Church Movie Night- Ideas for Discussion

[princesa]

I was going to put this in Christianity but anyone is welcome to respond.

I notice many churches have movie night with films that are completely unrelated to faith or have any ethics/morality theme. It's a nice community social gathering and I have no complaints, but i think (it's church after all) that should at times be supplemented with other types of movies dealing with God. I was told I could host a movie event if I wanted and I would like to take them up on that offer but I've never done this sort of thing before.

I have some movies in mind already but I'm interested in how to begin the discussion afterwards.

Should I make flyers with a few topics we can talk about and hand them out in the beginning or just sort of wing it afterwards and open the floor to anyone who wants to comment on the movie.

Has anyone hosted an event like this that can give pointers or have you been in an event such as this and can offer some suggestions?

I'm really interested in having a discussion on theology and I need a movie to do that. My husband suggested a book club might be a good idea too but one step at a time.

There is a movie about a priest who is an atheist and I was going to tell my priest all about it and invite him personally but I changed my mind :) because then the whole purpose would have shifted.



thanks

[Cow Poke]

[princesa]

yes, this question!


i mean, yes oh nice CP

[Dracula Girl]

Dracula. It has faith, prayer, the contrast of morality and perversion, the opportunity to discuss immortality (and as Christians, we know we have immortal souls and eternal life through Christ, not anything or anyone else in this world).

Evan Almighty. Faith, submitting to God, power of prayer, God's plan for our lives plus providence and are there really any coincidences?

Signs. This was so cool because the signs are from God and his providence and direction. Also, I think the priest was starting to loose his faith if I remember correctly at the beginning, but this so was not the care as the end.

The Apostle was very good, but it has been a while since I saw it.

What Dreams May Come was good but shows more of a Buddhist view if I remember correctly from what I was told it resembled, none-the-less, it may open up some discussions on what the afterlife is like.

My copy was a used, corrupted copy, so I have not seen it, but I am intrigued with the movie The Cardinal. "Storyline: Stephen Fermoyle has grown up in Boston at the turn of the twentieth century knowing that his destiny lies with the Catholic priesthood. Finally finishing his studies in Rome, he returns to America full of certitude and ambition to one day join the College of Cardinals. But his road to that office is a long one, paved with crises. In Boston, he must decide whether to save the life of his sister or her unborn child, conceived out of wedlock. In Austria, he confronts the question of whether to remain with the priesthood or abandon his oath so that he can be with the woman he loves. In Georgia, he contends with Rome's indifference in the face of racial bigotry. And in Austria, he finds himself personally involved in the church's dealings with the Third Reich. " http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056907/

With Rent, you can get into issues of morality, love, and how we relate to sinners (not that we aren't all, but hopefully you know what I mean), but this does contain moderately adult themes at times.

Ok, I'm running out of ideas.

You could also go for more traditional Christian movies, such as The Prince of Egypt, Veggie Tales, or the movie where we find out the Moses looked like Charleston Heston.

[Xmansmommy]

Hey Princesa,

I think it's difficult to find movies with faith based themes because there are few people interested in them (producing and watching) for the most part. I haven't yet been able to go see Courageous but it looks like a great movie.

Have you seen The Adjustment Bureau? It has a theme that is not strictly about God but it deals with the issue of freewill in a way that I think is brilliant. You could use it as a springboard to a faith discussion.

I wish you all the best in finding interesting and challenging ways to pique the interest of your group and yourself.

[Cow Poke]

Fireproof

[Manwë Súlimo]

The Lord of the Rings.

[Dracula Girl]

Narnia movies.

[Soyeong]

St. John in Exile is a pretty good one man performance.

[Manwë Súlimo]

The DaVinci Code

[Cow Poke]

The DaVinci Code

You forgot the sarcasm tags

[Thersites]

Don't limit yourself to overtly Christian stuff; I know a (VERY conservative) priest who would regularly host movie nights, and though the films weren't always obvious in their connection to Christianity, this priest was very knowledgeable and very good at bringing out the meaning of the film.

The first film that comes to mind from him is Make Way for Tomorrow. It's a very beautiful film about the self-sacrificing love of a particular elderly couple, especially regarding their children. I almost cried at the end... almost

These next few films weren't from this priest, but I personally enjoyed them and would highly recommend them:

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. Themes about trust and the value of material goods.

On the Waterfront. It's largely about personal courage in the face of corruption. It also has Karl Malden as a Catholic priest, if that helps.

The Ox-Bow Incident. A local rancher is murdered, and the town believes they have found the culprits. The central dilemma is whether they will themselves hang these suspects or whether they will wait for the sheriff to arrive and formally arrest them.

Yes, these are all black-and-white, but they are excellent films. None is really directly related to theology, I guess, but is there any particular aspect of theology you'd like to discuss?

As for your idea to try to guide discussion with handouts, I'd say that some films might demand more context in bible quotes or excerpts from other relevant sources, while some can prompt discussion without a lot of help. In any case, make sure you have some idea what you'd like to discuss.

[princesa]

Don't limit yourself to overtly Christian stuff; I know a (VERY conservative) priest who would regularly host movie nights, and though the films weren't always obvious in their connection to Christianity, this priest was very knowledgeable and very good at bringing out the meaning of the film.

The first film that comes to mind from him is Make Way for Tomorrow. It's a very beautiful film about the self-sacrificing love of a particular elderly couple, especially regarding their children. I almost cried at the end... almost

These next few films weren't from this priest, but I personally enjoyed them and would highly recommend them:

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. Themes about trust and the value of material goods.

On the Waterfront. It's largely about personal courage in the face of corruption. It also has Karl Malden as a Catholic priest, if that helps.

The Ox-Bow Incident. A local rancher is murdered, and the town believes they have found the culprits. The central dilemma is whether they will themselves hang these suspects or whether they will wait for the sheriff to arrive and formally arrest them.

Yes, these are all black-and-white, but they are excellent films. None is really directly related to theology, I guess, but is there any particular aspect of theology you'd like to discuss?

As for your idea to try to guide discussion with handouts, I'd say that some films might demand more context in bible quotes or excerpts from other relevant sources, while some can prompt discussion without a lot of help. In any case, make sure you have some idea what you'd like to discuss.

thanks everyone for your movie suggestions (I appreciate it!) but i was looking more for some thought provoking questions that I could ask. I guess I have some already based on the movie i had in mind (on corrie ten boom)but just thought some might have ideas on how to engage in the convo...flyers, wing it, ask if anyone has any comments on the movie, etc...

[Xmansmommy]

I would simply let the Spirit lead. A movie with that kind of emotive potential will certainly engender questions and conversation. Let it flow and see where the Spirit takes you. You can always have some questions handy to spark conversation but I highly doubt you'll need it in this situation.

[Soyeong]

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. Themes about trust and the value of material goods.

Remember when a filibuster was seen as a good thing?