Hollywood Worldviews: Horror, A Biblical Genre

Check out this YouTube video on Horror: A Biblical Genre.

Some people think the Bible is a Veggie Tales cartoon, or Little House on the Prairie – safe, and family friendly “Christian” genre. But they’re wrong. Bloody gore, bone chilling fear, serial killers, Vampires, zombies, werewolves and other mutant monsters are in the Bible. No, this is not an exaggeration for a headline. See for yourself. I prove it in this presentation.

In this condensed version of my talk, I explore the genre of horror and explain the 4 ways that horror is used redemptively in the Bible and in movies. Horror reveals man’s sinful nature, exposes the consequences of sin, uncovers man’s spiritual pride, and expresses social commentary. Powerpoint visuals.

This is a shortened version without film clips. Get the full version here, complete with film clips.

You can find out more about the series here, including buying the downloads.

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Omega Frequency Interview: Rise of the Dragon King – First Emperor of China

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Omega Frequency LogoClick here to listen to the podcast or download it.

BDK: Join me as Brian Godawa discusses the spiritual themes behind his latest book The Dragon King: The First Emperor of China. The Dragon King is a action-adventure story rooted in the ancient history of China that uses elements of fantasy to portray unseen spiritual truths. Using ancient historical and mythological research, Brian tells the story of an exotic world ruled by a brutal emperor who is on a mad quest to find the elixir of immortality. Along the way he reveals a fascinating connection that the ancient Chinese have with the God of the Bible. Did the influence of dark spiritual principalities and powers lead to the rise of a Chinese Nimrod figure? Join me as we examine what lies behind the rise of the Dragon King!

 

 

Hollywood Worldviews: Redemption in the Movies

Check out this YouTube video on Redemption in the Movies.

This is like a condensed class on how to watch a movie. I explain the 9 basic elements of story structure used in movies and the Bible to communicate redemption. Examples from the movie Braveheart illustrate these 9 elements of story and how they lead the audience toward the worldview of the storyteller. Powerpoint visuals and film clips.

This is a shortened version. Get the full version here, complete with lots of film clips.

You can find out more about the series here, including buying the downloads.

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Hollywood Worldviews: Jesus Told R-Rated Parables

Check out this short YouTube video on Jesus Told R-Rated Parables.

Some people think that the Bible only describes sex and violence with an historical “reporting” kind of purpose.
Boy, do they have a problem with Jesus, the master storyteller, who used extreme violence in fictional parables to communicate the Kingdom of God. And learn how Revelation’s and Daniel’s visions are virtual feasts of cinematic gore and depravity. There is a holy purpose to depicting disgusting evil in storytelling. Learn how it can be redemptive without being exploitative.

You can find out more about the series here, including buying the downloads.

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Hollywood Worldviews: Profanity in the Bible & in the Movies

Check out this short YouTube video on Profanity in the Bible and in the Movies.

God uses profanity in his holy Word when making important spiritual accusations. I am not exaggerating to make a headline. Some believers just don’t realize that the Bible does not fit the “Christian film” category of storytelling. It does not receive a Dove Award for being family friendly. But that doesn’t justify gratuitous cussing. Learn the difference here.

You can find out more about the series here, including buying the downloads.

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Hollywood Worldviews: Sex in the Bible & in the Movies

Check out this short YouTube video on Sex in the Bible and in the Movies.

The Bible is not shy when it comes to describing sexuality of all known kinds, marital, adulterous, heterosexual, homosexual, rape, fornication and more. Ezekiel 16 and 23 are R-rated sexually violent symbolic fiction. The Song of Solomon is undeniably erotic literature. Learn the reason why God is not as prudish as some of his believers when it comes to depicting sexuality in the Bible. And learn the difference between exposing evil and exploiting it in storytelling.

You can find out more about the series here, including buying the downloads.

Godawa Interviewed on Truth Frequency Radio: All Things Nephilim

Truth Frequency Radio

Check out the podcast here.

