological reflection, discussion questions, film stills, recommended film clips, and more, serving as a treasure chest for hours of film viewing, discussion, and ministry. Clips from the movies referenced in each chapter are available online Foremost experts on faith and film explore forty leading movies from the last four decades, helping readers reflect critically and theologically on their film choices.