Finding God in the Movies: Two Methods Examined

THE LUTHERAN OUTLANDER
By Kaleb

Many people have doubts about whether it is appropriate for a work of art such as a movie to drive the content of a sermon. I share those doubts, but that is beyond the scope of what I want to talk about here. I will instead focus on how to know whether it is even correct to bring a Christian interpretation to our understanding of a work of art. The first is if the artist himself declares his intent, as was the case with C. S. Lewis and the Chronicles of Narnia. But in the absence of such a declaration, the only certain way is when the story itself tells us. What I called "literal moments" are nothing more than storytelling devices meant to steer the consumer in the right direction in his understanding of the story. The presence of such devices must be respected. But their absence must be respected as well. [link]