resource center news

Resource Center News

By Chris Wolf, Associate for Resource Center and Christian Formation

Have you ever heard someone talk about their “spiritual life” as though it were something separate from the “real world?” I believe that our joy as Christians is to integrate these two “worlds.” If we live in two different worlds, aren’t we then schizophrenic? Glimpses of God’s grace and God’s realm are all around us if we have on our theological lenses in order to be able to see!!!!!

There are a variety of resources trying to help us “think theologically” as we journey through life, helping us to ask the question: where is God in all of this?

A great place to begin doing this is at the movies. Here are a couple of resources that you might want to check out.

Praying the Movies: We have volumes 1 and 2. The author has put together a collection of 31 devotions in each book that connect movies with the spiritual life of moviegoers. Each devotional contains passages from Scripture, an introduction to a scene from a popular film, a description of the scene, and a meditation on the themes in the scene and Scripture.

Have you seen “The Lord of the Rings” movies? The Gospel According to Tolkien: Visions of the Kingdom in Middle-Earth looks at the major doctrines of the Christian faith as the template for reading/seeing Tolkien. In the introduction, the author says that this book is not a scholarIy study, but a theological meditation.

Have you seen the Harry Potter movies or read any of the books? In The Gospel According To Harry Potter: Spirituality in The Stories of The World’s Most Famous Seeker, the author explores J.K. Rowling’s created world of magic and mystery. She finds more than fifty “Potteran” themes that can be seen as glimmers of the Christian Gospel.

If you love the Cat in the Hat, check out The GospeI According to Dr. Seuss. The author finds parallels between the actions of cats in hats, Grinches, Snitches, Sneetches, and other “creadhas” and Iessons found in Scripture. Each reflection begins with a biblical passage and features lines from the original Dr. Seuss book.

Where have you seen glimpses of God’s grace?