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June 14th, 2013
04:05 PM ET
Superman: Flying to a church near youBy Eric Marrapodi, Co-Editor CNN Belief Blog Baltimore, Maryland (CNN) - As the new Superman movie takes flight this weekend, filmmakers are hoping the Man of Steel lands not only in theaters, but also in pulpits. Warner Bros. Studios is aggressively marketing "Man of Steel" to Christian pastors, inviting them to early screenings, creating Father’s Day discussion guides and producing special film trailers that focus on the faith-friendly angles of the movie. The movie studio even asked a theologian to provide sermon notes for pastors who want to preach about Superman on Sunday. Titled “Jesus: The Original Superhero,” the notes run nine pages. “How might the story of Superman awaken our passion for the greatest hero who ever lived and died and rose again?” the sermon notes ask. (Disclaimer: CNN, like Warner Bros., is owned by Time Warner.) Similar campaigns to corral the country's large number of Christians into the movie theater have been used for "Les Miserables," "Soul Surfer" and "The Blind Side," all of which had at least some faith angle. Baltimore pastor Quentin Scott is among dozens of ministers who received an e-mail invitation from Grace Hill Media, a Hollywood-based Christian marketing firm, to an early screening of “Man of Steel.” “There was an actual push to say `We’re putting out something that speaks to your group,' ” said Scott, one of the pastors of Shiloh Christian Community Church in Baltimore. At first, Scott said, he didn’t buy the religious pitch. Then he decided to attend a free midweek screening in Baltimore. “When I sat and listened to the movie I actually saw it was the story of Christ, and the love of God was weaved into the story," said the pastor. "It was something I was very excited about that with the consultation of our senior pastor, we could use in our congregation.” CNN Entertainment: 'Man of Steel' director Zack Snyder on Superman's Christ-like parallels Grace Hill’s sermon notes are specially designed for churches like Shiloh that integrate multimedia into their services. “Let’s take a look at the trailer for `Man of Steel,’” the notes suggest after briefly introducing the movie’s history and themes. The man behind the notes, Pepperdine University professor Craig Detweiler, has prepared similar material for films like 2009’s "The Blind Side" and "The Book of Eli" from 2010. The spiritual themes in “Man of Steel” are abundant, Detweiler said, and his notes enable Christians to thoughtfully engage with pop culture instead of shunning it. “All too often, religious communities have been defined by what they're against. With a movie like `Man of Steel,’ this is a chance to celebrate a movie that affirms faith, sacrifice and service,” Detweiler said. It will be hard for even casual Christians to miss the messianic metaphors in "Man of Steel.” The movie focuses on the origins of Superman, who was sent from the planet Krypton as an infant to save his species. He is raised by surrogate parents who help him grapple with his special powers, even though they don’t fully understand the source of his extraordinary abilities. When he turns 33, Superman must willingly sacrifice himself to save the human race. Sound familiar? If that’s not enough, as a boy Clark Kent is shown wrestling with his superpowers, and asks his earthly dad, Jonathan Kent, “Did God do this to me?” “Somewhere out there you have another father and he sent you here for a reason,” says Jonathan Kent. Even the visuals hammer home the messianic motifs. During a fight with his archenemy, General Zod, Superman plunges down to Earth, his arms outstretched as if he were being crucified. Of course, he rises again. Detweiler writes in the sermon notes, “What Jesus and Superman both give us, through their `hero’ actions but also their `human’ actions – is hope.” “I think it’s a very good thing that Hollywood is paying attention to the Christian marketplace,” said Ted Baehr, who runs Movieguide, a website that reviews family friendly films from a Christian perspective. “Where it gets sticky is when they try to manipulate the market and when Christians try to manipulate Hollywood. But here I think we have the right balance.” But other Christians are heaving a supersized sigh at the movie marketing. "Any pastor who thinks using `Man of Steel Ministry Resources' is a good Sunday morning strategy must have no concept of how high the stakes are, or very little confidence in the power of God’s word and God’s spirit," writes P.J. Wenzel, a deacon and Sunday School teacher at Dublin Baptist Church in Ohio. "As they entertain their congregants with material pumped out from Hollywood’s sewers, lives are kept in bondage, and people’s souls are neglected," according to Wenzel, who said he was e-mailed information about the movie. Scott, the Baltimore pastor, said he knows that Warner Bros. Studios has a financial incentive in pushing the film to pastors. But he said that’s fine with him. “They’re using us but in fact we’re using them,” he said. His church won't show clips from the movie this weekend because it had already planned out its service. But he plans to use them later, during meetings with the church’s men’s group. “If you give me another opportunity to talk to someone about Jesus Christ, and I can do that because of your movie, that’s a win for me, because it is about spreading the Gospel.” CNN's Erin McPike contributed to this report. soundoff (6,545 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 Next »
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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I couldn't put my finger on why I didn't want to see this movie.
