Imagine our world destroyed by war. Thirty years after fire consumed seemingly everything, ashes fall from the sky, cities lie in ruins, and basic necessities like water and food are nearly impossible to come by. Each person lives just to survive another day. Through this wasteland of forgotten glory, walks a man named Eli (Denzel Washington). He is on a mission - to do whatever is needed to protect a sacred book and carry it west. This book is the last copy of the Holy Bible remaining on earth. Eli is not the only one who values this book, however. Ruthless Carnegie will stop at nothing to have the book for himself, for he believes it will give him the power to rule over the remaining world. The Book of Eli not only tells a story of Eli’s quest to protect the book, but explores the implications of living by it.

Simply basing a movie on the Bible does not necessarily mean that the writers are coming from a theistic worldview. Countless movies, songs, and books deal with religious subjects, but are far from religious or virtuous in their core messages. The Book of Eli, however, has a message that is consistent with its subject. In every aspect of the movie, from plot and characters to dialogue and symbolism, the message of God’s Word is respected and valued.

Eli has such a high regard for the Bible’s words and truth, that he not only protects it with his life, but reads it every night so that he can truly know it and internalize its message. Most important, Eli strives to live by the principles of the Bible. He humbly submits himself to God in prayer, risks his life in order to “do to others what you do for yourself,” and displays a teachable heart that desires to be changed by God’s truth. Although Eli kills many people, he only does so in self-defense when attacked. His goal is not to simply deal out violence, but to protect the book, help the innocent, and fulfill his mission.

Carnegie, on the other hand, wants the Bible for his own malicious purposes. His ruthless selfishness is clearly portrayed in the movie as being completely evil. All that he does is manipulative, abusive, and heartless. Through the contrast between Eli and Carnegie and a surprising ending, it becomes clear that the Bible is useless if its words are not known, believed, internalized, followed, and ultimately shared with others.

Therefore, this often violent, sometimes shocking, and very thought-provoking movie definitely comes from a Christian theistic worldview. Good and evil are clearly contrasted; morals remain clear even in a world that is seemingly void of religion; and viewers are challenged to take the message of the Bible seriously. In a world stripped of the comfort and extravagance we are distracted by daily, the central questions of life remain and find their answers in God’s Word.

[written by] Sarah J

The subtitle to the recently released movie, To Save A Life, says, “Some people are just dying to be heard.” For student Roger Dawson, killing himself was a way to be heard. To Save A Life, produced by New Song Community Church in Oceanside, Calif., focuses on the life of senior Jake Taylor—a star basketball player and blonde-haired heart throb.

Taylor’s life is forever changed after his former childhood friend, Roger Dawson, shoots himself at school. Taylor struggles with regret, wondering if he could have prevented his friend’s death, even though the two hadn’t talked for a couple years.

To Save a Life addresses very real-to-life issues including divorce, teen suicide, pregnancy, abortion, cutting, acceptance, friendships, stereotypes, drinking and drugs. Written by a youth pastor, Jim Britts of New Song Community Church, the movie was created with an obvious Christian theistic worldview. The acting is fairly good (and done by professionals), the soundtrack has some great songs (including both secular and Christian artists), and the filming is well done.

Focus on the Family’s "Plugged In Online" quotes Britt as saying,

“We never really set out to make a Christian film,” Britt said. “We said we wanted to make a film for teenagers that would never set foot in a church but would go to the movies—something that would reach them. … We wanted to make a movie that really mattered, and that empowered students to be able to reach out to their friends.” Dawson’s death helps Taylor realize that there are other students who are hurting and overlooked. By reaching out, he and several students from a local church youth group are able to help students feel accepted and valued.

Overall, To Save a Life has a good message: to look out for and love other people. Sadly the movie doesn’t give much weight to Christ and the gospel message as the source of salvation beyond acceptance inside and outside of church.

Jesus is rarely mentioned (The youth pastor does end his prayer “in Jesus name” at Dawson’s funeral, a cross is shown on the stage at youth group, and we see Taylor get baptized in the ocean—an act mostly Christians would understand).

Throughout the movie, Taylor is faced with several tough choices. One scene shows him praying to God, “Just give me the strength to do what’s right,” after he’s learned his girlfriend is pregnant.

The movie gives the realistic view that problems don’t go away after coming to faith in Christ/God. In fact, the movie ends with some of the issues in Taylor’s life unresolved (his parents are separating and Jake is leaving his girlfriend and to go to college). The movie’s message is that, despite all that happens, we aren’t really all alone: people care, God cares.

Hopefully to Save a Life will inspire though-provoking discussions among both youth and adults, and challenge us who live in a very individualistic society to look beyond ourselves and care about others and maybe even save a life.

—Erin

The initial impression that this movie makes is that it is merely pointing out where our society might be heading in the future—how our tendencies toward laziness, pollution, and self-indulgence result in futuristic characters who do nothing but sit on their rear ends and drink their meals while watching TV. Certain people doubtless will call it pro-environmentalist, anti-capitalist, and anti-technological propaganda. These critics will focus on how the movie portrays the environmental policies of the U.S., or claim that there is no way that our economy could ever get to the situation of the characters depicted on the space station. According to these reviews, the creator of Wall-E has created a completely unrealistic and unfair picture of the future.

