If cinema is a modern day pulpit, Film & Theology uses it to identify Jesus’ presence (and lack thereof) in the religion that is pop culture.
Movie theaters are not that different from church assemblies; people flock to their local multiplexes and group together to be moved by a message told in story form, allowing themselves to be moved by directors and screenwriters who influence how we feel, think, and act. Whether a film moves us to tears or makes us laugh, you can hear its influence in repeated phrases, shared platitudes, and lives lived according to characters that resonate with us.
As image-bearers of God (the master storyteller, whose story spans all of creation) we in turn have a yearning to both create and be entertained by narrative. At Mars Hill, we believe people should enjoy and engage film not just as diversion but with discernment, engaging the culture around us and reflecting on how it relates to the God we love.
Film & Theology events include viewing a film in its entirety on a big screen with great sound, followed by exposition and discussion of the film's cinematic and philosophical elements.
Email Film & Theology at
film@marshillchurch.org.