Film has become an essential arena for theological discussion in today’s culture. Faith and its trials and triumphs make good stories, and Hollywood has always recognized a good story and told it creatively, from The Ten Commandments to The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Economic factors also contribute to the prominence of religious subjects in movies now. Thanks to the success of The Passion of the Christ, the spending power of the evangelical Christian market has registered at the box office. The gospel of dollars, cultural preoccupation with faith issues, and the dictates of creativity all combine now to form a golden moment for filmmaking about spiritual subjects.
Big Hollywood companies are buying in, raising the stakes and multiplying the titles. The Nativity Story, about the birth of Jesus, is scheduled for wide release Dec. 1. It comes from a secular studio, New Line Cinema, known for the Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings trilogy. But the themes and treatments go way beyond the traditional, beyond the serious, beyond Christianity. One Night with the King, is a biblical epic about the life of the Jewish queen Esther, opens Oct. 13. Conversations With God: The Movie, based on the best-selling books by Neale Donald Walsch and opening Oct. 27, aims at a “spiritual but not religious” audience. Evan Almighty, a sequel to the 2003 comedy Bruce Almighty, is due out in 2007; Morgan Freeman again portrays God. Jesus Camp, a controversial documentary now in limited release, offers a look inside a charismatic Christian camp for children.
ALSO FROM RELIGIONLINK
For more sources, see ReligionLink’s Guide to experts on religion and pop culture, which includes an extensive list of experts on religion and film.
See previous ReligionLink issues on religion and the movies:
- Faith and film: New movies blend religious and moral themes (March 21, 2005)
- The triumphs and tensions of faith-based marketing (March 29, 2004)
- Hope on screen: religious themes in The Lord of the Rings (Nov. 18, 2003)
- Screen saviors: beyond Passion (Sept. 29, 2003)
Jump to:
- Movies
- National sources
- Entertainment businesses
- Marketers/consultants
- Raters/reviewers
- Academics
- Background
Why it matters
Films reflect and shape the culture. Almost everybody goes to the movies, a celluloid world of dreams and dollars. What’s more, almost everybody has an opinion on what they see in this ubiquitous medium. Hollywood is clearly interested now in a variety of religious subjects, and people are going to see those movies.
Angles for reporters
What kind of anticipation is there for The Nativity Story, the movie about the birth of Jesus? To what extent are congregations in your area using popular commercial films in religious education? Which films?
Movie marketers are borrowing pages from the playbook of The Passion of the Christ, appealing to congregations, offering advance screenings, building buzz among targeted faith communities in advance of a film’s opening. Are congregations in your town part of early screening networks? What are they seeing?
Some conservative Christians have historically been reluctant to engage popular culture and have been suspicious of entertainment, though that stance is changing for many. How do evangelical congregations in your area regard the current products of Hollywood? Have their attitudes changed recently?
A number of movies in this new wave are less explicitly religious and more geared toward a family audience. “Family-friendly” G- and PG-rated movies are 11 times more profitable than R-rated movies, according to a study by the Dove Foundation, which reviews and promotes family-friendly entertainment. What kinds of films are popular and profitable in your community? Is there “family-friendly” entertainment activism by people of faith?
How much do movies with explicit religious subjects appeal to those who do not practice that, or any, religion? Does story matter more than doctrine? Will Jews and/or Muslims in your community turn out for The Nativity Story? Will traditionally religious people be curious about Conversations With God: The Movie?
Movies
• The Nativity Story is a production of New Line Cinema, the company that made the Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings film trilogy. It is scheduled for release Dec. 1 on 3,000 screens in the U.S. and will show in 27 countries. The Nativity Story will also be tied in to other merchandise, including books to be published by Tyndale House Publishers and a greeting card line from Lawson-Falle Inventive that will be available in Christian bookstores. For information about the film, contact Charlie Nelson at Grace Hill Media in the Los Angeles area, 818-762-0000.
• One Night with the King is a biblical epic about the life of the Jewish queen Esther that opens in 850 theaters Oct. 13. Based on the novel Hadassah: One Night with the King by charismatic minister Tommy Tenney, it stars Peter O’Toole and Omar Sharif. Produced by Gener8Xion Entertainment, it has been endorsed by the American Bible Society and previewed to pastors. Press contact is Kristin U. Cole at A. Larry Ross Communications in the Dallas area, 972-267-1111 ext. 215.
