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Christians have come a long way in finding creative ways to use even mainstream films to reach out. We've gone from boycotting Hollywood's objectionable fare (remember the picket lines when The Last Temptation of Christ released in 1988?) to making use of theological nonsense (The Da Vinci Code in 2006) as an outreach tool.

The thinking goes like this: If our unchurched friends will be talking about a movie at the watercooler on Monday, we should join the conversation, not simply bash the film while citing chapter and verse.

To carry on intelligent discussions about current films, and not just movies that are categorically "Christian" or merely "safe for the whole family," we need to watch, or at least learn about, what much of the world is watching.

That is not to say we should head to the megaplex for every R-rated slasher flick or sexually charged saga. We still need discernment. But it's good to pay attention to what others are discussing, and even to think ahead and anticipate which films might be hot topics.

Take this summer's roster, for instance. We didn't have to wait for the box office results to know that "threequels" for Spider-Man, Pirates of the Caribbean and Shrek would be hugely popular. We could easily guess that Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix, Evan Almighty, Ratatouille, and The Simpsons Movie would be big hits.

So it's a good idea to "go to school" on such films even before they release, reading their synopses and looking for themes that might take those Monday morning conversations to a higher level. For example:

Spider-Man 3 features Peter Parker wrestling with demons (figurative and literal) and a darker side reminiscent of Paul's description of our internal battles in Romans 7.

All three Shrek movies address internal beauty and not judging by external appearances, a theme reminiscent of 1 Samuel 16:7.

Evan Almighty picks up where Bruce Almighty left off, with another visit from God, this time asking a man to step out in faith to selflessly take risks for his family and neighbors. (And it's hilarious!)

Harry Potter has always been about friendship and self-sacrifice, good overcoming evil, and light dispersing the darkness—themes more powerful than ever in the fifth film in the series.

The Potter series illustrates how far we have come to "engaging the culture." When the first Harry Potter movie was released in 2001, many Christians condemned the boy wizard and everything the franchise supposedly stood for. But it wasn't long before a few leading Christian ministries, including Christianity Today Intl, Focus on the Family, and others, began pointing out some of the virtues of the Potter canon.

We can apply that same thinking to almost any film, including some movies that are difficult to watch. Just because a film portrays sin doesn't mean it's advocating bad behavior. If sin is shown to have consequences, the movie may have a moral worldview right in line with Romans 3:23 and 6:23. And that's what makes a movie a good discussion starter.

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