Into the Dark: Seeing the Sacred in the Top Films of the 21st Century (Cultural Exegesis)
Reel RevelationInInto the Dark, respected film expert Craig Detweiler examines forty-five twenty-first-century films that resonate theologically--from The Lord of the Rings trilogy toLittle Miss Sunshine--offering groundbreaking insight into their scriptural connections and theological applications. Detweiler uses the IMDb, the wildly popular Internet Movie Database, to select today's most influential contemporary films. He dissects the theology of everyday life, exploring the work of the Spirit of God in creation and redemption to discuss "general revelation" through cinema and sometimes unlikely filmmakers.Into the Darkopens up lively discussion topics, including anthropology, the problem of evil, sin, interconnectivity, postmodern relationships, ethics, fantasy, and communities in crisis."Craig Detweiler is right when he says that film is a source of divine revelation.Into the Darktakes readers on a journey to discover how God is helping us understand our true identity, community, and divine history within popular culture. No Christian scholar, student, or film buff should be without this book."--David Bruce, webmaster, Hollywood Jesus"Soak a brain in billions of digital bytes of filmic splendor and an equal amount of dynamic theology, awaken it to the 'sudden and miraculous grace' available at the intersection of faith and film, and you've got Craig Detweiler's tour de force. A brilliant, timely, and useful piece of work from the only brain that could have produced it!"--Dick Staub, author,The Culturally Savvy ChristianandChristian Wisdom of the Jedi Masters, and host of The Kindling's Muse"Craig Detweiler provides a refreshingly open-minded engagement with Hollywood, insisting on an integrative approach to general revelation wherein the cinematic 'good, true, and beautiful' are broadly defined and broadly discovered. It is uncommon to hear Christians speak of mass entertainment as 'a form of Mass, a common grace,' as Detweiler does, but such a perspective is sorely needed and appropriately provocative."--Brett McCracken, film critic forChristianity TodayandRelevant