Faith and Pop Culture

The AI conversation is a hot button topic with people from many different industries raising their own concerns. The film industry and other art-based industries have had some of the most outspoken and controversial opinions on its use. Yet, the Christian or faith-based film industry has been one of the first to embrace its use in many recent projects—but at what cost? In this video, Daniel takes...

Spider-Man: Brand New Day became the highest grossing film in box-office history in only 47 days earning around $2.45 billion. This is a huge achievement and, amidst a societal sentiment of superhero fatigue, we want to know why it earned this much!   TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Spider-Man 's Big Profit   MENTIONS: The Guardian Article: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/03/spiderman-brand-new-day-glob...

In 2023, Netflix announced an upcoming Narnia adaptation with Greta Gerwig to direct. With every new bit of information, Christians and Narnia fans everywhere have gotten more and more concerned that this version would fail to capture the magic and truth of the beloved tale.   TIMESTAMPS 0:00 The Gerwig Version   MENTIONS: Netflix Article: http://netflix.com/tudum/articles/narnia-release-date Empi...

Recently, on the Dear Chelsea podcast, Anna Faris talked about her son's beliefs. Faris and Chris Pratt share 14-year-old Jack Pratt who recently asked Faris to accept Jesus as her Savior. She said that would take a lot more conversations, but she would do it, before mentioning how she was able to challenge him by asking questions about abortion and mega-pastors.   TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Anna Faris's Cha...

A Christian heavy metal band called "Demon Hunter" is suing Netflix because of alleged similarities between the title and optics of their band and the mega-hit animated movie, KPop Demon Hunters. How should Christians unpack this development? TIMESTAMPS 0:00 The Demon Hunter Lawsuit MENTIONS: Complex Article: https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/alex-ocho/demon-hunter-netflix-kpop-trademark-lawsu...

Disney and TikTok have made a deal that TikTok creators can use Disney IP and Disney+ will feature TikTok videos on their new feature, "Verts." What are the implications of this development and why should Christians care?   TIMESTAMPS 0:00 The Disney-TikTok Deal   MENTIONS: CNN Article: https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/05/media/disney-tiktok-partnership   Variety Article: https://variety.com/2026/tv/ne...

20 years ago, Amazing Grace, the film about William Wilberforce's life-long fight to banish the slave trade in England, was released. Today, this film continues to have an impact on the quality and production of faith-based films. We hope it inspires anyone who sees it to take up Wilberforce's spirit to make a positive change in the society we are living in.   TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction to Amazi...

"Based on the inspiring true story of William Wilberforce, Amazing Grace  chronicles the extraordinary campaign to abolish the British slave trade. Drawing strength from his faith and the encouragement of former slave ship captain John Newton, author of the beloved hymn 'Amazing Grace,' Wilberforce risks everything to fight one of history's greatest injustices." 20 years after its initial release,...

The most anticipated film of 2026 is released and the controversy has only gotten thicker. Does The Odyssey present a faithful retelling of the highly regarded source material, or is it a desecration of Homer's classic tale? All of this and more on this episode of the Faith and Pop Culture Podcast!   TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 2:09 Pop Culture Roundup: As Nolan Intended, New Trailers Dropped 11:...

Angel Studios' and Wonder Project's newest film, Young Washington releases in theaters on July 3rd (everyone should go see it) and asks questions regarding the wider genre of faith-based filmmaking. Is this the beginning of a new era of Christian filmmakers? Can this film even be considered faith-based? All of this and more on this episode of the Faith and Pop Culture Podcast!   TIMESTAMPS 0:00 In...

It can be difficult to see the value of an untouchable critic raining down negative reviews from their pretentious tower in the clouds, but what does solid criticism look like? What is the value of critiquing movies? All of this and more on this episode of the Faith and Pop Culture Podcast!   TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 1:37 Pop Culture Roundup: Millie Bobby Brown's Husband-shaming, Tory Story 5,...

If aliens visited us here on earth, would that challenge your faith in God? Do aliens even exist? Steven Spielberg's new film, Disclosure Day , asks these questions but do they answer them satisfactorily? All of this and more on this episode of the Faith and Pop Culture Podcast!   TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 2:53 Pop Culture Roundup: World Cup, Masters of the Universe, and the San Fran. Giants' P...