Thanks, CNN.
Fuax News is having a field day with it.
I knew as soon as I saw the headline that there would be an outpouring of hatred by the anti-Christian core of CNN readers and I'm never surprised by it at any mention of anything greater than themselves.
You knew that as soon as you saw the headline, eh? Why, you must be psychic! That makes you WAY greater than me! I bow down in awe at your perception and insight, O great one. May I kiss the hem of your garment?
Greater? Like terribly tragic "acts of god"?
plenty of insects head for light and zzzzzaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaappppppppppppppp
bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
"Anti-Christian"? You do know 2/3 of the world are not Christian right? Most of the world is anti-Christian, you are the minority.
Wow. You have a persecution complex, don't you kenman. You poor thing. Too bad no one taught you that disagreement is not persecution. Pretending that they are the same just makes you look like a big wimp.
New stories often use themes from popular stories that came before. There are biblical themes in many stories. The bible used many prior themes, the great flood, virgin birth, resurrection, etc.
Funny how it missed out cell phones and modern languages. Seems like "god's plan" got frozen in the "bronze age".
But then what sort of god has to wait a day for the fog to clear, and only can then kill an army by getting them to drown themselves.
Superman is way better then Zombie Jesus....
Well, this at least piqued my interest in the movie. The sacrificial savior motif is a powerful one, and it would take a really good story or theme to convince me to go to a superhero movie.
We've all probably seen ET. And the difference is?
carnal curiosity can kill copykitties.
We are living in the last days of man, expect anything from any where!
Yawn. People like you have been barking the same crap for the past 2000 years.
Yeah yeah......end of the world.......any minute now.........for 2000 years.
Funny, Jesus preached the same thing, and we're still here.
We are effectively slowly dying, from the day we are born. So your point is?
The story doesn't mention anything about the endless violence in the last half of the film. What part of that is Christian? That always seems to be overlooked in these discussions.
Are you kidding? The amount of killing and genocide God commits in the Bible puts any gore flick to shame.
Joan,
Haven't you read the Old Testament?
Have you ever picked up a history book?
really?? maybe I'll have to cancel my discount on the bill.
Seriously? You're wondering what part of "endless violence" is NOT Christian? This from the cult of the Big Book o'Horrors, with endless misogyny, slavery, child räpe, and genocide either committed, commanded, or condoned by the Great Invisible Sadist in the Sky and his son, who came to Earth because merely DOING bad things in the Old Testament was enuf to get you personally smitten to death on the spot, but that wasn't terrible enuf, he had to bring you the prospect of being fried alive for eternity for merely THINKING things he didn't like, or failing to fawn all over him your every waking moment? THOSE Christian tenets?
Or maybe you were thinking of the kind, benign perpetrators of the Crusades, the Inquisition, the witch hunts, the pogroms, the Holocaust, the Arawak Genocide, 3 centuries of black slavery? Or the propagation of AIDS in Africa and poverty and misery in South America because of the papal injunction against condoms? THOSE blessings upon humanity?
thats not the message. the bible clearly portrays Jesus , not confronting the Romans, and telling us to turn the cheek. What part of human are you trying to inject into the real message? we allready know mankind is fallen, thus christians are still pretty helpless themselves manner wise. No surprise.
Keep focusing on the message and the cross, and He is risen.
The Holy Spirit is a sanctifying spirit that bears the truth of God's word on a persons heart. now what part of sanctification has to do with other people. ? we all have our own self to manage.
God is not blood thirsty.
from the book of the prophet of God Most High, Peter
2 Peter 3:9 ►
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
for those who claim there is no comparison tween superman and jesus need to do their research the superman character was based on jesus, outlined by the original creators
LOL, from one myth to another!
quote some scriptures from the uncola myths.
But always remember, dear friends: Jesus Saves but Moses Invests.
One is fiction, the other is CRUCI-FICTION.
People are reacting to the marketing ploy of a big corporation. That's funny.
You have the 'S' on your vest, we have the "S"(Savior) in our hearts!
🙂
14 th century medical know-how is better than stone-age. . .a bit.
Yup, right behind the "B".
Leviticus 15:13:
"And when he that hath an issue is cleansed of his issue; then he shall number to himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in RUNNING WATER."
