Faith and Pop Culture

Mumford and Sons' newest album, "Prizefighter" prompted a discussion on finding the Gospel in - while not forcing the Gospel message onto - secular art. Pete Docter, the chief creative officer of Pixar, recently came out with a statement that the company is there to create movies, not provide therapy to its artists. All of this and more on this episode of the Faith and Pop Culture Podcast! TIMESTA...

Alysa Liu was a standout of this year's Winter Olympics, not only because of her incredible skill, but because of her contagious, authentic joy both on and off the ice. Giancarlo Sopo of the National Review wrote an article titled, "What is a 'Conservative Movie'?" and used subtraction to define it. We can apply the same logic to differentiate between "Christian" and "Religious" movies and what th...

"The Optimist" comes out with a limited theatrical release on March 11th. See it on the big screen while you can! 0:00 Introduction 0:46 Tell me a little bit about the film and how you got involved 2:15 What was the real life Herbert Heller like? 3:38 Did your background in psychology have a heavy impact on how you approached this film? 5:09 Where did Abbey's storyline come from? 7:07 What led to...

Film students can longer sit through assigned films! The faith-based film industry has reached a point of equality in quality with Hollywood, but with many emerging streaming platforms it seems we're falling back into habits of isolation. What is the end goal of faith-based entertainment? All of this and more on this episode of the Faith and Pop Culture Podcast! TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 1:00 F...

The infamous halftime show battle took place this past Sunday in a remarkably anticlimactic fashion. Hollywood is notorious in Christian circles for presenting romantic relationships in toxic, un-Christian ways, but could there be a new shift in topics? And where is dating in the Bible? All that and more on this episode of the Faith and Pop Culture Podcast! TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 1:37 Halfti...

It is our first episode of 2026! Today we chat about Jelly Roll's powerful acceptance speech at the Grammys and we look ahead with excitement at the movies to come this year. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 2:02 Jesus at the Grammys 20:45 Focus on the Good, Not the Bad 29:24 2026 Movies We're Looking Forward To 47:13 Things Nyah Likes That You Should Like, Too Jelly Roll's Acceptance Speech: https://...

"It's Not Like That" is available on the Wonder Project subscription on Amazon with new episodes coming out every Sunday. 0:00 Introduction 0:26 What led you to wanting to create a series like this?  2:40 What were your favorite scenes to work on and later see realized? 5:07 Why do you think shows like this aren't on TV anymore? 7:19 How has it been working with Wonder Project? 8:16 What led to th...

This is the final episode of the year and it is all things Christmas! How do cultural and religious traditions intertwine? How historically accurate is the traditional manger scene? Is Nyah uneducated when it comes to Christmas movies? All that and more for our farewell to 2025 episode! TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 3:00 As Christians, how should we view Christmas as a cultural as well as religious...

The first episode of Actor and Producer David Henrie's newest series "Seeking Beauty" premieres January 19th, 2026 on EWTN+ and YouTube! TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 0:55 Where did your inspiration from this project come from? 3:17 What has beauty meant in your own walk with God? How can beauty point towards God? 6:10 Why do you think our modern culture undervalues beauty? 9:07 How should the chur...

In the second to last episode of the year, we talk about the implications that come with Netflix's acquisition of Warner Bros., dive deep into the newest "Knives Out" film, and more!  TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Introduction, We Dropped the Ball! 2:37 Netflix's Newest Acquisition 17:45 Discussing Knives Out 3 46:30 Things Nyah Likes That You Should Like, Too MENTIONS: Netflix Acquisition: https://about.netfl...

Writer and Director Rian Johnson's newest film, "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery" comes out on Netflix on December 12, 2025.  TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Introduction 0:40 What is the genesis of your creative process? 2:15 Did Chesterton's "Father Brown" stories influence this film at all? 3:22 How did your Christian childhood influence this story? 5:50 How important to you was remaining authentic to...

On this episode of the Faith and Pop Culture Podcast we break down the Pope's speech on the importance of cinema and examine the appearance of a PG-movie box-office takeover. Forrest Frank is back, speaking out against AI musician Solomon Ray who's songs have recently topped Christian music charts. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Intro 2:10 The Rise of PG Popularity 16:45 The Pope's Cinematic Speech 30:45 The So...

As a little bonus for this Thanksgiving, enjoy this conversation with a couple of the Smallbone brothers about life, music, and their newest documentary. FOR KING + COUNTRY: NO TURNING BACK is now available on  Wonder Project's subscription channel on Prime Video in the U.S. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction  3:05 What sight do you believe young people have that turn them away from God's gaze? What do...

