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Print The word icon derives from a Greek word that means “image,” and this simple definition carries to the present. While the specific style of the Eastern Orthodox Church immediately comes to mind, an icon can be anything from portraits to pastorals, statues to stained glass—an image that serves a religious purpose. As sacred instruments, icons have served a dual use. They facilitated worship by calling to mind God and His great deeds, and they educated the illiterate masses in the stories of the Bible. While icons are still in use in some churches today, they have lost most of their power in American culture. This is where movies come in. According to Robert K. Johnston, our society has experienced a shift from communicating through words to communicating through images.1 Movies help Americans form values and ideals. They are the primary way of telling stories. Movies have, in fact, become the common language of American culture.2 Movies lend themselves to fulfilling the role of American icons. In all actuality, they already serve this role for some Catholic directors such as Martin Scorsese. “I made it as a prayer, an act of worship. I wanted to be a priest. My whole life has been movies and religion. That’s it. Nothing else.” 3 For Scorsese, directing movies is his worship. I would like to examine three practical ways the Apostolic Pentecostal movement can make use of the iconic role movies play in American culture: One way to easily use movies to facilitate worship and to help illustrate major message points is by incorporating movie clips into lessons. This is not unheard of in the UPCI. At the 2003 General Conference, Rev. Kenneth Haney used an old movie clip that showed the walls of a Hollywood Jericho come tumbling down to illustrate the major point of his message. Others have made use of movie clips to bring to life a Sunday school lesson. Such clips engage the attention of Americans who are already oriented to learn through images. Movies become powerful tools of spiritual education in the hands of skilled preachers and lesson planners. Another way to utilize the iconic power of movies is by creating a movie discussion group. Such a group would watch a movie together and then discuss how it relates to biblical themes, as well as theological aspects of the film. Barsotti and Johnson show that this is not an impossible task. Their book Finding God in the Movies: 33 Films of Reel Faith includes developed lesson plans for 33 films for just such a group. Even movies that are not specifically “Christian” can be used to teach Christian principles. For instance, the movie National Treasure provides great material for a lesson on tenacious faith, even though the movie is not about God in any way, shape, or form. Actively seeking God in something as common as movies helps to bring the worship of God into everyday life. Tap the power of movies directly by being involved in the moviemaking process. Movies have a great potential for affecting the thoughts and mindsets of audiences. What a wonderful calling for someone to wield such influence for God! As a director, producer, or scriptwriter, a person could promote a Pentecostal worldview or even draw moviegoers into an experience with God. As we have seen, 4 such movies probably will not lead someone directly to God. It is unlikely we will ever hear stories of people getting the Holy Ghost in a movie theater. However, such movies can point people toward God and awaken in them a hunger for God that will draw them. There is no denying that movies have power. Too long this power has been wielded by those who hold an agenda contrary to that of the church. However, even in movies God can shine through. Even movies can be used to facilitate worship and to teach the principles of God’s Word. It only takes someone who is brave enough to venture into the untamed world of finding God in the movies. (Footnotes and Resources below.)
ninetyandnine.com © 2006, Joshua Remington --------- Joshua Remington is an alumnus of Urshan Graduate School of Theology. He considers himself a serious student of God, the Bible, and culture. He is currently enjoying a nice, warm winter in his home state of Florida.
Footnotes 2 Robert K. Johnston, Reel Spirituality: Theology and Film in Dialogue (Engaging Culture; William A. Dyrness and Robert K. Johnston eds.; Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2000), 57. 3 Martin Scorsese, quoted in Craig Detweiler and Barry Taylor, A Matrix of Meanings: Finding God in Pop Culture (Engaging Culture; William A. Dyrness and Robert K. Johnston, eds.; Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003), 155. 4 Nathan D. Nicholls, “Media is the New Bus Ministry” an article found on ninetyandnine.com. Resources Barsotti, Catherine M. and Robert K. Johnston. Finding God in the Movies: 33 Films of Reel Faith. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2004. This book is a collection of movie discussion guides that include theological reflections, scriptures for thought, discussion questions and commentary on DVD bonus materials. This is a wonderful book for someone who wants to start a movie discussion group. It gives ready-made lesson plans as well as a paradigm for approaching movies theologically. Detweiler, Craig and Barry Taylor. A Matrix of Meanings: Finding God in Pop Culture. Engaging Culture. William A. Dyrness and Robert K. Johnston Editors. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003. Johnston, Robert K. Reel Spirituality: Theology and Film in Dialogue. Engaging Culture. William A. Dyrness and Robert K. Johnston Editors. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2000. These books put forth a theology of pop culture and the church and movies and the church respectively. They are more technical, and they show both the impact of movies as well as why cinematic technology is redeemable for the cause of Christ. Romanowski, William D. Eyes Wide Open: Looking for God in Popular Culture. Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2001. This book helps the Christian to develop a filter for engaging popular culture. While many in the Apostolic Pentecostal movement filter out everything that comes from pop culture, others believe there is some value in pop culture but fail to filter anything. Romanowski helps the Christian find a happy medium as he constructs a Christian criticism. Godawa, Brian. Hollywood Worldviews: Watching Films with Wisdom and Discernment. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002. After explaining why movies have the power they do, Godawa warns the Christian against accepting them at face value. The danger of movies is not necessarily in language or violence, but in the message communicated and in the context in which language and violence are used. Often the message of relatively “clean” films is more anti-Christian than that of somewhat “dirty” films. The Journal of Religion and Film The Journal of Religion and Popular Culture These websites are academic journals that include articles and movie and book reviews in their respective subjects. This website is similar to the above two except that it is more targeted toward the general population. In addition to articles and movie reviews, this site includes clips and overviews as well as a broader examination of popular culture. Books, comics, and video games are not overlooked here. |
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