How Do We Find Elements of the Gospel in Movies?
Movies
Audio By Carbonatix
By Britt Mooney, Movies
The Story of the Gospel
At some point, Christianity lost the narrative aspect of the Gospel. The early church began with the Jews but grew across the Roman Empire through the Gentiles, mostly influenced by the Hellenistic culture, a Greek-Roman combo. Greek philosophy still ruled the day and ended up greatly impacting the early church. This led Christianity into more intellectual and theological debate rather than the Gospel narrative.
Doctrine and theology prove important, and the New Testament abounds with such. At the same time, when we read the books we call Gospels, the apostles wrote Jesus’ story. Jesus taught his doctrine in context of his story, and the disciples did the same. In fact, Mark tells us Jesus never taught without a story. We call these parables — fictional tales meant to point to deeper, heavenly truths. Mathew 13:34-35 says, “All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: ‘I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.’” Christ quotes from the “prophet” Asaph of Psalm 78. Jesus didn’t only tell stories, he never taught without one.
Stories can be very simple yet reveal much deeper truths. Think about a short parable, like the one about the lost sheep, and how many hours a preacher can take exploring the truths about God within.
This shouldn’t surprise us. The Old Testament explains the world through story. From a literal Genesis “in the beginning,” to the narrative of how humankind fell, to a redemptive story beginning with Abraham and continuing through epic and minor characters from David to Rahab. The Old Testament expresses truth as well, but always within context of people’s lives and God’s activity within history through people. Of course, Jesus and his disciples would continue this tradition.
As should we. Revelation 12:11 includes our personal transformational stories of how we overcome the evil one. “They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” We need Jesus’ blood for salvation, and his salvation results in living a different life. That’s a story. And our stories give us courage to live courageously, even in the face of death.
How can we take these biblical elements and engage with modern media and movies?
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Comedy vs Tragedy
Only two types of stories exist: a comedy and a tragedy.
We shouldn’t think of a funny movie when we think of comedy. In a comedy, the main character (or characters) believe a lie or encounter a lie of some sort. These characters confront the lie and have the choice to believe a truth. If they choose the truth, then positive change happens, and this is a comedy. In a tragedy, the character rejects the truth and continues with the lie. This leads to negative outcomes.
Therefore, the essential conflict within each story becomes whether a character believes the lie or a truth. For example, Luke Skywalker begins Star Wars: A New Hope believing he’s a poor moisture farmer in the far reaches of space. As crisis enters his life, he encounters the larger war between the rebellion and the empire. Obi Wan Kenobi tells him the truth — your father was a Jedi. Luke faces these truths throughout the movie — there’s a galactic war and he had a Jedi for a father — and he must make choices regarding them. Will he continue believing he’s a simple moisture farmer and nothing more? Or will he believe he can be more?
Jesus declared himself as the truth, embodying God’s Word. In John 14:6, he said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” affirming that truth is not merely a concept but a person — Jesus himself. He came to bear witness to the truth, revealing God’s nature and plan for humanity. In John 18:37, Jesus told Pilate, “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world — to bear witness to the truth.” Through His life, teachings, and sacrifice, Jesus made the truth of God known to the world.
Believing a truth, however, isn’t simply intellectual. It calls us to adventure.
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Call to Adventure
In the classic hero’s journey, a crisis calls the character or characters to a new adventure. The character can’t be forced into this adventure. He or she must choose willingly. Essentially, the call becomes, “There’s a huge problem here, and it needs you to get involved.” The character can accept or reject this call.
The character generally rejects the call first. Then something happens to make it clear the world, others, need him or her. The main character now accepts the call. In choosing the adventure, the hero leaves the old life and enters a new one.
For Luke Skywalker, he rejects Obi Wan’s first proposal after viewing the video where the princess desperately requests help. Kenobi encourages Luke to join him in the quest to save the princess. To get involved.
Luke says, “No.” His excuses abound. He can’t leave his home, the farm. He can’t get involved. He’ll take Obi Wan to the spaceport but nothing else. On the way, he learns the empire has killed his aunt and uncle. Then he accepts the call.
By the way, the problem becomes both universal (the galaxy) and personal (they hurt my loved ones).
Jesus called his disciples to embark on an extraordinary adventure of sharing the gospel and transforming lives. When he called Peter and Andrew, who were fishermen, Jesus said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). This invitation was not just a call to leave their nets but to embrace a new mission — spreading the good news of the kingdom of God. Jesus empowered his disciples to reach out to people, teaching them to share the message of salvation with boldness and compassion.
