Four-part series Movies are a significant place of common ground for all people. But, how do we learn to ‘read a movie’ through the eyes of faith? One method I’ve developed is the acronym B.M.I.C.- beauty, metaphors, idolatry and common grace. The second category, metaphors, is a bit tricky.

Religious folk can start reading all kinds of things into films that the filmmakers never intended to put there. But, can “The Lord of the Rings” be a parable about the church? I think so.

It can also be a metaphor about our treatment of the environment (something Tolkien and the actors in the movies both identified as important pieces of symbolism to them.

Can “Spiderman 2” give us a Christ figure? I think that was quite intentional on their part. And certainly many metaphors about faith and the relationship of good and evil have been identified in the “Star Wars” movies.

Can you think of a good, useful metaphor in a recent film?

The following article appeared in a recent edition of the Stillwater (Oklahoma) News Press and was written by Jonothan Dorst, Senior Pastor of Grace Church (PCA)

[Editor’s note: the original URL (link) referenced in this article is no longer valid, so the link has been removed.]