Faith and Pop Culture

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...

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...