Books on Movies

Reel Spirituality:
Theology and Film in Dialogue
by Robert K. Johnston

Since the inception of film, Christians have struggled with formulating a coherent and scripturally sound approach to this powerful medium. In Reel Spirituality, Robert K. Johnston attempts to breathe some life into this debate, stressing the increasing importance of cinema as a vehicle for popular culture, ethics and even, truth. Through insightful critiques of various films and a clear, though concise, exploration of critical methods, Johnston encourages Christians to actively engage film in dialogue. Drawing upon Johnston's ideas and other research in the area, I have written an essay on this topic with a title inspired by this book: "Reel Christian Ethics". It is my hope that through reading this book, my essay and any of the recommended titles below, Christians will begin to develop an appropriate response to film. more...

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Faith and Film
by Bryan Stone
"From the powerful Shawshank Redemption to the classic comedy Oh, God!, Bryan Stone uses movies and phrases of the Apostles' Creed to illustrate basic themes of theology and how they manifest themselves in popular culture. Questions for discussion and suggestions for additional films at the end of each chapter make this an ideal resource for adult study groups." --Chalice Press. more...

Essay Collections

Explorations in Theology and Film
edited by Clive Marsh et al.
"The focus of the book is on the creative conversation between film and theology in the contemporary West, and it raises crucial questions about the interaction between theology and culture. Explorations in Theology and Film will be an invaluable resource to students and those researching in the areas of theology, religion as well as media and cultural studies." --Blackwell Publishers. more...

Screening the Sacred
edited by Joel Martin et al.
"Twelve essays examine popular film in terms of theological, mythological, and ideological criticism. Topics include Christian allegorical structure, angels, and apocalyptic themes in particular films; myths of space aliens and of the "New Frontier"; and how popular films encourage racism, encode class, and construct gender." --Book News. more...

General

Seeing and Believing
by Margaret Miles
"Miles looks at 15 recent popular films, including Thelma and Louise and Paris is Burning, and analyzes the ways in which they question norms of religion, race, gender, class, and sexuality. She examines Christian fundamentalism in popular film, images of Christ in film, and religion and values in the movies." --Book News more...

Finding Meaning at the Movies
by Sara Anson Vaux
An insightful commentary on contemporary films creating and encouraging dialogue with contemporary films. Can function as an effective guidebook for study groups. more...

A Cinema of Loneliness
by Robert Kolker
While not a Christian book per se, A Cinema of Loneliness goes beyond the superficial and seeks to draw out the ideological perspectives of six great directors: Penn, Stone, Kubrick, Scorsese, Spielberg and Altman. An excellent, in-depth critique of film. more...

Robert Jewett

Saint Paul at the Movies
Utilizes films to illuminate specific Pauline scripture passages. At times, Jewett simply uses the films as a springboard to explore the Pauline writings rather than allowing the films to speak to themes and issues in their own right. Nevertheless, the book is insightful and a solid contribution to the dialogue between theology and film. more...

Saint Paul Returns to the Movies
Respectable follow-up to Jewett's first book suffers from a poorer selection of appropriate movies and the author's lack of knowledge with the technical and expressive aspects of film. Still, Jewett has the right idea and his expertise as a New Testament scholar make the book a worthwhile read for persons seeking to expand their understanding of the possible relationships between theology and film. more...

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