Religion at the 2023 Academy Awards

When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its nominations for the 95th Academy Awards in January, contenders included several movies with religion angles and numerous actors with faith backgrounds.

A short list for the ceremony, to be held March 12, 2023, includes the eco-spiritual themes of Avatar: The Way of Water, revivalist roots in the Elvis biopic starring Austin Butler and Tom Hanks, themes of “faith and fatness” in The Whale with Brendan Fraser, the Bible Belt cultural cues that are felt but never fully seen in To Leslie’s melancholic storyline, and confessions and questions of whether God cares about miniature donkeys in The Banshees of Inisherin.

That’s not even to mention Stranger at the Gate. Directed by Joshua Seftel, the film is about an Afghan refugee named Bibi Bahrami and the members of her Indiana mosque, who come face to face with a U.S. Marine who has secret plans to bomb their community center. That’s when the Marine's plan takes an unexpected turn. The moving real-life story is considered a favorite in the best documentary short film category.

Beyond awards season, 2023 has a slew of new religion-related releases sure to catch audiences’ attention.

It’s safe to say that if you head to the movies – or catch the Academy Awards ceremony – this year, you’re likely to run into religion. But what might we learn about religion and culture from this year’s many intersections between faith and film?

The Theme is Religion, James Bond Religion

When you think of James Bond, you probably don’t reckon with whether or not the super spy is religious or if spirituality plays a major role in his action-filled escapades.

But if you look for it, religion is everywhere in James Bond:

• In the novel You Only Live Twice, Ian Fleming casts James Bond in the role of a savior, prophesied by Shinto priests and embodying the saintly personage of the Catholic, dragon-slaying hero St. George.

• Live and Let Die — both the book and movie — heavily feature vodou and obeah, with a 007-emblazoned, customized tarot card deck specifically designed for the film.

• There is a “priest hole” and chapel on Bond’s family Scotland estate in the movie “Skyfall” (2012).

• Bond battles with a man dressed as a Nio guardian statue in the film, “The Man with the Golden Gun” and traipses through Cairo, Egypt’s Ibn Talun mosque in “The Spy Who Loved Me.”

• In 2015’s “Spectre,” Bond replies to his love interest Dr. Madeleine Swann's question, "Why does a man choose the life of an assassin?" with, "Well, it was that or the priesthood."

The list could go on, but suffice it to say: James Bond has a long and complicated relationship with religion.

On the occasion of the 60th-anniversary of the world premiere of the first James Bond film Dr. No in 1962 (October 5, 2022), I take a look at religion in the Bond universe and consider what we might have to learn about religion — and the world-famous super spy — in the process.

Jesus Christ, Movie Star?

Think religion doesn’t matter at the movies? Think again. More specifically, think of the kerfuffle over the Church of England’s “Lord’s Prayer Commercial” and some of the UK’s biggest cinema chains denying the commercial ad space in its theaters.

As Reuters reported, “The 60-second ad, which shows a variety of Christians including a police officer, weight lifter and school children each saying one line of the prayer, had been due to be shown next month before screenings of the new Star Wars film ‘The Force Awakens.’” 

Not only was the Anglican church confused over the refusal, but social media and blogs erupted with robust conversations about the place of religious ads before movies, on television, and on radio. This scenario of scandal underscores the importance, and urgency, of considering the interaction of religion & pop-culture in its many, many, forms. 

That is why I am overwhelmingly excited to announce the release of Jesus Christ, Movie Star by Edward N. McNulty, in which I was humbled & honored to write the foreword. In that introductory statement I attempted to frame McNulty's work on Jesus and movies in the contemporary context of currents in religion & pop-culture. 

In the foreword I wrote that in a global culture, where internationalization occurs across, through, and in tension with various sites and conduits of ethnicity, technology, financial systems, media, ideological networks, and religions the images of Jesus not only matter to U.S. moviemakers, and consumers, but people throughout the world. Hence the importance to critically think through what depictions of Jesus mean — how they are represented, how they communicate, how they are interpreted, and how they reflect, critique, and interact with wider socio-cultural realities. 

This is even more pertinent because Jesus is such a popular movie star and it is helpful -- both theologically and from a religious studies perspective -- to consider him as such. As David Crumm of Read the Spirit wrote:

“ONLY ONE FIGURE rivals Sherlock Holmes and Santa Claus as the longest-running characters in world cinema. As veteran-faith-and-film writer Edward McNulty points out in his new book, that unique, history-spanning figure is Jesus Christ, Movie Star.”

McNulty’s exploration of Jesus-figures, faith, and film gets us started down a path to not only catch the great importance of Jesus’ story as it was, but also — crucially — how it is transported and transposed in our current culture. To that end, I invite you to explore more about the work or to purchase it at Amazon.com to engage heartily in discussion with those with whom you watch, react to, and examine faith and film.

Faith Goes Pop Round-Up: Was Jaws Jewish?

Was Jaws Jewish? 

