Viewing (More) Movies as Spiritual Formation
(taught at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology, Spiritual Formation class – I was a guest teacher in this class, invited by my friend Dr. Nancy Penton) – click here for another similar class I taught
I am so thankful again to my friend Dr. Nancy Penton for inviting me to speak to this wonderful class here at McAfee! It is an honor and a privilege to be here with you, and I thank you for this opportunity to learn and grow together in the grace and knowledge of the Lord.
My topic tonight is an invitation to viewing movies as spiritual formation. Viewing movies for any reason other than entertainment wouldn’t have entered my head until very recently, because during an informal gathering of believers from our local church in our home about 25 years ago, Paul & I suggested a movie that we had viewed some time before. As we sat there munching on popcorn, we grew increasingly horrified as scene after scene crept on the screen that included bits we’d either forgotten about or must have found less distasteful on our first viewing. But God redeems everything, even or maybe especially our broken places! In summer 2011, God put it on my heart to gather teens and adults together for the purpose of watching movies, thinking, discussing, praying, influencing culture, and impacting the world. We call it “Movie nights for thinkers and seekers.”
I screen hundreds of movies each year to find treasures that challenge or inspire or highlight a certain theme. It became apparent right from the outset that watching movies together can be a transformative experience. Jesus told parables. Movies tell stories, and as we all know, stories can have a way of getting down into our souls far deeper than mere information ever could. There’s something about gathering together a group to watch a movie – the experience of watching with other like-minded seekers and thinkers is quite different from watching a movie alone, or watching a movie to veg out. My life is transformed each and every time. We’ve hosted 61 such movie nights so far, and plan to continue for a long time to come, God willing! Several movie nights are in development in other places around the world, and I bless you to use any materials on our website if you’d like to launch your own movie night! I am launching a movie class for teens in the fall at Creative Hearts Academy – please pray for the students!
A January 2014 study from Pew Research Institute said that in the previous year, 76% of all adults read a book. As seminary students, I’m sure you’ve each lost count of how many books you’ve read in the past year. I love books; my mom was a librarian and my dad was a professor so I’ve always been surrounded by books and can’t get enough of them. But apparently not everyone engages with books in our culture. Watching a story on a screen is a different story. A 2014 Bureau of Labor Statistics American Time Use Survey says that the average American aged 15 and older watches 2.8 hours of television per day. This includes news and sports and so forth, but the reality is that our culture is deeply attached to the big and small screen. I’m passionate about developing tools to help believers engage culture for Jesus! So that’s the story of how our movie nights began. I’d like to share with you tonight some of the lessons I’ve learned by viewing movies for spiritual formation.
All right, let’s dive in 🙂
- Bella
I chose this film because it paints a powerful picture of how, as the tagline says, one moment can change your life forever. It goes on to show what love really is, not just words, not just sentiments, not just hormonal, not just for a season – love is sacrificial compassion in action. A Scripture that sheds light on what happens in this film is 2 Corinthians 7:10 (NLT) – “For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.”
Film clip: In this clip, José is showing his platonic friend Nina a car that has been stored in his parents’ garage for many years. In answering her questions, we see a flashback to when José had just signed a contract with Real Madrid (soccer club) and was, along with his manager, on his way to a media interview. 46:31 – 49:20 [2 minutes 49 seconds] What follows shows us what happens when both José and Nina choose the path of godly (and not worldly) sorrow.
What I’ve learned: This film inspired me to look for more opportunities to put sacrificial compassion in action, especially in helping someone make the choice for life, whatever that might look like. It also helped me to have greater compassion for people because we don’t know what their “one moments” were that changed their lives forever and caused them to be in the predicament in which we find them. I was also struck by the real life story of one of the producers, who is also the actor who plays José. Verástegui co-founded Metanoia films after experiencing transformation in his own life. “Metanoia” is a Greek word that means “repentance, a change of mind, change in the inner man.” Verástegui said of this film, “It is my hope that Bella gives those who watch it the spark to do the great things that God has planned for each and every one of us.” I appreciate this, and I hope that through encouraging others to become increasingly more Christ-like through viewing movies in movie groups around the world, God may grace them with the spark to do the great things that He has planned for them!