To celebrate Thanksgiving week, we decided to post an extra special conversation! The Bensons' docu-series "Redemption" is now available on Wonder Project's subscription on Prime Video. Check it out now! TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 0:25 What made you want to make "Redemption?" And why follow Ohio State?  1:45 How did you get involved in making this doc-series?  2:33 What was it like hearing about God's...

Craig Detweiler is an author, cultural commentator, and dean of the College of Arts and Media at Grand Canyon University. He's part of the Faith and Media Initiative Coalition and his latest book, titled "Honest Creativity," talks about why AI will not replace human creatives. His contact and information is linked below.  Craig Detweiler's Instagram Craig Detweiler's Facebook Craig Detweiler's web...

With guest Joseph Holmes, writer and director of Jim vs. the Future, his debut feature, we chat about the Christian worldview and imagination as well as how the roles Christian critics and filmmakers can come together to improve the faith-based film landscape. All that and more on episode 65 of the Faith and Pop Culture Podcast! TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction  2:15 Jim vs the Future Elevator Pitch 5...

Check out Walker-Silverman's newest film, "Rebuilding," out November 14th, 2025! TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction  0:30 What does rebuilding mean to you? 2:45 What makes Colorado so special? 4:55 What makes beauty in art so powerful? 7:50 What is the significance of the name "Dusty"? 10:05 Are there any lessons you've learned from making this film that have bled into your life now? 12:38 What do you h...

Holmes's debut feature film is released today! Check out Jim vs. the Future here . TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction  1:56 What was your inspiration behind "Jim vs. the Future"? 7:44 How did your faith influence the way you told this story? 17:20 What excites you about sci-fi and fiction genres in Christian filmmaking? 26:30 What do you hope people take away from Jim vs. the Future? Make sure to subscr...

A so-called Christian horror movie is set to release next Friday. Two fall events within a month of each other, led by Gen Z influencers, encouraged Gen Z to get off of their phones and outside in their community. All that and more on episode 64 of the Faith and Pop Culture Podcast! TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 1:45 Anti-Social Media Movement 10:50 Discussing "The Carpenter's Son" 23:40 Should Chr...

This week, we unpack the recent findings from this year's Teens and Screens survey and various arguments on whether or not Christians should celebrate Halloween. All that and more on episode 62 of the Faith and Pop Culture Podcast! TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 1:10 Teens and Screens Survey Findings 16:50 Should Christians Celebrate Halloween? 44:39 Things Daniel likes that You Should Like, Too Men...

This week, we talk about Last Days , a biopic by Justin Lin about the 26-year-old Missionary, John Allen Chau, who was killed by the very people he was trying to minister to. Director Lin is not a Christian, so how should we view a film about a Christian whom many view as a martyr? There are three possible halftime shows for the Super Bowl in February, including an alternative Christian one. Does...

Forrest Frank won't be attending award shows anymore? How do we balance humility and excellence? What does the new free-to-stream show on YouTube, "The Promised Land" teach us about genre exploration in Christian movies? All that and more on episode 61 of the Faith and Pop Culture Podcast!   TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction and Changes 2:00 Forrest Frank's Award Show Convictions 11:06 Humility vs. Exc...

Welcome the newest member of The Collision team, filmmaker and Georgia State Alum, Nyah Carlson. How do we engage in the arts as Christians? Is Tilly Norwood, the newest AI bot actress, a big PR stunt or a real threat to filmmaking? All that and more on Episode 60 of the Faith and Pop Culture Podcast. To check out Micah Mondt's Music, click here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Ep14ABmGFV7mGiChED...

Pastor Josh predicted the rapture to happen September 23-24, but we're still here? Was Nicolas Cage really in "Left Behind"? In light of recent events, should Christians engage with culture by trying to subtract from or add to the world? Erika Kirk's memorial speech created ripples of forgiveness. All this and more on episode 59 of the Faith and Pop Culture Podcast. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Introduction 3...

Sam and Daniel are joined by Dr. Shannan Baker and Marc Jolicoeur from Worship Leader Research to talk about their work in the worship music industry, where popular worship songs come from, who's making them and what that means for the church. Find out more about WLR at https://worshipleaderresearch.com/ Links to some of the articles mentioned: https://worshipleaderresearch.com/100-of-the-top-25-w...