__Reel Revelation__ In Into the Dark, respected film expert Craig Detweiler examines forty-five twenty-first-century films that resonate theologically--from The Lord of the Rings trilogy to Little 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 Dark opens 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 Dark takes 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 Christian and Christian 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 for Christianity Today and Relevant

__Craig Detweiler__ (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is professor of communication at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. He previously served as codirector of the Reel Spirituality Institute at Fuller Theological Seminary. Detweiler has written scripts for numerous Hollywood films, and his social documentary, Purple State of Mind (www.purplestateofmind.com), debuted in 2008. He has been featured in the New York Times, on CNN, and on NPR and is the coauthor of A Matrix of Meanings.

In this book, Craig Detweiler examines forty-five films from the twenty-first century that resonate theologically--from the Lord of the Rings trilogy to Little Miss Sunshine--offering groundbreaking insight into their scriptural connections and theological applications.  
  
Detweiler writes with the eye of a filmmaker, leads Hollywood and religion initiatives at Fuller Seminary, and even came to faith through cinema. In this book, he unpacks the "theology of everyday life," exploring the Spirit of God in creation, redemption, and "general revelation" through sometimes unlikely filmmakers. It's the first authoritative book that dissects up-to-date movies selected by the popular Internet Movie Database.   
  
This book is recommended for teachers, students, pastors, film fans, and those interested in the intersection of Christianity and culture.

A Hollywood screenwriter/producer and film professor explores forty-five of the twenty-first century's most popular films as vehicles of common grace.

Preface: A Hornet's Nest  
1\. Methodology: Into the Darko   
Part 1: Identity  
2\. Memento: Duped in Film Noir   
3\. Eternal Sunshine: The Risky Rewards of Romance  
Part 2: Community  
4\. Crashing into the Ensemble Drama: Communities in Crisis  
5\. Talk to Her (and Him and Us): Everyday Ethics  
Part 3: History  
6\. Finding Neverland: Nostalgia and Imagination in History   
7\. Spirited Away by Fantasy: Tending the Garden   
8\. Conclusion: Mnemonic Devices   
Appendix A: Top 250 Movies as Voted by the Internet Movie Database Users   
Appendix B: The IMDb's Top Films of the 21st Century (Jan. 1, 2007)  
Appendix C: The IMDb's Top Films of the 21st Century (Jan. 1, 2008)

Cover Page

Title Page

Copyright Page

Preface: A Hornet’s Nest 

1. Methodology: Into the Darko 

Part 1: Identity 

2. Memento: Duped in Film Noir

3. Eternal Sunshine: The Risky Rewards of Romance

Part 2: Community 

4. Crashing into the Ensemble Drama: Communities in Crisis

5. Talk to Her (and Him and Us): Everyday Ethics

Part 3: History 

6. Finding Neverland: Nostalgia and Imagination in History

7. Spirited Away by Fantasy: Tending the Garden

8. Conclusion: Mnemonic Devices

Appendix A: Top 250 Movies as Voted by IMDb Users  (January 1, 2007)

Appendix B: The IMDb’s Top Films of the 21st Century  (January 1, 2007) 

Appendix C: The IMDb’s Top Films of the 21st Century  (April 15, 2008) 

Notes

Movies Cited

Detweiler, Craig

In this book, Craig Detweiler examines forty-five films from the twenty-first century that resonate theologically--from theLord of the Ringstrilogy toLittle Miss Sunshine--offering groundbreaking insight into their scriptural connections and theological applications.  
  
Detweiler writes with the eye of a filmmaker, leads Hollywood and religion initiatives at Fuller Seminary, and even came to faith through cinema. In this book, he unpacks the"theology of everyday life," exploring the Spirit of God in creation, redemption, and"general revelation" through sometimes unlikely filmmakers. It's the first authoritative book that dissects up-to-date movies selected by the popular Internet Movie Database.  
  
This book is recommended for teachers, students, pastors, film fans, and those interested in the intersection of Christianity and culture.

In this book, Craig Detweiler examines forty-five films from the twenty-first century that resonate theologically--from The Lord of the Rings trilogy to Little Miss Sunshine--offering groundbreaking insight into their scriptural connections and theological applications. Detweiler writes with the eye of a filmmaker, leads Hollywood and religion initiatives at Fuller Seminary, and even came to faith through cinema. In this book, he unpacks the "theology of everyday life," exploring the Spirit of God in creation, redemption, and "general revelation" through sometimes unlikely filmmakers. It's the first authoritative book that dissects up-to-date movies selected by the popular Internet Movie Database. This book is recommended for teachers, students, pastors, film fans, and those interested in the intersection of Christianity and culture.

Craig Detweiler (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is codirector of the Reel Spirituality Institute and associate professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary. He has written scripts for numerous Hollywood films, and his social documentary, Purple State of Mind (www.purplestateofmind.com), debuted in 2008. He has been featured in the New York Times, on CNN, and on NPR and is the coauthor of A Matrix of Meanings.

Into the Dark (Cultural Exegesis) [eBook]

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