• Conversations With God: The Movie, based on the best-selling spiritual books by Neale Donald Walsch, is being previewed nationwide the weekend of Oct. 20-22 through the Spiritual Cinema Network before its Oct. 27 release. Film producer Stephen Simon co-founded the Spiritual Cinema Circle, a group of people interested in films that explore spirituality, and directed the film. Contact publicist Arielle Ford in La Jolla, Calif., 858-454-3314, af@fordsisters.com.
• Facing the Giants opened in more than 400 theaters Sept. 29. Distributed by Provident Films, a division of Sony Pictures, the film was made by Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga., and stars members of the church’s staff. Press contact is Nancy Lovell of Dallas-based Lovell-Fairchild Communications, 214-363-7799.
• Jesus Camp is a documentary, with limited releases that began Sept. 15, about a children’s summer Bible camp. It is distributed by Magnolia Pictures, which also distributed Woman Thou Art Loosed, based on the novel by T.D. Jakes. The documentary by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady has been controversial. Some evangelicals say the film is unfair; some secular critics say the children’s camp resembles an extremist religious operation that brainwashes kids. The pastor who runs the camp, Becky Fischer, supports the film. Press contact for religion media is Kristin U. Cole at A. Larry Ross Communications, 972-267-1111 ext. 215.
COMING IN 2007
• Amazing Grace: The Story of William Wilberforce tells the story of the man who led the campaign in the early 19th century to abolish Britain’s slave trade. Directed by Michael Apted, the film will premiere Feb. 23, 2007, the 200th anniversary of the vote to abolish the slave trade in Britain. Walden Media is one of the film’s production companies. Associated with the film is the Amazing Change campaign to abolish present-day slavery. Walden Media is partnering with the International Justice Mission, a human rights group, and other groups on the campaign. Contact publicist Anne Leininger at Grace Hill Media in Valley Village, Calif., 818-762-0000.
• Evan Almighty, a sequel to Bruce Almighty, stars Steve Carell; Morgan Freeman reprises his role as God. Release date is June 22, 2007.
• The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is slated for December 2007.
• Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt and Dudleytown, both from Good News Holdings, haven’t been scheduled for release.
National sources
ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESSES
• FoxFaith is a new brand of Twentieth Century Fox’s home entertainment subsidiary that the studio giant is using to label and market family-friendly movies to Christian audiences. FoxFaith will also market original films for limited theatrical releases; the first, Love’s Abiding Joy, was released Oct. 6. More than 90,000 congregations are already part of a network getting information about FoxFaith films. Contact FoxFaith through Elliott Wallach at Edify Media in Spokane, Wash., 509-323-0111, Elliott@edifymedia.com.
• Good News Holdings is a multimedia group chaired by evangelical Christian pollster George Barna. Good News produces entertainment in a variety of media, including film, TV and new media. New media efforts include Christian content for cellular service through GNH division Faith Mobile and a new teen portal, FaithXL, to launch before the end of the year. Good News is also testing an Internet-based TV system in homes this fall, anticipating a 2007 release. The group has announced plans for two films in 2007, Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, based on the novel by Anne Rice, and Dudleytown, a horror film aimed at younger audiences. Contact Martin Blythe, 818-906-2448, mblythe@socal.rr.com.
• Walden Media co-produced The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. With U.S. box office receipts of $292 million, the film adaptation of the fantasy novel by Christian apologist C.S. Lewis was the second-highest-grossing film in 2005. Walden is bringing the sequel, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, to the screen in December 2007. The company specializes in family films, adapted from popular children’s books. Contact 310-887-1000.
MARKETERS/CONSULTANTS
• Motive Marketing in Westlake Village, Calif., specializes in marketing movies to faith communities. It worked on The Passion of the Christ; The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; and The Polar Express, among other films. Paul Lauer is president. Contact 805-778-1930.
