Because Good Movie Clips For Church Use Are Hard To Find...
Many are the times when pastors want to use movie clips to illustrate a message. Few are the "church-friendly" movie clips that can be found. There always seems to be controversy as to whether or not to use an R-rated film clip in church. The flip side of that coin is that there aren't many G or PG film clips that adequately engage adults during a sermon or class. My personal feeling on the matter is this: God can use any movie for his redeeming purposes. With that said, here are some movies that I've found to be redemptive, uplifting, challenging, and thought-provoking. Enjoy.
*Summaries courtesy of IMDB.com and this blog's author, Scott Nellis
Gran Torino (2008)
Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) is a widower who holds onto his prejudices despite the changes in his Michigan neighborhood and the world around him. Kowalski is a grumpy, tough, unhappy old man, who can't get along with either his kids or his neighbors. When his neighbor Thao, a young Hmong teenager under pressure from his gang member cousin, tries to steal his Gran Torino, Kowalski sets out to reform the youth. Drawn against his will into the life of Thao's family, Kowalski is soon taking steps to protect them from the gangs that infest their neighborhood.
Scott's Note: Gritty and real, Gran Torino is a great story of prejudice, redemption, and sacrifice.
Scott's Note: Gritty and real, Gran Torino is a great story of prejudice, redemption, and sacrifice.
28 Days (2000)
After getting into a car accident while drunk on the day of her sister's wedding, Gwen Cummings (Sandra Bullock) is given a choice between prison or a rehab center. She chooses rehab, but is extremely resistant to taking part in any of the treatment programs they have to offer, refusing to admit that she has an alcohol addiction. After getting to know some of the other patients, Gwen gradually begins to re-examine her life and see that she does, in fact, have a serious problem. The path to recovery will not be easy, and success will not be guaranteed or even likely, but she is now willing to give it a try.
Scott's Note: 28 Days is a great film about one person's redemption, and the hard choices that accompany turning one's life around.
Scott's Note: 28 Days is a great film about one person's redemption, and the hard choices that accompany turning one's life around.
The Second Chance (2006)
Ethan Jenkins (Michael W. Smith) and Jake Sanders (introducing Jeff Obafemi Carr) are both passionate pastors who worship the same God from the same book—but that's where the similarity ends. Caucasian, well-to-do Ethan is comfortable in his music ministry at the media-savvy suburban mega-church, The Rock; Jake is a street-smart African-American who ministers to the gang members, teen mothers, and drug addicts of the urban Second Chance. When they are suddenly thrown together in a tough neighborhood and forced to work side by side, Ethan discovers there is no boundary between the streets and the sanctuary. But can the faith these two men share overcome the prejudices that divide them to give themselves and a struggling urban church a second chance?
Scott's Note: What makes The Second Chance an intriguing film is that it's one of very few films about the work of ministry. This film shows the rarely-talked-about differences between inner-city ministry and wealthy, mega-church-style ministry.
Mask (1985)
Rusty Dennis (Cher) is the mother of Rocky (Eric Stoltz), a seriously deformed but extremely intelligent and emotionally warm child. Rusty is a no-nonsense mother whose wild lifestyle is often at odds with her tenderness and protectiveness towards Rocky. She is determined that Rocky be given the same chances and happiness that everyone else takes for granted.
Scott's Note: Mask is a touching film that really allows the viewer to examine the way they look at those who are "different," whether they're deformed, retarded, etc. It's a rare film that challenges the viewer to look at a person's heart rather than their appearance. Mask succeeds on every level.
Facing The Giants (2006)
An action-packed drama about a Christian high school football coach who uses his undying faith to battle the giants of fear and failure. In six years of coaching, Grant Taylor (Alex Kendrick) has never led his Shiloh Eagles to a winning season. After learning that he and his wife Brooke face infertility, Grant discovers that a group of fathers are secretly organizing to have him dismissed as head coach. Devastated by his circumstances, he cries out to God in desperation. When Grant receives a message from an unexpected visitor, he searches for a stronger purpose for his football team. He dares to challenge his players to believe God for the impossible on and off the field. When faced with unbelievable odds, the Eagles must step up to their greatest test of strength and courage. What transpires is a dynamic story of the fight between faith and fear.