But we get a different perspective when listening to the words of its creator, Andrew Stanton, who explains what he was thinking when he made this movie [World magazine interview, cited in Wikipedia).

They tell you that as a storyteller, it's vital to just stick with and be honest with your values system. The last thing I want to do is go to a movie and feel like I'm being preached to or being told how to be, and I think it's more honest—and you're going to have more effect—to be truthful with the values of your characters, working off of your own values. That was the case with WALL•E. The greatest commandment is to love one another, and to me, that's the ultimate purpose of living. So that was the perfect goal for the loneliest robot on earth, to learn the greatest commandment, to learn to love.

All my choices in the film came from what I needed to amplify the main point, which was the love story between these robots. The theme that I was trying to tap into was that irrational love defeats life's programming—that it takes a random act of loving kindness to kick us out of our routines and habit.

You could blame consumerism as one thing that's happening in this film, but there's a million other things we do that distract us from connecting to the person next to us and from furthering relationships, which is truly the point of living…. I loved the idea of WALL•E finding something real. He was fascinated with the idea of living. And what's the point of living? Something real. He was a manmade object with something real inside him. And he found something real while surrounded by manmade objects. That just was poetic for me.

I wasn't trying to make some sort of mean-spirited comment on consumerism or today's society. I was going with just the logic of what would happen if you were in a perpetual vacation with no real purpose in life. So I went with the idea that we'd become sort of big babies with no reason to grow up. I definitely saw humanity as victims of this system that they were in.

Another theme that emerges is from the biblical book of Genesis. The world is a waste land and there’s no helper for the man; then a woman shows up looking for plant life (garden), and is the one to bring life—back—to the planet. Wall-E may also in some ways be compared with Christ.

Along with the biblical themes in this movie Andrew Stanton also claims to be a Christian. From his words above about Wall-E finding his purpose in loving someone, I would say the meaning behind this movie comes from a Christian Theistic standpoint. Stanton himself claims that loving is the purpose of life and that is what he portrays in his movie Wall-E.

[written by] Tim

Madea’s Family Reunion is a story of restoration and the love that must be partnered with it. Different forms of love are woven together, creating beautiful contrasts. While I would not label it a Christian movie, I would say that it rings in a strong theistic worldview. There are several references to God, and in many ways it encourages good morals. Words exchanged in the wedding scene paint a wonderful picture of Christ’s relationship to the church. The heart of the film, however, is the dynamics of family. This theme is well accomplished by Tyler Perry, the director of the movie. Director Tyler Perry also plays three of the characters, including Madea, matriarch to the family and its surrounding community.

The film centers on several events, one being the upcoming family reunion. The other is a wedding for one of Madea’s nieces. This story combines the heritage and culture of African Americans with issues that cross all social, economic and ethnic barriers in society. While there is not complete resolution to the family happenings, the movie ends with hearts and relationships restored. The reunion that takes place is not just the physical reunion of a family, but also the reunion of relationships. Through this we are challenged to love those close to us with Christ’s love, even when we have been hurt by them.

[written by] Amanda

“No one took his life.  He gave it.” 

Five missionaries and their families moved to the jungle of Ecuador to befriend the Waodani people, the most violent society documented by anthropologists.  It was 1956, and after living in the jungle for several years, the missionaries finally made friendly contact with the Waodani.  However, the contact was not as friendly as first thought.  Just days after the initial meeting, the five men were speared to death.  Thus the story begins of the transformation of a tribe, with a resulting 90% reduction in violence among its people and the opening of their society to western culture and Christianity. 

The Waodani believe that when they die, they must jump across the Great Boa into eternity.  If they are not strong enough to do it, they turn into termites.  That is why they fight and become strong, so that they can leap across when they die.  They prove their strength by killing a neighboring tribe who has been their enemies for generations.  Their tradition is that the son avenges his father’s death, making an endless cycle of murdering.  After the death of the five men, their widows and children move in and live with the Waodani, give them medical help and tell the people that their God has a Son who was speared, but He did not spear back so that they could live well.  The gospel message begins to transform the people and one by one they stop fighting, until peace is made with their neighbors and the cycle of revenge is broken. 

The loudest messages in this movie are sacrifice and forgiveness.  The missionaries did not fight back when they were attacked because of their view of eternity.  In the beginning of the movie, one of the missionaries, Nate Saint, explained that he is ready for heaven, and the Waodani are not, so he cannot kill them.  He was willing to sacrifice his life so that the people could come to know the peaceful God he knew and experience the eternity he believed in.  Forgiveness also plays a huge part, because when Nate’s son returns years later, he is expected to kill the man who killed his father.  But he acknowledges that his father gave his life, thus he would not revenge his death.  This movie is a great example of how a people’s view of God and eternity affects the way they live their life.                                                            

[written by] Liz Oril

At first glance, the movie “Signs” easily settles into the genre of science fiction.  Crop circles, aliens, and bad science are the usual thrills of movies that feed only the outlandish fantasies of Star Trek fans and science fiction buffs.  However, this movie wouldn’t be caught dead between selections such as “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “Space Voyager” at your local Block Buster Video.