Christopher Nolan's upcoming summer blockbuster, The Odyssey , has been hit with controversies since the beginning of its marketing campaign. Most recently, Nolan has been criticized for his casting choices with Elliot Page allegedly playing the mighty Achilles and Lupita Nyong'o confirmed to be playing Helen of Troy. Are these choices Oscar clickbait or an earnest attempt at genuine art? All of t...

Sabina Boyer is a student of Screenwriting and Creative Writing at Asbury University. After falling in love with stories as a missionary kid in North Macedonia, she has followed her passion into various media, from award-winning short films and feature film screenplays to The Wovenstone Trilogy, a series of books in the final stages of editing. When not writing, she enjoys jogging, drinking black...

Different genres have different strengths and weaknesses, especially when it comes to how they are able to show the gospel whether intentionally or unintentionally. Unix Diza currently serves as an Assistant Principal at a Christian school where he teaches a high school class titled "Gospel & Movies". In his spare time, Unix enjoys watching movies and occasionally blogging about them at https://mo...

Jeffrey Overstreet is the author of two memoirs about cinema and faith— Through a Screen Darkly  (2007) and  Lost and Found in the Cathedral of Cinema  (2026)—as well as the fantasy novel  Auralia's Colors  (2007) and its three sequels. He is an associate professor of creative writing and film at Seattle Pacific University, where students voted him Undergraduate Professor of the Year in 2024. Over...

Narnia is getting a theatre run, Justin Bieber has reached a Spotify milestone, and the new Animal Farm adaptation for kids falls flat. All of this and more on this episode of the Faith and Pop Culture Podcast!   TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction and Announcements 2:25 Pop Culture Roundup 9:53 Adaptation Theory 38:30 Things Daniel Likes That You Should Like, Too   MENTIONS: Experiencing God in Everyday...

A sub-2hr marathon, a steamy Christian dating show, and a Michael Jackson biopic that sends critics home reeling and audiences home dancing. All of this and more on this episode of the Faith and Pop Culture Podcast!   TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 2:30 Pop Culture Roundup 13:40 Art vs. the Artist 41:16 Things Nyah Likes That You Should Like, Too   MENTIONS: Variety Article: https://variety.com/2026...

Justin Bieber made headlines and divided audiences from his Coachella headlining performance. A new Gallup poll shows religion is becoming more and more important to Gen Z men. All of this and more on this episode of the Faith and Pop Culture Podcast! TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 1:35 Discussing Bieberchella 28:40 Gallup Poll Updates 47:48 Things Daniel Likes That You Should Like, Too MENTIONS: Ju...

Artemis II's Mission is the highlight of the month, if not the year, and Pilot Victor Glover made some powerful testimonies while hurtling around the moon. Contrary to popular belief, American adults are still reading and prefer to read hard copy books over audio or digital versions! All of this and more on this episode of the Faith and Pop Culture Podcast! TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 2:28 Artemi...

Randall Flinn is recognized as a multi-decades artistic ambassador of dance in the Houston and international dance community. He travels globally as a dance educator, choreographer, director, and lecturer. He has served as a dance educator for Cirque Du Soleil, Hong Kong Ballet, Xaris Danz Germany, and Project Dance Global Dance Festivals in NYC, Sydney, London, and Paris. Presently, Mr. Flinn ser...

"The Passion of the Christ" was perhaps the start of the modern age of faith-based filmmaking and the Christian film with the most notable Hollywood star behind the wheel. With the sequels now in production, we decided to revisit this film and explore its goals. Easter is this weekend so our eyes are peeled for stories that inhabit the Easter themes. All of this and more on this episode of the Fai...

Project Hail Mary was a mega-hit, the biggest film of 2026 and the second highest grossing non-franchise film in the last decade right behind Oppenheimer. What made it so popular? As Biblical adaptations are becoming more and more popular, the question arises of how much dramatic license can we take when creating these works? All of this and more on this episode of the Faith and Pop Culture Podcas...

The Oscars Awards for 2025 films took place this past Sunday and, as always, there were some interesting moments. Timothée Chalamet's comment about opera and ballet has taken the internet by storm, but is there some truth to what he said? All of this and more on this episode of the Faith and Pop Culture Podcast! TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 2:37 Timothée Chalamet Controversy 19:11 The Oscars  49:1...

The Faithful: Women of the Bible will be released on Fox starting March 22nd with an episode released on Palm Sunday and the finale released on Easter Sunday. Each episode will be available next day on Hulu. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Introduction and The Faithful Trailer 1:17 What is The Faithful about? 2:00 How did you get involved in this project? 3:32 Was it daunting to tackle a show like this from the...