Contact: Dr. Marc Newman, MovieBibleStudy.com, 760-807-4499, marc@movieministry.com

VISTA, Calif., May 3, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- Summer movie season officially begins today with the opening of 'Iron Man 3.' Dr. Marc Newman, president of MovieBibleStudy.com, notes "People go to see big summer blockbusters to watch Hollywood tell them stories. Many of those stories speak to deep spiritual, moral, and ethical issues. We were just looking for a way to harness a popular cultural event and use it to steer people toward the Scriptures."

"'Iron Man 3' -- for example -- illustrates the progression of sin, the problem of pride and the value of humility, the scheming nature of evil, how courage overcomes fear, and what constitutes our identity." Newman adds, "All fans of 'Iron Man' know that Tony Stark -- the inventor of the Iron Man suit -- can be an arrogant, prideful man. Audiences get a chance to see the Tony Stark they know humbled a bit. It is interesting to see how that affects him, and how he reassesses not only what is valuable to him, but himself. Watching Stark's journey can be a first step toward examining our own pride, from a biblical perspective, and finding value in humility."

The persuasive power of movies has been Newman's academic specialty for over thirty years. He recently retired from teaching in the graduate program at Regent University's School of Communication and the Arts in order to focus more on MovieBibleStudy and its sister site, MovieMinistry. Newman speaks and writes on the way films shape worldviews. He's even appeared on the O'Reilly Factor, "Bill O'Reilly and I had a talk about the spiritual metaphors in 'The Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise. It was fun."

More studies are on the way. Newman observes, "Things are just beginning to heat up at the box office. Millions of people will spend billions of dollars this summer seeking entertainment. It is our hope that we can help Christians to connect with them the way the Apostle Paul connected with the Athenians -- through the agency of popular culture -- to show the way to the Gospel."

For requests for interviews about Christianity, film and culture in general, or specific films or MovieBibleStudy.com specifically, contact Dr. Newman by email at marc@movieministry.com or by private message on the Movie Bible Study Facebook page.