The difference is substantial, yet hidden, in the story of an ex-Episcopalian priest played by Mel Gibson.  After a tragic accident that ended in the death of his beloved wife, Gibson’s character renounced his faith.  Things turned from bad to worse when crop signs show up on the family farm.  However, such absurdity of aliens attacking the earth fades behind the background of a man struggling with the fact of how God, whom the priest knew to be good, allowed such pain and suffering to him and his family.  Near the end of the movie, Gibson’s family is trapped in the basement while aliens surround his home with the clear intention of harm.  In a poignant moment of personal struggle, you finally see the uncertainty of his own unbelief in God.  Redemption finally comes, with the defeat of the aliens and the saving of his family.

But something more was redeemed, a man’s faith in God.  Even though you are still left with the question why suffering exists in the world, you walk away from this movie with a feeling of victory and a saving grace that clearly embarks on the pathway to a God who is good, despite the reality of pain and suffering in the world.  Tragedy and alien attacks both are hard to comprehend, although the absurdity of the latter is clear.  But perhaps for those who don’t believe in God, people putting faith in an all-powerful God who allows pain and suffering to remain in the world (even though He has the power to stop it), may be just as absurd as believing in aliens.  We don’t understand why there is such pain in the world, but we are faced with the fact that there is.  As Christians, we are also faced with another fact: God is good.  The reconciliation of these two seemingly opposite concepts is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ.  Without him, we have no more than our “basements” in which to hide and to hope for survival.

This movie revolves around two high school girls, Mary (Jenna Malone) and  Hilary Faye (Mandy Moore), who start off as best friends at American Eagle Christian School. The movie presents a Postmodern/theism twist of a Christian school that is completely wrapped up in pseudo-Christian ideals. The movie takes a pretty big stab at Christianity by pointing out the common rituals, lies, and politics that characterize many hypocritical Christians. It provides a parody of ways in which some Christians seek to win young people with contemporary, secular hipness that really comes off as second-rate.

The story takes a dramatic turn when Mary seeks to help Dean (Chad Faust), her Christian-turned-gay friend, overcome his homosexuality by sleeping with him, and then winds up getting pregnant.  She drops all her friends and befriends a pagan girl who shows her more love than any of the believers in her life. Life just gets worse when Mary’s mom is having an affair with her Christian school principal, and Hilary is trying to convert her with violent Bible-thumping tactics.

The movie ends by Hilary finally breaking down because she can’t handle her emptiness and insecurity any more. Jenna’s ex-boyfriend is released from Mercy House with his new lover and he knows that God accepts him as he is.

I don’t believe that the movie portrayed an accurate view of Christ at all, but they nailed down very real aspects of “American Christianity” pretty well. The characters present a Christian sub-culture in America that is frequently devoid of the true grace and the freedom that Christ came to offer. I would definitely recommend that Christians see this movie, because it holds a mirror up to us, portraying realities that we must face—how the world views us—that is at once all too real and unflattering.

Project Greenlight's Stolen Summer: The Movie, is a brilliantly performed comedic-drama, surrounding two young boys summer, in New York City circa. 1950's. Pete O'Malley is a 7 year old Irish-Catholic, who attends both Catholic Church and Catholic School. After being repeatedly told by his teacher, a nun, that he is in jeopardy of hell, Pete decides to go on a quest to become a saint, and as such will definitely have access into heaven. Through the counsel of his friend, Pete decides that to convert someone else would be the highest calling of a saint (basing this notion off the apostles' success). Thus he is determined to bring his Jewish friend, Danny, into Catholicism before Danny dies of leukemia. So the boys together embark on a summer's journey of friendship, fun, and conversion.

The movie is full of comedic humor, despite the sobering tone. It tackles some of the tough issues plaguing both the era of the 50's as well as our own generation. Equally, the direct conversation between Catholicism, and Judaism, is a well thought out foundation for a movie that attempts to answer very life probing questions.

The movie itself is excellent and well performed. The script, and tone of the movie is at times both hilarious, and yet exceptionally sobering. Essentially, its message could be said to break down into two views. (1) With impeccable care it communicates the need for kindness and compassion to penetrate religious differences. (2) It is very forthright in its assertion that there is no one way to heaven. To quote the movie: [Pete, to the rabbi] "I learned something on my quest just saying your belief is not how you get into heaven Jesus is only a symbol--it doesn't matter whose name you use, as long as their name implies being good."  Although the movie is set in the 1950's, its message is definitively postmodern. The blending of ideas and religious thought is the cornerstone of our postmodern culture. As such Project Greenlight's Stolen Summer: The Movie, presents a bold case for celebrating religious diversity and tolerance, the result being the promotion of a postmodern version of Theism.