God said to wash the infected flesh in RUNNING WATER. Science didn't discover that until two men named Pasteur and Koch in the late 1800s. Doctors were washing their hands in a bowl of water and spreading the germs like wild fire. It wasn't until the invention of the microscope and the science of bacteriology that doctors started washing under RUNNING WATER. Leviticus was written around 1490 B.C. UNBELIEVERS WERE 3000 YEARS BEHIND! Isn't it embarrassing how unbelievers always lags about 2000 years behind the Bible.
Completely false. Society at large, NOT unbelievers, and that's only if one accepts your absurd premise.
Leviticus 17:11: "For the life of the flesh is in the blood."
That's the most accurate, scientific statement ever written about the blood! It is the blood that carries on all the life processes of the body. It is the blood that causes growth, builds new cells, grows bone and flesh, stores fat, makes hair and nails. It is the blood that feeds and supports all the organs of the body.
Thousands of years later the unbelievers claim, claim, claim God's truth, name it something else and call it their own. LOL
Society at large, H.S., not unbelievers, but feel free to perpetuate an absurd falsehood, it's what you're good at.
And he was clothed with a robe dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
7 Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel
and this blood has been foreshadowed as prophetic. The blood that leads to the prophetic God.
2 Peter 1:19 ►
New International Version (©2011)
We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ
midwest rail, not to worry, you mock our Lord who created all, then you steal His truth, rename it and claim it for yourself stating you got off your duff and did it. LOL
Pound sand, H.S., you're a two bit troll.
HeavenSent,
Leviticus also says (Lev. 20:9) "If there is anyone who curses his father or his mother, he shall surely be put to death”. So what was your point, if any?
Observer, if you respected and paid attention to your parents, you wouldn't be an arrogant putz today with the sins of lust and pride blinding you.
HeavenSent,
Stumped? Not at all unusual for you.
midwest rail, you posted "Pound sand, H.S., you're a two bit troll."
Answer: If you lived your life righteously, the truth wouldn't hurt.
Observer, I'm glad you noticed the delay. With that known, when I wrote I do my best, the other night, I was referring to typing with carpal tunnel.
Why doesn't your Jeebus fix that for ya, honey? After all, you're his head cheerleader!
NO!!!! HOW DARE you compare this stupid made up thing to the beautiful real Faith and Love that is Christ.
This Superman is mean,kills,punches and has abilities that are un-natural for a human.It is all stupid fiction to distract you from the true beaity that is the LORD!
You must be a truly blessed Tsunami or Tornado survivor
Jesus just burns you for eternity if you don't accept him.
Beleife_In_Christ_Amen,
Guess you missed the part in the Bible where God kills all but 8 people on the face of the earth.
Please tell us you didn't reproduce, "Beleife."
What does "Beleife" mean in English?
How DARE we? I dunno. Freedom of speech and a functioning brain, I guess.
But you realize, in saying that they don't have much in common, YOU are doing a comparison of your own, right?
@rabidatheist
Jesus does not burn anyone for eternity. People have a choice to make and it is a free choice (free will). You do not have to work for it. All you do is have to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord. People have it all wrong who think God is the one who is making this choice for everyone. It is a personal choice and the gift of God is free.
@ JJ First, there is no such thing as free will in the bible. Read the Book of Isaiah, it's a long winded tirade by god taking credit for being the AUTHOR of everything, good, and evil. Second, it's not a choice, it's coercion. If I knew you didn't like peas, and I put a gun to your head, and told you to eat them, are you really "choosing" to eat them?
rabid,
There has never been a time when the Christian Church did not believe God gave man free will.
"... he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over to this chariot and join it.’ 30So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ 31He replied, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. 32Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this ..."
And also consider Luke chapter 24. Old Testament scriptures were illumined to the Church by Christ.
Interpretation of the bible with your technique will lead to a variety of conflicting doctrines.
So if you do so, you must consider the manner in which its done in the ancient church.
Jesus and Superman have a lot in common. To begin with neither one is real.
Harry Potter – BAD!
Superman – GOOD!
Muscle magic beats school taught magic apparently, but the really good magic is the one they teach in church.
Not all of Harry's magic is school taught.The reactions that is caused by the core's of his and Voldemorts wands is natural accuring magic,so is Harry's power of love and his mother's sacrifice.
But was that part written bya non-witness, 200 years after his "life"?
I must've missed the part where Jesus starts breaking the necks of his adversaries.
No, he just tortures them for eternity.
Well both Jesus and Superman are Jews... Superman's birth name is Kal-El, There is even a blending of the Moses story and the diaspora story.
Deli Question of the Day: Is bag-el related to Superman?
If Superman is like Jesus/God no one will see it but millions will imagine they can.
Superman fiction is more logical than Noah's ark.