That's right, to pop off on this Faith Goes Pop round-up I'll start with a sighting of an opinion piece from film critic and academic Nathan Abrams of Bangor University who made the claim that the film Jaws, which celebrated its 40th anniversary back in June, was really all about the Jews (see the piece in The Jewish Chronicle HERE). 

Not only was it directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Richard Dreyfus (both Jewish), but there was substantial Jewish input (from Jewish scuba experts and extras) and inspiration (the shark was nicknamed "Bruce" after Spielberg's favorite lawyer). More than that, Abrams makes the argument that the triangle-finned protagonist represented the misunderstood and maligned Jew whose representation in the film, "taps into age-old fears of the Jew as predatory, lusting after gentile women and the blood of young Christian children." 

While at times Abrams' analysis may seem a bit too forced he brings up salient points that seem to show there is some credence to his thesis. At the very least, Abrams forces us to look beyond the sheen of summer blockbusters and popular films to read the subtext. Often, you'll find faith-filled themes lurking behind some of your favorite flicks. 

Who knows, maybe AntMan is about atheists and the establishment or maybe Mission Impossible 5: Rogue Nation is about Messianic return. At the very least, we often see people read onto films their own religious meanings and themes. Just take a look at the various "movie Bible studies" that seem to be popular at evangelical Christian churches during the summer. 

Also, you'll never see A Clockwork Orange the same again after you know that most of it was a not-so-subtle critique of atheist Stanley Kubrick's view of religion (specifically Christianity) or the religious intimations at work in Blade Runner or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.   

*You might also like "Christian television as the new digital cathedrals." 

Jim Gaffigan is Catholic & wants to throw a Bible in a trash-bag. Welcome to the 21st-century. 

Lovable comedian & father-figure Jim Gaffigan also made a splash this summer with the premier of his new show "The Jim Gaffigan Show." 

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PHOTO: Care of "Jim Gaffigan Show"

The entire first episode swirls around his juggling act between his "Shi'ite Catholic" wife, his own Catholic faith, popular culture, and mainstream media. And as Kimberly Winston of Religion News Service wrote, "Jokes about somebody's religious beliefs are often...duds." 

That begs the question - why would the "Hot-Pocket comedian" dive into such a hot topic for his debut episode? Winston asked for my perspective on the show because of the work we are doing here at #FaithGoesPop. Here's an excerpt from her excellent story:

Ken Chitwood, a scholar who writes about religion and popular culture, said Jim Gaffigan’s comedic inner voice is key to what is new and different about this show in terms of religion — it presents a TV family that is simultaneously sacred and secular, funny and poignant.

“They are not this super holy, sanctimonious family,” Chitwood said. “They kind of hold their Catholicism lightly (in terms of humor). They are able to show Jim as this new kind of Catholic —  he is mainstream, he is funny and he is friends with Chris Rock.”

Brewtherans, Presbeertyerians, & EpiscoPaleAleians?

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PHOTO: Care of RJ Grunewald and www.rjgrune.com 

Beer is one of my things. Apparently, I'm not alone. One of the major trends in the U.S. right now (or indeed, the world over) is an artisanal shift toward craft beer production and consumption. Part of this is due to the consumer's need to feel authentic and local in their constant competition with the international, imitated, and invisible hand of the market. Part of it is also because this beer is damn good. But another part of it is, well, religious. 

Many different religious interactions and intersections are part of the craft beer craze going on right now. There are beer hymn sings in the U.K., Oregon, and Colorado, brewery Bible studies, "Theo-pubs," beer-troversies over religious symbolism, and explicitly religious themed beer production lines. Which brings us to ask -- what's with all this "craft-brewed" religion?

Certainly, there are lots of different angles to take and I've taken a few of them. Check out the following to learn more about beer & religion throughout history, about how beer and religion are interacting today, & how I think you can pour beer to the glory of God as a Brewtheran...I mean Lutheran...pastor:

• Pouring beer to the glory of God
• Religious beertroversies 
• Patron saints of beer

Gospel roller skating and religion on the move

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RKHPL on Parallel Bible snapped this image of a "Gospel Roller Skating" rink in Philly. I came to discover that "Gospel roller skating" isn't all that uncommon as skate-enthusiasts with a hankerin' for Gospel music can hop, or skate, down to their local rink for a fusion of the two fine arts. 

It's also a perfect example of what David Chidester calls the "haptics of the heart" -- the embodied, tactile, and physical tactics of moving that animate religious belief in the U.S. in a modern world. In his formulation, the free movement of roller skating to Gospel music and making known the Messiah through the movement of the body on the floor is a way of freedom of religion amidst a modern world of pressure from all sides. Held, bound, and burdened in place in the past new religious movements are just that -- movements -- seeking to embody themselves in new physical practices that liberate body and spirit. In this instance, such liberation seems to be achieved through roller-skating across the slick-top and sliding to the soulful rhythms of Gospel music. 

More #FaithGoesPop sightings? 

Remember, be sure to share your #FaithGoesPop sightings on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest or just send them to me here at www.FaithGoesPop.com. 

Next week, I'm back to share my experiences teaching & talking "Faith Goes Pop" with some community college students in Florida.