Cinema as Pulpit

Sherwood Pictures is the filmmaking ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia, and the leading producer of church-based, independent Christian films. This book situates their work in the history of religion and film in America and shows how they bring to fruition early 20th century Protestant expectations for the use of film in the life of the church and their hopes for a vibrant Christian film industry.
Also covered are the handful of churches, inspired by Sherwood, that have taken up their own cameras to create a growing church film movement. This book offers another examination of the relationship between conservative evangelical Protestant Christianity and the wider popular culture.

J. Ryan Parker received a Ph.D. in religion and the arts from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, and a Master of Divinity from Wake Forest University. He works in film marketing and publicity, is the founder and executive director of the Mississippi Film Society and the creator of Pop Theology, www.poptheology.com. He lives in Jackson, Mississippi.

J. Ryan Parker
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 219
Bibliographic Info: 40 photos, appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2012
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6990-1
eISBN: 978-0-7864-9101-8
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgements      viii
Foreword by Terry Lindvall      1
Preface      3
Introduction      5

1. A Very Brief History of Film and American Christianity      17
2. A Passionate Phenomenon      37
3. Low Budget? How About No Budget? Sherwood Baptist Church, Ministers of Movies, and Flywheel      57
4. Facing the Giants, Facing an Industry      73
5. Fireproof … a Foolproof Plan      87
6. A Courageous Future      106
7. How Did We Get Here?      128
8. A New Church Film Movement      137
9. Critiquing the Films … and Their Critics      166

Conclusion      177
Appendix: Internet Resources      185
Chapter Notes      187
Bibliography      198
Index      205

“Recommended”—Choice.