Why Jesus @ the Movies?

A few people have been asking me, mostly Christians, what's with this Jesus @ the movies? What is the series about? Aren't you on about what the Bible says about Jesus and stuff?

They are being kind and polite but I think they are really asking, 'What does Hollywood have to do with Jesus?'

Good question.

At the City Bible Forum, we love to ask the bigger questions. One of our questions is, what is the culture of our city? What are the hopes and dreams of our culture? In other words, what do those in Brisbane want and long for?

So how do you go about understanding this thing called a culture? A key way is by listening to the stories that a culture or city tells about itself and listens to. In our global entertainment oriented culture in Australia, the stories that Hollywood tells are a huge part of what creates our cultural identity. The most successful films are those that tell us stories about what it means to be human and the longings of the human heart. Films reflect back to us our culture's hopes and dreams.

And so in our series Jesus at the Movies, we look at films and the stories that they tell us about what it means to human. This is a great thing to do as it helps us understand what matters to us in Brisbane and our western world. But we don't just leave it there.

Christianity tells another story, a true story, with Jesus at the centre. This true story speaks into the stories of our culture. The story of Jesus critiques the premise of some stories. In others it shows how the story's answer is on the right track but does not go far enough. Other times the story of our culture and the gospel of Jesus might align in a surprisingly deep way. In our series we aim to show how Jesus is the ultimate answer to the stories of our culture.

So, what are the hopes and dreams of those around us, in our city of Brisbane? What stories show these hopes and dreams? And, for you, what are your hopes and dreams? What stories resonate with you?

And, crucially, have you ever considered if Jesus might be the greatest answer to all those stories, all those hopes and dreams?