Scott's Note: Facing The Giants is a solid story about believing in God when it's really hard to believe in God. It's also a really good movie about high-school football.
Signs (2002)
In Bucks County, Pennsylvania, a five-hundred-foot crop circle is found on the farm of Graham Hess (Mel Gibson), the town's reverend. The circles cause a media frenzy and test Hess's faith as he journeys to find out the truth behind the crop circles.
Scott's Note: M. Night Shyamalan's Signs works on multiple levels. It's genuinely tense and has some very frightening moments. It has a personal appeal in that it shows the struggles of a single father raising a young family. It deals with the loss of a spouse and also the loss of a personal faith. All of these issues then collide in a heart-pounding finale.
Saved! (2004)
Mary is a good Christian girl who goes to a good Christian high school where she has good Christian friends, mainly Hilary Faye, and a perfect Christian boyfriend, Dean. Her life seems perfect, until the day that she finds out that Dean may be gay. After "seeing" a vision of Jesus in a pool, she does everything in her power to help him turn straight, including offering up her virginity. But none of it helps because Dean's caught and sent to a "degayification" center and Mary ends up pregnant. It's during her time of need that she becomes real friends with the school's set of "misfits," including Cassandra, the school's only Jewish girl; Roland, Hilary Faye's wheelchair-bound brother, and Patrick, the skateboarder son of the school's principal, Pastor Skip; whilst Hilary Faye turns her into a social outcast.
Scott's Note: Okay, so it's irreverent. The thing that makes Saved! work is that it satirically shows the hypocrisy that many Christians harbor. It also shows how a little love and acceptance can be more of a "witness" than any over-zealous attempt to convert a lost soul.
The Body (2001)
In modern-day Jerusalem, an ancient skeleton has been discovered in a rich man's tomb. Colouration of the wrist and leg bones indicates the cause of death was crucifixion. Also, other signs—including a gold coin bearing the marks of Pontius Pilate and faint markings around the skull—lead authorities to suspect that these could be the bones of Christ. Upon hearing this news, the Vatican sends a young priest (Antonio Banderas) to the site because he has previous investigative experience. He works with a spiritually-skeptical archaeologist (Olivia Williams) to examine all the evidence and determine a conclusion. Their identities and beliefs are threatened as politicians, clerics, and religious extremists all try to stop their investigation of the truth.
Scott's Note: A great, underrated, often-overlooked movie, The Body brings together investigative procedures, cultural and political turmoil, and how one deals with a crisis of faith. It's simply a well made film. It will appeal to those looking for an intelligent story of what it means to have 'faith' in something in the face of staggering opposition.
In modern-day Jerusalem, an ancient skeleton has been discovered in a rich man's tomb. Colouration of the wrist and leg bones indicates the cause of death was crucifixion. Also, other signs—including a gold coin bearing the marks of Pontius Pilate and faint markings around the skull—lead authorities to suspect that these could be the bones of Christ. Upon hearing this news, the Vatican sends a young priest (Antonio Banderas) to the site because he has previous investigative experience. He works with a spiritually-skeptical archaeologist (Olivia Williams) to examine all the evidence and determine a conclusion. Their identities and beliefs are threatened as politicians, clerics, and religious extremists all try to stop their investigation of the truth.
Scott's Note: A great, underrated, often-overlooked movie, The Body brings together investigative procedures, cultural and political turmoil, and how one deals with a crisis of faith. It's simply a well made film. It will appeal to those looking for an intelligent story of what it means to have 'faith' in something in the face of staggering opposition.
MORE TO COME...
