Before some of the biggest names on the silver screen, Pope Leo XIV, a noted film aficionado, praised the prophetic power of cinema and lamented what he called the “troubling decline” of movie theaters in cities and neighborhoods worldwide.
Maybe Christian filmmaking is on the verge of a mainstream middle
This summer brought a curious announcement in the history of Christian filmmaking: 21 years after his hit biblical epic The Passion of the Christ became one of the most important touchstones in religious filmmaking history, Mel Gibson’s long-rumored sequel finally…
Rated “J” for Jesus: A box office blasphemy
In the global capitals of cinema — Hollywood in the United States, Bollywood in India, and Nollywood in Nigeria — one name crosses genres, crosses cultures and crosses continents. It’s not the name of a starlet, a mogul, or a…
The New Gospel Of Death: What Hollywood’s Afterlife Looks Like
Death is a part of life. Ben Franklin put it this way: “In this life, nothing is certain but death and taxes.”
The slap heard ’round the world
Sunday night, there was a slap that should be heard around the world. Before some of you tune out, let me issue some disclaimers. I am aware that some will feel obligated to feign disinterest at anything happening within the…
What a pastor learned at Comic Con
Going to Comic Con International is like drinking from a fire hose. There is so much going on and you want to be part of all of it. But like drinking from that fire hose, you eventually end up being…
Baptist film critics: Christian films and audiences must evolve
By Jeff Brumley Organizers hope a first-ever gathering of Hollywood and Christian leaders in Los Angeles tomorrow will spark ideas for movies and television shows that will positively influence society. But a Baptist pastor and film critic says there’s an…
A new cultural orthodoxy
How shall we handle it when the forces of modern tolerance finally shed their sheep’s clothing and begin baring their teeth? In the last several months this question has moved from the realm of the theoretical to become intensely practical….
Baptist pastor: ‘Noah’ film may be way to engage unchurched
By Jeff Brumley The new film Noah has yet to hit big screens nationwide, but that hasn’t kept some critics – namely conservative Christian and Muslim ones – from blasting the film for deviating from the strict scriptural text that…
Boston is about us
When I recovered from the initial shock and horror of the Boston Marathon bombing, I automatically switched into advocacy mode. “Please, God,” I thought, “don’t let the perpetrators turn out to be foreigners or immigrants.” I am not proud of…