The Movie Files

Several church groups have recently asked me for a list of movies that might be used in a church film club or in fellowship groups. That should not be surprising, since our culture is richly permeated with visual media. Although Jacques Ellul’s book warned us about The Humiliation of the Word in our time, the openness of church groups to reflection on movies in the light of faith may well be a contemporary parallel to a famous saying that recommends preaching with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. These days, fellowship groups may well read the Bible one week and discuss a spiritually significant movie another week.

The recent trend of bringing movies into conversation with Scripture and Christian conviction began (more or less) with Babette’s Feast (1987), and is now bursting forth everywhere. The Museum of Modern Art in New York hosted a series of films and published an accompanying book called The Hidden God: Film and Faith (2003). The films and the book explore the question of whether God – present, hidden, or absent – might be the subject of 35 essays on more than 50 films.

Church groups interested in finding spiritually significant films should consider asking their church librarians to order three recent books by Christian writers.

The first is the intensely personal and idiosyncratic book by Gareth Higgins, How Movies Helped Save My Soul: Finding Spiritual Fingerprints in Culturally Significant Films (Relevant Books, 2003). Perhaps, as Higgins suggests, “Film should be treated with the same respect as church or poison, for it can change your life.” In fact, movies, “like all great art” can “irritate and heal, challenge and affirm, inspire and sadden.” Higgins tells us his own stories of transformation, and of how movies have “saved” him. It’s an outrageous claim that makes the book an engaging example of how to think about movies. Even more, Higgins encourages us to experience movies on their own terms, and to engage them in conversation before judging them.

The second book is a practical guidebook by Catherine M. Barsotti and Robert K. Johnston, Finding God in the Movies: 33 Films of Reel Faith (Baker, 2004). Organized around 13 themes (e.g. forgiveness, images of the Saviour, renewing the church), the book includes a thoughtful introduction to “finding God in the movies,” as well as suggestions for leading a movie group discussion. Each chapter includes five sections: a synopsis and theological reflection on the movie, biblical texts that are appropriate dialogue partners with the movie, sample discussion questions, suggestions for conversation about specific clips of the movie, and bonus material.

The third book, hot off the press, is Catching Light: Looking for God in the Movies by Roy M. Anker (Eerdmans, 2004). In this, the most challenging of the three books, Anker plays with the suggestion that many movies reflect a quest for “Light,” or a “craving for God.” His strategy is to explore what movies “might ‘show’ of individual lives, the usual subject of film stories, as they try to catch some measure of Light or – as is more typically the case – Light catches them.”

Finally, church film discussion groups should check out the list of “100 Spiritually Significant Films” compiled by a collective of Christian movie critics at the website Arts & Faith. The movies in this list are a mixed lot, from classics to contemporary comedies. Some may be offensive to sensitive viewers. Fortunately, one can also read discussion threads on each of the movies, and find out more about the movies at the Internet Movie Database.

Movies are part of the church’s life whether we like it or not. These practical resources help us not only to discern which movies might make for appropriate viewing, but also to look closer at what God may be doing through movies in our time.

Gordon Matties teaches Biblical Studies and a course in faith and film at Canadian Mennonite University, Winnipeg.