2. The Way
I chose this movie because it speaks to me of God’s invitation to each of us to have relationship with Him and with one another. The title of this film, “The Way”, refers to the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, or “The Way of St. James”, a large network of ancient pilgrimage routes that stretch across Europe and come together at the tomb of St. James in Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain. The most popular route is about 500 miles long. Silence & solitude are by nature part of this kind of journey. A Scripture that relates to this film is Galatians 6:2 (NIV): “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
Film clip: Tom, the main character, is on a journey from isolation and grief to relationship and healing. He arrives in Spain to recover the body of his son, Daniel, who died while walking the Camino. He begins to walk the Camino for his son, in a way to redeem their difficult relationship. Despite his determination to make the journey alone, he reluctantly gains traveling companions along the way, and eventually realizes that he is walking this road for himself. In this scene, Tom meets Jack, a contemplative Irish travel writer who decided to walk the Camino to cure his writer’s block. 51:42 – 54:29 [2 minutes 47 seconds] (btw, “trope” refers to a figure of speech)
This scene doesn’t capture all of Tom’s healing journey. But thanks to his three accidental companions, he begins for the first time to realize that as he is walking his road, others are there, too. Tom realizes that he had avoided real relationships before by choosing busyness, isolation, numbness. He gradually begins to respond to the invitation into relationship extended to him by both God and others.
What I’ve learned: I’m learning to slow down and be present with others; I can learn from each person along the way; everyone has a story and few people take the time to listen or care – I am growing in my desire to really see each person and not just rush forward with my agenda and plans, but stop and listen and care; I guess you could say you know you’re a contemplative if this kind of journey appeals to you . . . several of my family members, including me, are making plans to go and are very excited about the prospect!
3. Of Gods and Men
I chose this movie because it has become one of my favorite movies of all time. A group of French monks live in community in a monastery in Algeria, loving and serving the community around them. This film beautifully portrays them in but not of the world, living a life of devotion to God, loving one another, neighbors, and enemies. The situation around them grows increasingly tense, and their peaceful routine of prayer, medical assistance, and community interaction is disrupted due to the activities of a violent Islamic terrorist group. A Scripture that speaks to the story in this film is John 15:9-13 (The Message) – “I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done—kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in his love. I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends.”
Film clip: Both the government and the terrorists are threatening them in their work of loving and serving all who are in need. Notice how the Christ-followers respond to the very real threats in this time of great peril. 1:30:01 – 1:33:39 [3 minutes 38 seconds]
What I’ve learned: This specific scene lives in my mind with Brother Luc leaning against Jesus, much as the disciple John did at the Last Supper. He receives very real comfort from the Lord and remains there until God strengthens him for what lies ahead. I have experienced this personally, and in times of great sorrow often lean my head against the breast of our precious Savior. In joyful and difficult times, the brothers sing their prayers to the Lord. This encourages me to remain hopeful and continue to praise God no matter what is going on in my life or in the world. If God is for us, who can be against us? The way the brothers make decisions about their community deeply impacted and surprised me. Each one is given the opportunity to speak freely, and no decision is reached without considering each one’s input carefully and with sensitivity. Great value is given to unity even in the face of disagreement. I learned a lot about loving others well from this film. They connected authentically with their community, even when it was uncomfortable, challenging, or downright dangerous. I want to be like these brothers when I grow up!
4. The Man from Snowy River
I chose this film because it shows one man’s struggle in life, with so much stacked against him. He suffered hardships and had plenty of detractors who tried to dissuade him from pursuing his dreams. Just one good friend gave him the encouragement, courage, and hope he needed to be able to move forward. We read in the book of 1 Samuel about someone who struggled with detractors. David knew what it was like to experience strong opposition, especially from King Saul. His friend Jonathan gave him the courage he needed to continue following God’s lead and do all He had called him to do.