• Grace Hill Media in Valley Village, Calif., specializes in marketing movies to faith communities. It worked with New Line Cinema while the studio produced The Nativity Story to do extensive outreach to evangelical Christians. Grace Hill has also worked on marketing The Lord of the Rings films, The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Walk the Line. Contact Charlie Nelson, a former Disney executive now at Grace Hill, 818-762-0000.
• Barbara Nicolosi is executive director of Act One, a Hollywood firm that trains screenwriters and executives how to express their Christian values in the entertainment business. She blogs at Church of the Masses. Contact 323-464-0815.
RATERS/REVIEWERS
• HollywoodJesus reviews movies, TV shows, books, music and other entertainment media with an eye toward spiritual and religious elements. Webmaster David Bruce, an ordained minister, is often quoted on movies and religion. Contact david@hollywoodjesus.com.
• Ted Baehr is founder and president of the Christian Film and Television Commission, a ministry that has been publishing and broadcasting MovieGuide: A Family Guide to Movies and Entertainment since 1985. Contact MovieGuide’s Camarillo, Calif., office, 888-248-6689, Office@MovieGuide.org. His assistant and appointment secretary in Atlanta is Sandra Bell, 770-886-8598.
• The Dove Foundation in Grand Rapids, Mich., reviews films and consults with Hollywood studios about content; a Sept. 18, 2006, Los Angeles Times story posted by Philly.com describes its role in altering the film Everyone’s Hero. The foundation has a partnership with FoxFaith to provide information about family-friendly movies. Dick Rolfe is director and co-founder of Dove, 616-454-5021.
• Plugged In Online is the online version of an entertainment review magazine produced by the evangelical Christian organization Focus on the Family. Online editor Steven Isaac says film quality will determine the success of such operations as FoxFaith. He also notes that Facing the Giants made more per screen on its opening weekend than did the more widely seen Billy Bob Thornton film School for Scoundrels on the same weekend. Contact 719-531-3400.
• Robert K. Johnston teaches theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary, co-directs Reel Spirituality: An Institute for Moving Images and has written several books on religion and film, including a new second edition of Reel Spirituality: Theology and Film in Dialogue (Baker Academic, forthcoming). Johnston says Hollywood’s greater willingness to explore spiritual concerns, combined with sophisticated niche marketing and better production values, has brought about a growing and diverse wave of “message movies.” Contact 626-584-5607, johnston@fuller.edu.
• Sharon Pucker Rivo is executive director of the National Center for Jewish Film at Brandeis University in Massachusetts and an associate professor who teaches a course on Jewish film. Contact 781-736-8658, rivo@brandeis.edu.
• Anthony Burke Smith, associate professor of religious studies at the University of Dayton, is author of The Look of Catholics: Portrayals in Popular Culture from the Great Depression to the Cold War. He has written about the cultural and political role of Catholics in movies, television and photojournalism in debates about American identity. Contact: 937-229-4650 Anthony.Smith@notes.udayton.edu. • Paul Allen Williams edits The Journal of Religion and Film at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The main Web site has links to many articles and authors. Contact 402-554-6016, pwilliams@mail.unomaha.edu.
• Adele Reinhartz is associate vice president of research at the University of Ottawa and author of the forthcoming Jesus of Hollywood (Oxford University Press, 2007). She specializes in the Bible and film. Contact 613-562-5397, Adele.Reinhartz@uOttawa.ca.
Background
• Read a Nov. 27, 2006, New York Times story about the Vatican hosting a showing of The Nativity Story.
• See “Hollywood hopes faith-based films attract following,” an Oct. 7, 2006, Dallas Morning News story.
• A Sept. 19, 2006, Los Angeles Times story reports the establishment of the FoxFaith brand.
• A Sept. 17, 2006, ABC News story explores the controversy over the documentary Jesus Camp.
• An April 14, 2006, USA Today story looks at the growth in box-office receipts for films marketed to churchgoers.
Regional sources
IN THE NORTHEAST
• Bryan P. Stone is a professor of evangelism at Boston University School of Theology. He wrote Faith and Film: Theological Themes at the Cinema (Chalice Press, 2000). Contact 617-353-2456, bpstone@bu.edu.
