These 10 movies have explicit spiritual themes.
| posted 2/18/2009
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No one can doubt that movies are a powerful force in shaping our worldviews. We often think of this happening in a negative way, but how wonderful when movies help us to think more "Christianly." The following movie discussion guides will help you discuss the obvious spiritual themes in ten different movies, as well as examine the Scriptures that support these themes. We've ranked them according to the ones you let us know are your favorites, leading up to number one:
10. The Passion of the Christ
Movie Discussion Guide
Easter is the most significant holiday on the Christian calendar. Without the Resurrection, our faith would be in vain. Yet before Christ experienced the victory over death that gives us new, eternal life, he experienced the brutality of crucifixion. The days of his arrest, trial, death by crucifixion, and triumphant resurrection are depicted in The Passion of the Christ, directed by Mel Gibson.
Use this discussion guide to look more deeply at the themes of this movie. With which characters do you most readily identify, and what can you learn about your faith by exploring that identification? Who was Jesus, and why does his identity matter? What roles do fear and power play in this story, and what does it mean to carry a cross?
9. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Movie Discussion Guide
The Lord of the Rings trilogy—consisting of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King—is a moral fantasy pitting good against evil in a world where Wizards are the stewards of mankind, Ents shepherd forests, Dwarves mine mountains, Elves preserve beauty, and Orcs, Trolls, and Uruk-hai serve a dark master. The three-part epic shows darkness battling light, evil struggling against good, pride fighting with humility, and despair wrestling with hope.
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This study guide will help you discuss some of the deeper themes of the movie. What does this film say about the struggle for virtue, the temptations of power, the providence of God, and the ennobling power of story?
8. Evan Almighty
Movie Discussion Guide
When God told Noah to build an ark in the middle of nowhere, his friends and neighbors must've thought he was nuts. In Evan Almighty, a family-friendly comedy about a modern-day Noah, God tells a U. S. Congressman named Evan Baxter to build an ark. Evan initially resists, but once he's convinced he's really heard the voice of God—animals following him around, two by two, was a pretty good clue—he decides to trust, obey, and build that big boat … right in the middle of an affluent subdivision.
Everybody thinks Evan is nuts, including his family, who pretty much leaves him on his own. Yet Evan, like Noah, persists in obedience, no matter the consequences—even when it appears he'll lose everything. Use this guide to discuss this sequel to 2003's Bruce Almighty.
7. Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
Movie Discussion Guide
"You have the right to free speech," sang The Clash in 1982. They clarified: "As long as you're not dumb enough to actually try it." Ben Stein, in the documentary film Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, suggests this is the case in scientific circles when it comes to the idea of Intelligent Design. The film uncovers a series of scientists who have lost jobs, lost grants, been refused tenure, and been blacklisted because they considered Intelligent Design.