Rob Skiba: In this show, I interviewed my friend, author and Hollywood screenwriter Brian Godawa regarding his Biblical fiction novel series, The Chronicles of the Nephilim. We also talked about the research that went into these novels as well as his newest book in the new Chronicles of the Watchers series, The Dragon King. Giants, hybrids, fallen angels, demons and valiant warriors of YHWH – all the stuff you didn’t realize was actually in your Bible.

 

Hollywood Worldviews: Violence in the Bible and Movies


Check out this short YouTube video on Violence in the Bible.

The Bible is quite explicit at times in its depiction of gory, gross or disgusting acts of evil.
Learn why it is important to God that evil be depicted accurately in stories, or the redemption of the story will not be believable.

The Bible is Rated R. Parental Discretion is advised.

You can find out more about the series here, including buying the downloads.

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Interview with Cyrus Nowrasteh: Saved While Making the Movie The Young Messiah

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Okay, it wasn’t like a Damascus Road Zap, more of a culmination of a long journey ending in this movie.

I got to interview Cyrus Nowrasteh about the upcoming movie, The Young Messiah, that opens March 11. You HAVE to see this movie. It’s a thoughtful and dramatic exploration of Jesus and his human coming of age as the Son of God.

You can read my review of the movie here.
It opens next Friday, March 11.

Here is the interview…

Brian: Tell me about the Genesis of this project and its journey to the screen.

Cyrus: I remember having dinner in 2005 with my agent at CAA. He talked about his client Anne Rice coming out with a book called Christ the Lord, that is going to blow everyone’s mind, because at the time, she became born again, or whatever you want to call it. I thought it was a fresh and original take on Jesus, focusing on him entirely as a seven-year old child.

If you told me then, about 10 years ago, that I’d be making a movie from that book, I’d have told you you were on crack. For a slew of reasons. But [my movie] Stoning of Soraya M. came out in 2009. Anne Rice wrote a rave review of it. So I called the same agent. She thought I’d be perfect for it. I read it and fell in love with it. I contacted Chris Columbus’ 1492 Pictures. I worked with them in the past. They optioned the book, and developed the script with me attached to direct.

B: So it took over 10 years to get made. And that’s just the beginning of the miraculous things that would happen. What were the reasons that made you hesitate from making the movie at first?

C: First of all, she’s very prominent. She’s been writing best-sellers for over 40 years. She’s had movies made from her books. And her books are very expensive to acquire and get made. That was one reason. The other was what it was about. I had been on my own journey towards Christ for a long time, probably longer than I even know. But I certainly didn’t think I was prepared to tackle a project about Jesus, much less a very risky and challenging one, taking on a portion of his life that is considered the silent years. I knew that would be controversial.

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Writer-Director Cyrus Nowrasteh

B: What unique issues did you face in adapting this book to a film?

C: She did a very challenging thing in the book. It was pretty gutsy. The entire book is written in the first person voice of Jesus. That was challenge number one. The other challenges were theological. Anne grew up Catholic. I didn’t know it at the time, that she used a lot of other sources. Some of them are apocryphal, and some of them are legends that come down about the childhood of Jesus in the vicinity of Alexandria going back 2000 years. The Coptic Christians still tell these stories about Jesus. She used everything and anything that she could find. And we felt, Betsy (wife and co-writer) and myself, that if we were going to write it, that we were going to have to reexamine those issues. We are not theologians or scholars. It was through multiple drafts, having friends and associates, theologians, people who we trusted, who came back with feedback. It took time for us to figure out how we could navigate those issues and still tell the story in a dramatic and compelling fashion.

[BG DISCLOSURE: I was one of those who read the script early on. To be honest, I knew Christians would not like it at that point in its development, because of some of the material they included. But as you read on, you’ll see how he and his wife co-writer changed it because of their spiritual journey. Good news! this movie is now totally Biblically consistent, even though it obviously takes creative license. I loved it.]  Read on to see what happened… Continue reading