Cultivating the Christian Imagination

How does the fillmaker(s) use the allusions to the Christian faith?

Editor's Note: This is the second post in a series on John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, "Before There Was George Lucas or J.R.R. Tolkien - There was John Bunyan." Read the first post here. I remember we used to only have three sources for the evening news: ABC, CBS, or NBC. Contrast that with our present day. There is One News Now, MSNBC, CNN, and a plethora of outlets where one can “catch the latest.” And that is not to mention the multitude of news apps accessible on our di

Editor's Note: This is the first post in a series on John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. In a time when few could afford to go to the theatre, except the Lords and Ladies of the upper-crust, John Bunyan sat languishing in Bedford Gaol. It was 1678. He was about to pen one of the greatest stories ever told. And it all began with a dream—and with Bunyan’s imagination. His story opens with a Pilgrim named Christian who is on a journey—from the City of Destruction to the Celestial

Editor's Note: This is the fourth post in a series of posts titled, "The Image of God in the Drama of God." Don't forget to read the first and second and third installments! In the last post, we looked at the way the present world points us to a spiritual reality. Our present world is a shadow that is passing by. To shift the metaphor, our world is also a stage and we are players on it. But many of us don’t realize we are players in a much larger drama: a cosmic drama, and we

Nathan’s rebuke of David in 2 Samuel 12 has always intrigued me, especially as a storyteller. Here’s the context: David has committed adultery with Bathsheba and covered it up by ordaining her husband’s death. In one corner is the Prophet Nathan and in the other King David. Nathan must hold David responsible for his sin. Nathan’s weapon of choice: the story. Here's how God's Word says it took place. Nathan's Story There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the oth

I was not much of a reader through my youth and much of my teen years. I have tried to make up for it since age 16, however, even if I had been a reader, I probably would not have read the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I had heard of them and I knew that they had been made into a television show, but the show did not sound interesting to me in my youth, so I would have assumed the books would not have been enjoyable either. I recently read through the series o

There is much talk these days about raising little girls to think of themselves as more than objects of beauty. I recently stumbled across a Facebook Meme that read something along the lines of “Instead of calling your little girls beautiful, call them smart, strong, creative, resourceful…etc.” It contained a lengthy list of attributes that just about anyone I know would love to have describe them! This statement was one of many in our culture today promoting a blurring of ge

Do you like VeggieTales? I sure do. And so do my kids. It may be a toss up who enjoys their stories more.... But there is one of their films that stands out to me: a silly, Lord of the Rings spoof called “Lord of the Beans.” The story begins with Toto Baggypants receiving a “bean of power” that can grant wishes. It is an awesome gift, to be sure, but Toto is perplexed. The bean is inscribed with the cautioning words: “use wisely.” Randolf, Toto's wise mentor, gives him t

Editor's Note: This post was originally featured by Desiring God, a ministry of John Piper, and can also be found at Marian's website. “I’m just glad she’s reading,” your mom says while you sneak off to your room after dinner with dessert: the latest pop fiction novel all your friends are reading. Mom thinks it’s great that you’re enjoying literature. And it is great. Mostly. Your parents assume any book you’re ingesting is better than hours in front of a screen. But they may

Editor's Note: This is the second post in a series of posts titled, "The Image of God in the Drama of God." If you haven't read the first post, read it now: "Dying to Tell Your Story: Anyone Willing to Listen?" I left off last discussion with the need we have to tell our stories, and, more importantly, with the encouragement to let others tell their stories. I joined a friend on his podcast last week to talk about storytelling. He asked me a great question: How do we get bet