Oct
13
In Person
Finding God at the Movies: Christians in War
10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. EDT

Finding God at the Movies: Christians in War

Whether we watch them on the big screen or on small handheld devices, film plays a major role in the formation of our ideas and values. American adults spend nearly 5 hours a day streaming shows and movies online (not including social media exposure). By contrast, they spend less than 4 minutes each day in religious activities (and for millions, that number is zero). Not surprisingly, people's religious views depend heavily on media exposure. Many may know biblical characters and events more from TV and films, such as "The Ten Commandments" or "The Passion of the Christ" than from the preaching they hear or the Bible stories they read. And more recently, "The Chosen" has had a major impact on the way many people think about Jesus and the disciples. Other Christian films have spoken to issues of the day, including abortion, marriage and divorce, and human trafficking. In this 4-week, in-person class, we will focus on films exploring the challenge of living faithfully during a time of war. We will consider how war affects families ("Shenandoah"), personal convictions ("Sergeant York" and "Hacksaw Ridge"), and worship ("Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace"). As we watch clips from these films, we will encounter questions that run to the heart of Christianity. How do we protect our children from the consequences of war? Does the state have the right to conscript those whose moral principles forbid the use of violence? How should one resist an evil regime that supports genocide (e.g., the Holocaust)? The conflicts depicted in these movies range from the American Civil War to the World Wars of the 20th century.

Next Class In
October 6, 2026
7:00 p.m. ET - 8:30 p.m. ET
Brothers & Sisters: Building Christian Community (Online)
Brothers & Sisters: Building Christian Community (Online)

The apostle Paul wrote many of the letters found in the New Testament of the Bible; he is respected and lauded as one of the most important leaders of the early Church as he spread the message of Jesus from Asia to Rome. We can see many themes in his teaching, but one theme that spans all of his letters is the idea of the Church as a family. We referred to other disciples of Jesus as “brothers and sisters” more than 130 times in the New Testament, alerting us to the importance of familial love, respect, and care being lived out in the Church.

In the 5th installment of “The Well-Ordered Life” Study, we will examine what Christian community truly entails. Specifically, we’ll talk about how we might live as a community beyond Sundays, and with people dissimilar from ourselves. We’ll dive into some of the ways we can care for others as a reflection of the community that exists within the Triune God we aim to serve. Only then can we truly carry out God’s vision of the Church as a family.

This class is offered at two separate times:

  • Tuesdays (Online): October 6 - 27 (7 - 8:30 p.m.)
  • Thursdays (In Person): October 8 - 29 (9:30 - 11 a.m.)