Film clip: Clip: In this scene, Jim has just buried his dad alongside his mum’s grave in rural Australia in the 1880s. Let’s see what kinds of visitors he receives as he’s grieving the loss of his immediate family.
What I’ve learned: I want to be the kind of person who consistently brings encouragement and hope to others. Our pastor preached a great sermon just yesterday on the practicalities of encouraging one another daily as long as it’s called today. So often I’m wrapped up in my own thoughts as I hurry along to my next appointment. I don’t want to miss the person in front of me, who could be in need of a word of encouragement or act of kindness. A couple of weeks ago, a group of us from Liberty Vineyard Church were doing our quarterly cleanup on our Adopt-a-Road portion in Lilburn. A group including my teenage girls was picking up trash on one section, when a teenage boy came out of his house and asked what they were doing. He related that just the day before he had noticed the trash along the sides and thought about picking it up. Cascade, my h.s. senior, invited him to join them. He followed along a respectable distance behind the girls, going into the gullies to get the hard-to-remove pieces. I arrived about an hour later to pick everyone up. Erik told me he had given his life to Jesus a couple of weeks earlier, and that morning had asked God to show him what to do with his life. He didn’t know where to start. We invited him to come hang out back at the church – so for another hour our pastor Zac and my son Michael and I talked with Erik and answered some of his questions. Erik shared pretty openly with us about his life and struggle with no friends and a broken home life. Zac has offered to meet him for coffee each week, and I’m trying to reach out to him, too. Who would have thought that picking up trash would result in a divine appointment like that? I want to notice more what God is doing around me each moment of each hour of each day!
5. Waste Land
I chose this film because it shows that God can make something beautiful out of anything, ordinary things, even things that we consider worthless or discarded. There is a Psalm that speaks beautifully about what God is like in this regard.
Psalm 113 (NLT) – “Praise the LORD! Yes, give praise, O servants of the LORD. Praise the name of the LORD! Blessed be the name of the LORD now and forever. Everywhere—from east to west—praise the name of the LORD. For the LORD is high above the nations; his glory is higher than the heavens. Who can be compared with the LORD our God, who is enthroned on high? He stoops to look down on heaven and on earth. He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, even the princes of his own people! He gives the childless woman a family, making her a happy mother. Praise the LORD!”
Film clip: In this clip, we see Vik, a Brazilian born artist who lives in New York City and Rio de Janeiro. In recent years, his focus has been to create familiar images from the history of art transformed in scale and from unexpected materials – sugar, chocolate, ketchup, diamonds, dust and garbage – in a process culminating in a new photographic image. This film centers on what was at the time the largest garbage dump in the world and the trash pickers who lived and worked there. We will also see Isis, who is portrayed in art as a woman ironing. The outlines of the picture are projected onto the floor of a large warehouse, where the image is filled in with many different objects, the work being done primarily by trash pickers under the artist’s direction.
What I’ve learned: God’s image in each person is beautiful. He wants us to see the treasure in each person and help uncover it so His image can be redeemed and restored. To quote author & teacher Graham Cooke, “We are treasure seekers. We are treasure hunters. We look for the treasure in people. We see what is precious, not what is worthless. It may be buried under all kinds of crud, but if you speak to the treasure it begins to rise up. I have seen this so many times. Speak to the treasure in people and they get rid of their own rubbish because they want to see the treasure as well!”
6. The Visitor
I chose this film because we live in a city filled with visitors from literally every people group on the planet. Matthew 25:34-40 (NLT) – “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”
Film clip: In this clip, we see Walter, a bored university professor whose life has become routine, discover that he has an opportunity to put his theoretical learning on helping developing nations into practice, as he gets to know the visitors who showed up living in his city apartment while he at his country home. I wonder who ends up helping whom more?
What I’ve learned: It’s so easy to read the news and study books and attend seminars and become experts at so many things. We have so many wonderful learning opportunities. But we need to remember to open our hearts and lives to real people around us. I need to be reminded of that. Last year, my oldest son, Peter, and I had the privilege of helping at a local ESL class. What impacted us so deeply were not the grammatical improvements in our students but the chance to get to know one another by sharing real life stuff each week. We shared struggles with jobs, schools, parenting, relationships, you name it. I have so much more to learn, but I want to notice the visitors in my world and extend my arms to both give and receive, according to the Lord’s great love for us all!
