Finding God at the Movies

Whether we watch them on the big screen or on a small handheld device, film plays a major role in the formation of our ideas and values. While the values portrayed on screen are often inconsistent with Christianity, many producers and directors over the years have tried to explore the Bible and faith issues through cinema. Indeed, some of the most celebrated films in cinematic history (A Man for All Seasons, Chariots of Fire) are explicitly connected to Christianity.

In this 4-week class, we will watch excerpts from important Christian films and discuss how they treat the claims of Christianity. Of course, given the hundreds of religious films that have been produced (not to mention those that have a strong Christian subtext), we can only spotlight a few films that explore major Christian themes: miracles, redemption, martyrdom, servanthood, and many others. The goal of the course is to deepen our faith as we explore how Christianity and the Bible have been viewed through a cinematic lens over the past 75 years. We also want to consider how we can follow the biblical injunction to “keep our heart with all diligence” in our media-driven world.

*Note about live stream: While this class will take place in a physical classroom with in-person students, you have the option each week of joining via live stream if that option is more convenient for you. Live-stream participants, however, are able to actively participate in the class, engaging in class discussion and asking questions to the instructor. In other words, the live-stream option gives you a hybrid approach to this class - attend in person the weeks you're available or via livestream when that suits you best.