Summer BLOCKBUSTER season is here! The time Hollywood studios are hoping their tentpole films will buoy their business. It’s a great time to float some theology out there too on the tides created by these movies. Try it. This summer, start a dialogue about your faith with a friend or co-worker by asking if they saw (for example)…
The last installment of HARRY POTTER. Ask a teenager what they really think about good and evil. Are they present in our reality? Do they think someone could be “chosen” to overcome ultimate evil? What are the traits of that person? What qualities make a good friend and why?
Who can tell a better thriller than JJ Abrams and Steven Spielberg? SUPER 8 promises to be scary. Take a friend and, after the movie, ask him or her why we humans like to get scared by movies. Do we vicariously work out our inner fears through these stories? What are we afraid of? If there are real fears, share the Biblical truth that “Perfect love casts out fear”. Can we face our fears knowing that if God is for us who can be against us?
What about our fascination with super heroes? THE GREEN LANTERN and X MEN: FIRST CLASS can give you plenty to talk about. Do we need someone that transcends human ability and competence to save us? Why? Why can’t we save ourselves? What kind of powers are needed? What kind of humans can house these powers and what are the consequences to them? What burdens come with “power”?
Speaking of super heroes – what if we genetically engineer our own? CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER tells the story of someone who wishes he had the power to fight the evil of the Nazi’s in World War II. He’s too small and weak to be of help. But what if he could be infused with power? What is his capacity to fight evil when the source of it isn’t himself? Do we ever feel to small or weak to affect our world? Can we be infused with power from a source beyond ourselves?
And speaking of genetic engineering – should humans even be dabbling with such things? RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES would suggest perhaps not. Are there boundaries set as to what humans should manipulate and control? What are they? Do we respect these boundaries? Why or why not? How is the natural order effected by human stewardship over creation?
You’ll be surprised at how many Christian themes and worldviews you can find in mainstream films like these and more when you look for them! Have some fun at the movies this summer…and start some Kingdom conversations!
