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Spiritual messages in films: Incredibly Loud, and Marigold Hotel
Culturewatch ministry Damaris has produced resources to bring out spiritual and life lessons embedded in two great new film releases: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
http://internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/7103
Figuring Out the Meaning of it All - #6242
The problem is that we've left the orbit we were made for. It's called sin - our stubborn self-rule of a life that God was supposed to run. Unless we can get back to the One we were made for, we'll live our whole life without the answer to why I'm here, and we will die without hope. But the Bible gives us incredible hope with this announcement: "Christ suffered for our sin...to bring you safely home to God" (1 Peter 3:18 ).
http://hutchcraft.com/a-word-with-you/your-most-important-relationship/template-for-aww...
Movies: hidden spiritual meanings, parables and parallels in film stories point up Christian truth
Writer Leslie Hand comments: “MovieGlimpse was the suggestion of several different people who were always asking me to ‘interpret’ the movies. Several years ago the Lord began giving me interpretations of different movies. I believe that He is using the ‘common language’ of today which is the language of film, as a vehicle for His message. Just as He gave the dreams to Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar, I think He is using men such as Steven Spielberg in a similar way. I believe the church is missing it by not being an interpreter such as a Daniel or a Joseph. I have just finished writing about Chocolat. I must stress that I don’t sit and try and think these up. I can tell if the Lord is showing me something in a movie and I believe the insights come from Him.
http://internetevangelismday.com/glimpse.php
Video clips that ask questions rather than give answers
First, here’s Alma, a prize-winning animation by Rodrigo Blaas that is hugely compelling. And chilling. A visual metaphor of entrapment. (‘Alma’ is Spanish for ’soul’.) A real discussion starter – it would be useful to show, for example, to a youth group. Or as a embedded clip within a website, asking questions. There is so much to see and analyze within it, with spiritual parallels and warnings.
http://internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/1230
Avatar: new Cameron blockbuster promises embedded spiritual meaninngs and parallels.
Superlatives reign. Movie director Cameron does it again: probably the most expensive film ever made. And in 3D. Took 14 years to make. With its own language to out-Klingon Klingon.
http://internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/1127
Starting points for evangelism that few seem to use
Mary and I had three days in London last week, as a lovely Christmas gift from our grownup children. Thanks guys! Included were tickets to Oliver! the musical, of which more below.
First though, we went to the Babylon exhibition in the British Museum, where among the exhibits were the beautiful blue glazed bricks from the Ishtar Gate and processional way. The original has been reconstructed at the Pergamum Museum in Berlin (which also houses the reconstructed market gate from Miletus and the temple from Pergamum. Daniel would doubtless have walked or ridden through the Ishtar Gate many times.
Oliver! (based on Dickens’ Oliver Twist novel) starred Rowan Atkinson, and was a great experience. I was reminded yet again that most stories are based on the archetypal ‘hero’s journey’ and contain echoes from eternity – the universal themes of searching, finding, sacrifice and redemption, which reflect elements of The Story – God’s plan and purpose for us.
http://internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/138
Inception - spiritual parallels and meaning within this fascinating movie
Inception has been getting rave reviews. It’s certainly the sort of film you’d want to see a second time. In fact, this second viewing phenomenon is very widespread, as people return to work out the intricacies of the plot, not to mention looking for the many hidden visual and musical puns which have been deliberately embedded in the film. This is what the industry calls a ‘rehook’. (How can we make aspects of Christian and evangelistic ministry, offline or online, have this ‘rehook’, ’sticky’ attraction to return?)
http://internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/2269
Kasia's story - Polish girl student finds truth and meaning on the Internet
Kasia lives in Poland. She began an internet discussion with a young believer in Florida, who encouraged her to visit several Internet sites, including IMB’s VitaNovis which put her in touch with their Polish team. As a direct result of visiting the IMB site, Kasia began to correspond with a young Polish Baptist woman, who played a role in Kasia coming to faith in Christ.
http://internetevangelismday.com/kasia.php
Googling the Gospel - how people use Google to search for life answers. Christian Herald article by Russ Bravo
How do you connect to people? It’s a question I’ve been thinking about increasingly in recent days, as life gets more hectic and the pressures of work make time ever more precious.
As with so many things, the internet can be a blessing or a curse. It can deliver information to our fingertips at the click of a mouse, give us access to knowledge, understanding, entertainment and much more at very modest cost – and help us communicate faster, wider and more creatively than ever before.
http://internetevangelismday.com/google.php
Find and use Christian parallel, parable, metaphor meanings in film, music, book or popular culture
Popular culture provides a huge bridge for us to use. How do many people spend much of their leisure time? They watch TV or movies, read books, and listen to music. Even though it may never have been the intention of the writer or director, there are often eternal truths and parallels just waiting for us to point at. Indeed, we should normally expect to find such echoes in the yearnings of writers.
http://internetevangelismday.com/parallel.php