7. Kitchen Stories
I chose this film because of its humorous yet touching look at human nature and relationships. Not everyone will appreciate the subtle humor or slow pace, but I find it to be one of the quirkiest films I’ve seen, and I greatly enjoy it! It challenges us to consider the nature of modern relationships where innovations in technology are leading to increasing detachment in face-to-face relationships. Here’s the IMDB summary of the absurd plot: “In post war Sweden it was discovered that every year, an average housewife walks the equivalent number of miles as the distance between Stockholm and Congo, while preparing her family meals. So the Home Research Institute sent out eighteen observers to a rural district of Norway to map out the kitchen routines of single men. The researchers were on twenty-four-hour call, and sat in special strategically placed chairs in each kitchen. Furthermore, under no circumstances were the researchers to be spoken to, or included in the kitchen activities.” In a very literal way, a Scripture that goes well with this film is Romans 12:2a (NLT) – “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”
Film clip: In this clip, we see Swedish researcher Folke perched on his umpire chair in the corner, as he has done daily for weeks. He marks on his clipboard every movement in the kitchen of his assigned Norwegian farmer, Isak. It’s apparent that there isn’t a lot of action in this kitchen! In fact, Isak has gotten so peeved by this researcher (in a time when distrust between Norwegians and Swedes was high) that he all but stops using his kitchen. In desperation, Folke has just dropped a package of special tobacco onto the table, possibly in an attempt to assuage his boredom, but also to reach out for some human contact. 35:30 – 37:15 [1 minute 45 seconds]
What I’ve learned: The humorous look at human nature in this film has helped me to remember that in every encounter I have with people, I am not supposed to be just an observer, but to get involved with their lives. The person we’re observing and possibly judging is likely someone God has sent to us for a reason. They may wind up becoming a very dear friend. The Lord has used this film to remind me to reach out a hand of friendship to those in close proximity, trusting that He has brought them into my life for relationship, not to fix or to analyze or to ignore. We show that we love God by how we love the people around us.
8. Barfi!
I chose this film because of its beautiful look at relationships and the value of the individual. The main character, Barfi, is deaf (his given name was Murphy, so “Barfi” is his closest spoken approximation). The other two main characters are Shruti, who married for social status (but is still in love with Barfi) and Jhilmil, who is autistic. Barfi has a childlikeness about him that is very endearing, but at times gets him into trouble. Matthew 13:44-45 (NLT) – “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!”
Film clip: In this scene, Barfi suddenly realizes what has happened to Jhilmil, and also that he truly loves her. He begins to search for her, and we see flashbacks that help us understand what happened to her after her sudden disappearance. Shruti faces a moment of realization herself, and is finally able to let go of her misplaced attachment.
What I’ve learned: God is always searching, always seeking, those whose hearts are even slightly turned towards Him. He invites us to search and seek for Him, with passion, priority, purity, and prayer! Psalm 105:4 (NLT) – “Search for the LORD and for his strength; continually seek him.”
Conclusion:
I certainly don’t recommend watching any or every movie for spiritual formation! But with discernment, there are many opportunities to let stories speak to us through watching movies, something that is almost universal in our culture. I hope that these few glimpses into some of the movies we’ve watched will encourage and challenge you. Next time you watch a movie, I challenge you to think about how God is nudging you, and then do something about it. It’s countercultural to watch movies for the purpose of transformation. Our culture has duped all of us into thinking that stories are simply a leisure activity, and stories in movies are best paired with popcorn and soda, lightweight nutrition at best. Jesus didn’t tell us stories to entertain us. His stories are far from lightweight. May we wake up to the power of story and consider which stories God wants us to show and tell to others, whether through watching movies together or some other way. As you continue along your journey with Jesus in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit, may He guide you and protect your hearts and minds, and use you to influence many to turn their hearts more towards Him.
