#filmandtheology

[faithfamilyfilms]

"Maybe a fella ain’t got a soul of his own, but on’y a piece of a big one. Then I’ll be all aroun’ in the dark. I’ll be ever’where — wherever you look. Wherever they’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there. Wherever they’s a cop beatin’ up a guy, I’ll be there" says Tom Joad (Henry Fonda) to his mother as he goes on the run at the end of The Grapes of Wrath (1940). His words speak about the deep connection between oppressed peoples everywhere as powerfully today as they did when Steinbeck wrote them in 1936. As a Christian they remind me of God's "preferential option for the poor" revealed in liberation theology and of Jesus' words in Matthew 25 that whenever we feed the hungry, or welcome the stranger, we are also feeding and welcoming Him. Tom is right that the souls of the poor are connected, but from a Christian perspective not because they are all simply one - but rather that Christ is present in each of them. So that...wherever there's a fight so hungry people can eat, wherever there’s a cop beatin’ up a guy....Christ is there. . . . . . . . . . . #tomjoad #grapesofwrath #steinbeck #johnsteinbeck #johnsteinbeckquote #henryfonda #darrylzanuck #darrylfzanuck #johnford #soul #christian #christ #jesus #liberationtheology #preferentialoptionforthepoor #filmandtheology #filmandfaith #matthew25 #blm #blacklivesmatter #hungry #oppressed #greatdepression https://www.instagram.com/p/CFjPVjilb6u/?igshid=13vc2acri68js

[faithfamilyfilms]

Prayer begins and ends Captain Krause's day aboard the USS Greyhound as he leads a convoy of merchant ships across the Atlantic in 1942. Relentlessly attacked by U-Boats it is not prayer that miraculously keeps Krause (Tom Hanks) safe - prayer rarely works like that, and there would have been men equally praying on the ships and German submarines that were sunk - but it is prayer the helps make him who he is - a man of compassion, wisdom, humility and fortitude. Prayer connects us to the Divine, allowing God to work in our lives and share Her/His strength with us. Greyhound is a traditional war film with great visuals and lots of tension. But it also manages not to glorify war or jingoism and is solidly held together by Hanks' powerful display of grace under pressure. I also admire it's depiction of faith and prayer as a quiet but natural element of men's lives. What ever you are going through today I pray you may feel close to God too and that His/Her love may give you strength and peace. Amen. . . . . . . #greyhound #ussgreyhound #greyhoundmovie #greyhoundfilm #tomhanks #ww2 #merchantship #merchantships #convoy #atlanticocean #atlanticconvoys #atlanticconvoy #uboat #germanuboat #submarine #prayer #prayers #faithandfilm #filmandtheology #filmandfaith #faith #divine #God https://www.instagram.com/p/CCgjDfHFBoW/?igshid=3irebs3brdwp

[faithfamilyfilms]

As Ascensiontide comes to an end I must confess that using Mary Poppins as an illustration for Christ's ascension (as I did in my sermon last week) was not my idea alone - as this great piece of alternative art (Copyright © Brett Farmer) shows. You can hear numerous priests using this illustration on YouTube, but if you'd like to hear my version find the "Parish of Shere" YT channel: service for May 24 and start 7.50 in. . . . . . . #ascensiontide #marypoppins #savingmrbanks #marypoppinsreturns #priest #sermon #filmsandfaith #faithandfilm #filmandtheology #youtube #churchofengland #churchonline #churchservice #julieandrews #disney #waltdisney https://www.instagram.com/p/CAz1m2JlAXc/?igshid=54dg8ifpz9at

[faithfamilyfilms]

I saw Pope Francis last year in Abu Dhabi. It was the largest ever act of Christian worship in the Middle East and it was amazing to be there. 'The Two Popes' is a much more subdued affair. Mostly two old men discussing theology and chuch politics - and I loved it. Great performances from Hopkins and Pryce and a well balanced screenplay made it an absorbing amd moving drama for anyone interested in such things. The real Pope Francis may still be too conservative for many, but I think he is the right man for this moment in terms of moving the Catholic church in the right direction. The film probably makes him a little too saintly, but it also humanizes Ratzinger in a way that makes him more empathetic to those (like me) who were glad to see an end to his ultra conservative rule. . . . . . . . . #popefrancis #abudhabi #thetwopopes #faithandfilm #filmandtheology #jonathanpryce #anthonyhopkins #netflix #popebenedictxvi (at Sheikh Zayed Sports City Stadium) https://www.instagram.com/p/B86M_uHFTCh/?igshid=1je0eyk822dcj

[faithfamilyfilms]

There is sometimes a fine line between genius and failure and Terrence Malick has certainly been both sides of it in recent years. But at his best he is able to see (and show) the presence of God in nature and in the hidden lives of ordinary people - so we may in turn be sometimes blessed by seeing the presence of God in his creativity portrayed on the big screen. Whilst I understand how for some this slow, three hour film would be boring and/or pretentious - for me it became a meditation which was a highly moving and ultimately spiritual experience – more so than many church services I attend! Of course it also engendered conversations afterwards about how people of faith should balance their loyalty to God with the  practicalities of living in a broken world (as the lead character risks his life by refusing to swear loyalty to Hitler) but for me it was the texture and depth of A Hidden Life as a whole which not just lifted it above its filmic flaws but lifted me beyond myself so as to make it a transcendent experience. This is what film at is best is able to do, and why the cinema is my second church. . . . . . . . . . . . #terrencemalick #filmsandfaith #godintheordinary #church #spiritual #nazi #nazis #hitler #ahiddenlife #ahiddenlifemovie #spirituality #god #martyr #transcendence #transcendent #cinema #slowcinema #meditation #prayer #cineaste #cinephile #cinephilecommunity #cinephiles #cinéaste #film #faith #filmandtheology https://www.instagram.com/p/B7tE_j5lsEC/?igshid=177mtwosjc7ce