This mission was an adventure that required faith, courage, and a willingness to step out of their comfort zones. Jesus equipped them with the truth and the Holy Spirit, guiding them to bring others into the fold. The disciples were no longer just catching fish; they were now drawing people into the kingdom, participating in the transformative work of God on Earth. This adventure continues today, as believers are called to be fishers of men, spreading the gospel to all corners of the world.
And yet, joining an adventure means we more directly encounter the enemy.
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Obstacles and Antagonists
The character doesn’t achieve the goal easily. The hero must encounter enemies and obstacles along the way. The character now stands against overwhelming odds, including powerful enemies and seemingly impossible odds. He or she has joined a war. This is serious business.
And yet, these conflicts teach the hero new things, help them develop needed skills, bring them into contact with new allies, a new community.
Luke and Obi Wan meet Han and Chewbacca, smugglers to move them forward. The new community faces an unimaginable weapon, the Death Star. At great risk, they rescue the princess. Luke now accepts a new call, to help do the impossible: destroy the Death Star and save the rebellion.
My mentor used to say, “We come to Christ and think we’ve been invited onto a cruise ship. Then we’re shocked to learn we’ve been recruited onto a battleship, where we serve in a war.”
The Bible teaches that believers are engaged in a spiritual battle against the devil and the forces of evil. Ephesians 6:12 emphasizes that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces of evil. Jesus himself faced temptation directly from the devil in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11), demonstrating the reality of spiritual warfare. He resisted the devil using the Word of God, showing us Scripture is a powerful weapon in this battle.
Jesus also empowered his followers to stand firm against the devil’s schemes, encouraging them to remain vigilant and prayerful. In 1 Peter 5:8-9, believers are urged to be sober-minded and alert, resisting the devil with steadfast faith. This ongoing struggle is not only about defense but also about strengthening our faith. James 1:2-4 teaches that the trials and challenges we face, including spiritual warfare, test our faith, producing perseverance and maturity.
These struggles, while challenging, serve to deepen our reliance on God and build our spiritual resilience. As we fight against the devil’s attacks, our faith grows stronger, enabling us to stand firm in the truth and become more like Christ. The New Testament makes it clear the spiritual war is both a reality and an opportunity for spiritual growth, as we learn to trust God more fully in every battle we face.
We accept the call and the adventure to help others, and in the meantime, we become someone radically different.
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Transformation
Every story is about transformation. Or the lack of it.
The hero becomes aware of a crisis, usually both universal and personal. The crisis reveals a truth and a lie. The difference between the two require a choice. Will he or she believe the truth or continue to live in the lie? Believing the truth and rejecting the lie (they’re the same) means living a different life, answering a call to adventure to deal with the crisis. Along the way, the hero encounters great opposition. However, they grow into a different person and usually discover a new community.
Their lives are completely different and new.
In a tragedy, there’s transformation, too. The character continues to believe the lie and reject the truth, and yet their choice destroys their life. They don’t get to continue to live their old life either way. The crisis now consumes them, and they lose everything. Most villains are tragedies.
After Luke destroys the Death Star, he is a new person. He’s a rebel hero. He gets a medal. He stands with his new “family”: Han, Leia, Chewbacca, the droids, and the Rebellion.
The New Testament emphasizes the transformative power of faith, beginning with being “born again” as Jesus explained to Nicodemus (John 3:3). Being born again signifies a spiritual rebirth, where we move from a life of sin to one rooted in Christ. Rebirth marks the start of a new life, one that is fundamentally different from the old.
In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul declares, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” New life is characterized by a departure from sinful behaviors and a pursuit of righteousness, guided by the Holy Spirit. Believers are no longer slaves to sin but are empowered to live in the freedom and victory that comes from their faith in Jesus.
The New Testament also points to the ultimate transformation that faith brings: the promise of a new heaven and a new earth. Revelation 21:1 describes this final renewal, where God will dwell with His people, wiping away every tear and erasing all suffering. Faith not only changes believers here and now but also assures them of an eternal future in a perfected world.
For this article, I used Star Wars, but any great story across all genres will have elements of these ideas within them. Think about some movies you love and how you can see these Gospel elements in the story and characters.
Peace.
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