• Cliff Guthrie teaches “Reel Theology: Faith and the Movies” at Bangor Theological Seminary in Bangor, Maine. 207-942-6781 x117, cguthrie@bts.edu.
IN THE EAST
• Eric Michael Mazur chairs the religion department at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa., and is editor of the Encyclopedia of Religion and Film (Greenwood, forthcoming). He teaches popular culture and religion. Contact 570-577-3525, mazur@bucknell.edu.
• Heather Hendershot teaches media studies at the City University of New York at Flushing and wrote Shaking the World for Jesus: Media and Conservative Evangelical Culture (University of Chicago Press, 2004). Contact 212-817-8361, hshot@earthlink.net.
• Rachel Wagner teaches in the department of philosophy and religion at Ithaca College in New York. She is interested in religion in film and in new media. She is on the editorial board of The Journal of Religion and Film. Contact rwagner@ithaca.edu.
IN THE SOUTHEAST
• W. Barnes Tatum teaches in the department of religion and philosophy at Greensboro College in Greensboro, N.C., and is the author of Jesus at the Movies: A Guide to the First Hundred Years (Polebridge Press, 1997). Contact 336-272-7102 ext. 299, tatumb@gborocollege.edu.
• Mark Goodacre teaches New Testament at Duke University and said Sept. 30 in his blog that he is looking forward to The Nativity Story. Contact 919-660-3503, goodacre@duke.edu.
IN THE SOUTH
• John R. May teaches religion and film at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and edited Image & Likeness: Religious Visions in American Film Classics (Paulist Press, 1992). Contact 225-578-3129, jmay2@lsu.edu.
• Mark Hulsether teaches in the department of religious studies at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He specializes in popular religion. Contact 865-974-2466, mhulseth@utk.edu.
IN THE MIDWEST
• The Rev. Ed McNulty, a retired Presbyterian minister in the Cincinnati area, publishes Visual Parables, a journal that examines faith in films. Dialogs of Faith and Films (Westminster John Knox, 2007) is the working title of his new book. Contact 859-493-0286, mcnulty@fuse.net.
• Roy Anker is a professor of English at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., and author of Catching Light: Looking for God in the Movies (Eerdmans, 2004). He says most movies based on biblical retellings go for epic scale rather than the humanity of God. Contact 616-526-6530, anker@calvin.edu.
IN THE SOUTHWEST
• Jeffrey Howard Mahan is academic vice president and a professor of ministry, media and culture at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver who has written extensively on religion and popular culture. Contact 303-765-3183, jmahan@iliff.edu.
• Gregory Robbins is an associate professor of religious studies at the University of Denver. His interest is film studies, and he has taught the course “Jesus on the Silver Screen.” Contact 303-871-2751, grobbins@du.edu.
• Russell Dalton teaches at Brite Divinity School of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. He has written about the Christian uses of fantasy and is interested in the use of popular media for religious education. Contact 817-257-6812, r.dalton@tcu.edu.
IN THE WEST/NORTHWEST
• Craig Detweiler is an associate professor and chairman of mass communication at Biola University in La Mirada, Calif. He’s also a screenwriter and co-author of A Matrix of Meanings: Finding God in Pop Culture (Baker Academic, 2003). Contact craig.detweiler@biola.edu.
• Joseph L. Price is a professor of religious studies at Whittier College in Whittier, Calif. He teaches a course on religion and film. Contact 562-907-4803, jprice@whittier.edu.
• Erin Runions teaches in the religious studies department at Pomona College in Claremont, Calif. She has written about the Bible and film. Contact 909-607-0479, Erin.Runions@pomona.edu.
• Greg Watkins is a filmmaker and lecturer at Stanford University. He directed A Sign from God, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2000. Contact gwatkins@stanford.edu.
• Jeff Staley is an adjunct professor of New Testament at Seattle University. He co-edited Jesus, Son of D• V• D: A Handbook of Jesus Films (Westminster John Knox, forthcoming in 2007), an analysis of 18 Jesus films available on DVD. He says directors of Jesus movies tend to draw more on their film predecessors than on the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth, and that Joseph and Mary in The Nativity Story will probably resemble a reasonably happy American couple. Contact 206-296-5323, staleyj@seattleu.edu.
