FILM & FAITH: SELECT RESOURCES & BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gordon Matties, Ph.D., Canadian Mennonite University
The Movie Theology website should give you
access to almost everything you need for a lifetime of learning with and about
movies (www.cmu.ca/library/faithfilm.html),
including an extensive bibliography under the heading “Resources by Gordon
Matties.”
Bibliography: Here is a very short list. Those that might be of
interest for a church library are marked with an *
*Anker, Roy M. Catching Light: Looking for God in
the Movies. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004. Perceptive essays on The
Godfather Saga, Chinatown, The Deer Hunter, Tender Mercies, Places in
the Heart, The Mission, Babette’s Feast, the Star Wars Saga, Superman,
Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, A.I.:
Artificial Intelligence, Grand Canyon, American Beauty, and Kieslowski’s Three
Colors: Blue.
*Barsotti, Catherine M and Robert K. Johnston. Finding
God in the Movies: 33 Films of Reel Faith. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004.
Bausch, Michael G. Silver Screen, Sacred Story:
Using Multimedia in Worship. The Alban Institute, 2002.
Blythe, Teresa and Daniel Wolpert. Meeting God in
Virtual Reality: Using Spiritual Practices with Media. Nashville: Abingdon,
2004. Applies a variety of traditional spiritual disciplines to viewing movies,
with a sample application to the movie K-Pax.
Detweiler, Craig and Barry Taylor. A Matrix of
Meanings: Finding God in Pop Culture. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003. Chapter 5,
“Movies: Look Closer,” includes discussion of, among others: The Matrix,
American Beauty, Fight Club, Magnolia, Dogma, Run Lola Run.
Dyrness, William A. Visual Faith: Art, Theology,
and Worship in Dialogue. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2001.
Faller, Stephen. Beyond the Matrix: Revolutions and
Revelations. St. Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 2004. There are a good number of
books and websites devoted to this movie. Search online bibliography.
Fraser, Peter and Vernon Edwin Neal. Reviewing the Movies
: A Christian Response to Contemporary Film. Focal Point Series. Crossway
Books, 2000.
Gire, Ken. Reflections on the Movies : Hearing God
in the Unlikeliest of Places. Reflective Living Series. Chariot Victor
Publishing, 2000.
Godawa, Brian. Hollywood Worldviews: Watching Films
With Wisdom & Discernment. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2002.
*Higgins, Gareth. How Movies Helped Save My Soul:
Finding Spiritual Fingerprints in Culturally Significant Films. Lake Mary,
FL: Relevant Books, 2003.
Jewett, Robert.
Saint Paul at the Movies: The Apostle’s Dialogue with American
Culture. Louisville, KY:
Westminster John Knox Press, 1993.
Discussion of Star Wars, Amadeus, A Separate Peace, Tender Mercies,
Grand Canyon, Tootsie, Ordinary People, Epire of the Sun, Pale Rider, Red Dawn,
Dead Poets Society
________. Saint
Paul Returns to the Movies: Triumph Over Shame. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998. Discussion of Prince of Tides;
Babette’s Feast; Forrest Gump; Mr. Holland’s Opus; Groundhog Day; Babe; Edge of
the City; The Firm; Unforgiven; The Shawshank Redemption.
Johnston, Robert K., editor. Reframing Theology and
Film: New Focus for an Emerging Discipline. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2007.
*Johnston, Robert K. Reel Spirituality : Theology
and Film in Dialogue. Rev. ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2006.
________. Useless Beauty: Ecclesiastes through the
Lens of Contemporary Film. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2004.
Leonard, Richard, S.J. Movies that Matter: Reading
Film through the Lens of Faith. Loyola Press, 2006. Three-page reflections
on each of fifty movies.
Malone, Peter, with Rose Pacatte. Lights, Camera .
. . Faith: A Movie Lectionary. Three
Volumes. Boston: Pauline Books and Media, 2001, 2002, 2003. (Films for all the
Sundays in the liturgical year, coordinated with the Common Lectionary, Cycles
A, B, and C).
