Sometimes, it’s helpful to divide modern movies into two categories: faith-based and secular. Doing so, though, has one major downside: It can prevent us from seeing the truth – and perhaps even the gospel – in secular films.
J.R.R. Tolkien, creator of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, seemed to encourage readers to look for truth in all forms of media when he wrote: “Inevitably the myths woven by us, though they contain error, will also reflect a splintered fragment of the true light.”
“Our myths may be misguided, but they steer however shakily towards the true harbor…” Tolkien added.
This doesn’t mean that every Hollywood film displays truth equally. Some films are trash – and downright abysmal. But it does mean we should view movies critically, always searching for elements of Scripture that Hollywood may have borrowed, knowingly or unknowingly.
Continue to the movies
