Plan A Movie Night With A Purpose

This informative guide helps readers combine their love of movies with their desire to grow closer to God. Foremost experts on faith and film, all connected with the Reel Spirituality Institute at Fuller Seminary, explore forty leading movies from the last four decades to encourage movie lovers and small groups to reflect critically and theologically on their film choices. God in the Movies introduces and analyzes the spiritual content of top films from the 1980s through the 2010s, opening viewers up to a conversation about life, faith, and God.

Theological Reflections, Relevant Scriptures, Discussion Questions, Recommended Clips, and More

Written by the World's Foremost Scholars in Theology and Film

Films You Already Love and Soon-To-Be-Favorites

Written with Small Groups and Sunday School Classes in Mind

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Praise for God in the Movies

Take a Second, Spiritually-Informed Look at Movies You've Seen Before

"Spirituality in movies? You bet! With their book God in the Movies, Catherine M. Barsotti and Robert K. Johnston present a host of insightful essays. Each gives us eyes to see the subtle but powerful nuggets of spiritual wisdom tucked into mainstream Hollywood films. You've seen most of these movies; now take a second look. You'll be amazed at what you'll find!"

– David C. McFadzean, writer, producer, partner, Wind Dancer Films (Bernie and TV's Home Improvement)

For Scholars, Filmmakers, Pastors, and All Movie Lovers

"Looking at forty films from four decades, God in the Movies guides us to think about and talk about films theologically. I highly recommend it as a resource for scholars, filmmakers, movie lovers, pastors, or anyone wanting to engage others in a conversation about God through the movies."

– Camille Tucker, screenwriter, screenwriting professor, Biola University

Stimulate Religious Discussion and Inform our Film Viewing

"At their best, films help people engage with the most profound questions of human life. Christianity—and all religion—does this in a much more comprehensive way. In God in the Movies, Catherine Barsotti and Rob Johnston do a wonderful job of showing how film can stimulate religious discussion and how those discussions can inform our viewing of films."

– George Nolfi, screenwriter, producer, and director (Ocean's Twelve, The Bourne Ultimatum, and The Adjustment Bureau)

Become Wise Interpreters of the Spirit's Movement Among the World's Big-Screen Dreams

"God in the Movies is an essential text for courageous moviegoers. Paying attention to forty years of cinematic excellence and leading us into the questions raised by art's provocative ambiguities, these writers celebrate an incarnational vision. They show us that the Spirit moves in mysterious ways throughout the world of cinema – in movies popular and obscure, commercial and foreign, inspiring and disturbing. With prophetic understanding, they coax us to become wise interpreters of the world's big-screen dreams. They give us 'eyes to see.'"

– Jeffrey Overstreet, Seattle Pacific University, author of Through a Screen Darkly and Auralia's Colors and senior film critic at Christianity Today and lookingcloser.org

Brilliant Authors, Prophetic Films, and Fabulous Insight into the Importance of Movies

"Catherine Barsotti and Rob Johnston, experts in expressing the profound connections between faith and culture, have opened up the conversation even further in their newest book together, God in the Movies. They have drawn together brilliant authors, prophetic films, and fabulous insight into the importance of movies--their messages, their meaning, and their influence on our hearts, minds, and spirits. Christians today must be culturally engaged, and this book challenges us and guides us to connect our appetites for entertainment with our hunger for discussing divine truth."

– Karen Covell, film producer and founding director of the Hollywood Prayer Network

A Chance to Praise Films I Love

I wrote the chapters on a few of my favorite films: Places in the Heart, Groundhog Day, Unforgiven, A Serious Man, WALL•E, and 12 Years A Slave.

A Community of Film Scholars

God in the Movies is a cooperative work from our community of Christian film-lovers associated with Fuller Theological Seminary

Meaning, Not Just Messages

We choose 40 films that have great artistic worth as well as resonance with the Christian faith. Some of them are challenging, but all are worthwhile.

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