________. Lights, Camera . . . Faith! The Ten
Commandments. Boston: Pauline Books and Media, 2006.
McNulty, Edward N. Praying the Movies: Daily
Meditations from Classic Films. Louisville, KY: Geneva Press, 2001. Four to
five page reflections, including discussion questions, on 31 movies.
________. Praying the Movies II: More Daily Meditations
from Classic Films. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2004.
*________. Faith & Film: A Guidebook for
Leaders. Louisville and London: Westminster John Knox, 2007. Discussion
guides on 27 movies.
Marsh, Clive. Cinema and Sentiment: Film’s Challenge
to Theology. Milton Keynes, U.K. and Waynesboro, GA: Paternoster, 2004.
*Overstreet, Jeffrey. Through a Screen Darkly:
Looking Closer at Beauty, Truth and Evil in the Movies. Regal Books, 2007.
*Pungente, John, SJ, and Monty Williams, SJ. Finding
God in the Dark: Taking the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius to the Movies.
Boston: Pauline Books & Media, 2004.
*Romanowski, William D. Eyes Wide Open: Looking for
God in Popular Culture. Rev. ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos, 2007. Includes
an excellent Appendix, “A Matrix for Analysis of Popular Artworks.”
*Stone, Bryan P. Faith and Film: Theological Themes
at the Cinema. St. Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 2000.
*Vaux, Sara Anson. Finding Meaning at the Movies.
Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1999. Includes discussion of of Strangers in Good
Company; Cries and Whispers; Secrets & Lies; Star Trek; Solaris; Blade
Runner; Contact; Diary of a Country Priest; Wall Street; The Searchers;
Unforgiven; Lone Star; Forrest Gump; La Strada; Sling Blade; Babette’s Feast;
Daughters of the Dust; Ulee’s Gold; The English Patient, and a section on
Leading a Film Study Group.
Balzer, David. “Gospel Meets Media.” MB Herald,
September, 2007. http://www.mbherald.com/46/09/gospelmedia.en.html
Garber, Steven, “Don’t Leave your Brains at the Box
Office.” http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=129&B=Steven%20Garber&TID=2
Haack, Dennis. “Discernment 101: An Explanation of
Discernment.” Ransom Fellowship Online. http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=38&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
________. “Discernment 202: Pop Culture: Why Bother?”
Ransom Fellowship Online. http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=41&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
Kappelman, Todd. “Film and the Christian.”
LeadershipU. http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/film-xn.html
Matties, Gordon. “Let’s Rent a Movie: Making Movie
Nights Work.” IdeaBank 03
(2001). http://www.mbconf.ca/ideabank/0103/youth-1.en.html
________. “On Movies as a Spiritual Discipline.” Direction
34/2 (2005) 270-86. http://www.directionjournal.org/article/?1405
Accessed Oct. 3, 2007.
Nickel, Gordon. “Making Good Viewing Choices: Videos,
Movies and TV.” Mennonite Brethren Church Pamphlet Series. http://www.mbconf.ca/believe/pamphlets/media.en.html
Accessed Oct. 3, 2007.
Veltman, Greg. “In Search of a Good Film: Nine
Signposts.” Comment Sept. 14, 2007. http://www.wrf.ca/comment/article.cfm?ID=272 Accessed Oct. 3, 2007
Here are a few websites that will be of particular
interest for groups that might want to include the occasional movie discussion
evening (all linked on the Movie Theology website):
·
Movie
Discussion Guides (for purchase): http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/movies/
·
Ransom
Fellowship’s Movie Discussion questions: http://www.ransomfellowship.org/movies.asp
·
Reel
Spirituality: An Institute for Moving Pictures. Click Study Guides link http://www.reelspirituality.org/
·
Damaris
CultureWatch Resources http://www.damaris.org/content/index.php?type=6&category=2
·
Gordon
Matties, “Let’s Rent a Movie: Making Movie Nights Work” http://www.mbconf.ca/ideabank/0103/youth-1.en.html
·
________.
Discussing Robert Duvall’s The Apostle http://www.cmu.ca/faculty/gmatties/apostle.htm