Contact: Dr. Marc T. Newman, 865-429-5523; www.moviebiblestudy.com
KNOXVILLE, Tenn., May 12 /Christian Newswire/ -- Dr. Marc Newman, president of MovieMinistry, announces the May 12th formal launch of MovieBibleStudy.com -- a site to help Christians create a bridge between Hollywood film and the Gospel with tools to turn after-film discussions toward spiritual, moral and ethical themes.
Indirect communication is key to their approach.
Some people are too shy to talk about themselves in a group, Newman explains, but the same people will easily talk about movie characters with problems and questions similar to their own. "This kind of indirect approach has a long biblical tradition, from Nathan using a story to convict King David, to Jesus using parables, to Paul using Greek poets to speak to the Athenians."
It sometimes surprises people to find spiritual themes in secular Hollywood films. "When Bill O'Reilly brought me on 'The O’Reilly Factor' even he was surprised to hear how the problem of sin and the need for a blood sacrifice to fix it was the central theme of the first 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movie -- but it is."
Our culture's main storytellers are filmmakers, making film a natural jump-off point. The audience is built-in and willing. Millions will flock to "Iron Man 2," "Robin Hood," and "Shrek Forever After" and then they will go to a coffee shop and talk. Robert Johnston, author of "Reel Spirituality," notes that more people talk about spirituality after a movie than after a sermon. "Besides," says Newman, "most people respond more positively to an invitation to the movies than to an invitation to church -- they were going to see the film anyway. Now they can see it from a new perspective."
"We want to help parents and leaders to respond to their culture. Hollywood speaks to youth every week. We thought it was time to use what they say -- to examine their ideas as well as our own lives -- in the light of biblical truth. We can use movies to reach people."
Link: www.moviebiblestudy.com
Marc T. Newman, Ph.D. is president of Movie Ministry and an associate professor of Communication Studies in the School of Communication and the Arts at Regent University. He has appeared in "Time" magazine and other regional and national media. He writes a regular column on Christianity, film and culture.
