I believe it’s important to recognize different forms of art, not just for looking pretty or for personal enjoyment, but to recognize, and not only recognize, but to begin to look for biblical themes woven within the stories that essentially non-believing filmmakers tell on a weekly basis through releases. Nowadays, you have so many digital platforms and theaters that are releasing movies, and a lot of the time, whether a filmmaker tries or not, there are strong theological elements to their stories. Here’s an example: In 2016, a movie was released by the name of Arrival. This incredibly well-made sci-fi film touches on so many themes: the life-and-death power of our words, the importance of building a community around you, and the cost of love. While I don’t want to get into any spoilers if you haven’t seen it, I will say that it’s an extremely powerful example of what God did for us through Jesus so that we might know His grace and peace, even though God knew it would cost Jesus His life. Although the movie is science fiction, the gospel takeaway is that even while knowing what was ahead of Him, Jesus said yes to the cross. That’s just one example, but again, it goes back to recognizing truth in the stories we tell, and I think it’s incredibly important for leaders and the faith community to maintain a sense of relevance by recognizing theology within movies.