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New Book Study and a Movie 'Study'

I mentioned a while back that St. Paul's was engaging in a book study of Brian McLaren's The Secret Message of Jesus. The live study went very well - I had about 8 in the class, and I think everyone enjoyed the book. I also tried an online version of the study through a blog, which was mostly unvisited, and, eventually, un-updated.

Well, we've just started a new book study, and I'm going to try to blog through the study again - this time we've selected Excavating Jesus: Beneath the Stones, Behind the Texts, by John Dominic Crossan and Johnathan L. Reed. Unlike Secret Message, I haven't read this book in advance, and am reading it along with the class. So far I'm through the prologue, introduction, and most of chapter 1, and I already find it quite fascinating. The book takes a two-pronged approach to looking at Jesus in historical context - the written word and the 'words' from the archaeological record. So, check out the book blog for an online version of this study, coming soon, and hopefully more consistently.

This summer, we're having two more studies at St. Paul's - a short term disciple study on Romans, and a movie 'study'. We'll be watching movies every week and talking about them - what spiritual/theological/ethical issues they raise, etc. So far, I'm pretty sure we'll be watching Romero and of course my personal favorite, Jesus Christ Superstar. But the movies don't have to be so overtly 'religious', and I'm looking for some good suggestions. What should we watch?
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Comments

Matt Akins said…
Not entirely sure it would be appropriate for this particular movie study, but I own (and have watched all of) the Decalogue by Krzysztof Kieślowski.

Read Roger Ebert's review

My wife had introduced me to Red, White, and Blue, and I had heard of the Decalogue for a long time before finding a copy of it on DVD. I had read a rumor somewhere that Stanley Kubrick owned it on reel, and screened it for Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman while he was directing them in Eyes Wide Shut. They, in turn, somehow arranged for a US company (somewhere in Chicago, I think) to make a DVD master and release it in the US.
I found a copy on Amazon and gave it to my wife as a Christmas present.

We've tried on a couple of occasions to get interest in one of our bible study groups to do a study on it, but no luck so far.
1:39 PM
DogBlogger said…
I have a paired offering to suggest: Big Fish, followed by Secondhand Lions. They both deal with the question, "What is truth?"

We unintentionally paired them a couple of years ago when they wound up arriving from Blockbuster or Netflix at the same time, and it was the coolest.
8:29 AM
TN Rambler said…
"Wide Awake" is an underrated movie about exploring faith from the perspective of a 5th grader who loses his grandfather. Good cast, good story. Might be worth a look.
10:01 PM
Anonymous said…
I totally agree with Big Fish & Secondhand Lions being excellent options and have to toss into the mix Northfork from the Polish brothers and M. Night Shyamalan's The Village. I think both could spark some real interesting conversations!
5:26 AM
John said…
Excalibur. It drips with Christian themes and typology, particularly toward the end.

You'll want the edited version that doesn't have the nude scene.
7:37 PM
Anonymous said…
How about my personal favorite, "Shadowlands", a bio of C.S. Lewis and his relationship with his wife, Joy? It's got great acting, lovely scenery, and a story of immense grace in the face of grief.
8:14 PM
Ron said…
Just found this interesting list of the "Top 50 Religious Movies". Take it for what it's worth. But I do see some excellent film suggestions here.

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/temp/Topsp50spFilms.pdf
9:01 AM
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