Eerdmans

Of Pilgrims and Fire
When God Shows Up at the Movies
Roy M. Anker
Unpacks twenty of the most religiously provocative films of our time
In this illuminating guidebook, film teacher and critic Roy Anker
explores some of cinema’s most profound depictions of human beings
looking for meaning and fulfillment in life. Anker’s movie choices are
rarely those we might consider “religious,” yet he argues that they may
well offer truer depictions of God precisely because of their lack of
overt Christianity.
The select “offbeat” religious films in Of Pilgrims and Fire include
The Thin Red Line, Decalogue, Crimes and Misdemeanors, The Shawshank
Redemption, Dead Man Walking, The Apostle, E.T., Magnolia, and twelve
more (see complete list of titles in contents sidebar). They all show
ordinary people struggling to make sense of the world and of themselves
— and sometimes running into God in surprising ways.
Anker provides a judicious overview of each picture discussed,
including awards and ratings, a preview of each film, critical comments,
and questions for personal reflection or group discussion. Like the movies
he chooses, Anker avoids the preachy or didactic as he makes viewing
and reflecting on these movies at once enjoyable and provocative.
Roy M. Anker teaches literature and film at Calvin College, Grand
Rapids, Michigan. His other books include Catching Light: Looking for
God in the Movies and the two-volume Self-Help and Popular Religion
in American Culture.
Contents
I. The Gift of Splendor:
“All Things Shining”
American Beauty
The Thin Red Line
The Color of Paradise
Decalogue I
II. Wrestling with Angels
(and Demons): The Collision
of Morality and Belief
Crimes and Misdemeanors
The Godfather: Part III
Wide Awake
III. The New Life:
The Surprise of Love
Tender Mercies
The Shawshank Redemption
Dead Man Walking
The Mission
The Apostle
IV. Facsimiles of God: The Whys
and Whos of Incarnation
ET: The Extra-Terrestrial
Superman
Millions
V. The Feast of Love
Places in the Heart
Grand Canyon
Babette’s Feast
VI. Signs and Wonders
Magnolia
Heaven
Film & Theater
September / 978-0-8028-6572-4
6″ × 9″ paperback
79 illustrations
264 pages / $17.99 [£11.99]
Of related interest
In a New Light:
Spirituality and
the Media Arts
Ron Austin
978-0-8028-0773-1
Catching Light: Looking
for God in the Movies
Roy M. Anker
978-0-8028-2795-1
www.eerdmans.com toll free 800 253 7521 13