I love this concept.
Taking parables told by Jesus and re-telling them as modern day stories with the art of filmmaking.
That’s exactly what the American Bible Society is aiming to do with this film project that tells the story of The Prodigal Son:
The Return
[tentblogger-vimeo 65074661]
From the Parables website:
“The parables of Jesus don’t demand; they inspire. They inspire his listeners and readers toward the greatest heights of human potential: generosity, patience, love, forgiveness, wisdom, eternal hope and so much more. We’d like to bring these parables to life through the powerful medium of film. We’re recasting Jesus’ stories for the world we live in using some of today’s best filmmakers and on-screen talent. And we need your help to get started!”
That’s right! They need your help!
There are a number of ways you can help:
- Watch the trailer–you can check this one off if you just watched it earlier in the post! 😀
- Share this post with your friends!
- Pledge to the Parables Film Series Kickstarter campaign!
Since “The Return” is the first film in a ten part series, all pledges exceeding the $200,000 goal will be applied towards future Parable productions.
I’m excited to see this project reach its goal–are you?
Learn more about the Parables Film Series and consider backing this awesome project on Kickstarter!
Simon L Smith says
Interesting… but do you think that the ABS will do better than Finding Nemo or Saving Private Ryan?
I know they were not made by Christians, but both basically tell the core story of the lost coin, the lost sheep, and the lost son.
I’ve used both of these movies to teach biblical ideas to friends and family who would never watch a movie made by the church.
I agree, this *could* be good. I just wonder if they will be as good at the “Reel Parables” that Hollywood puts out that are not meant to be “propaganda.”
Eric Dye says
So were the parables originally told by Jesus propaganda?
Simon L Smith says
So were the parables originally told by Jesus propaganda?
That is a fantastic question and one that I have wrestled with for years.
The short answer is no, the parables told by Jesus were not propaganda.
And here is the long answer:
Jesus told parables to teach His followers. He was not trying to convert (per se), instead He used them to teach those already following Him. He even stated that some of the parables were intended to be understood by His followers only, meaning He was hiding the “message” from those who did not follow Him.
Because of that I would say that His parables were a teaching tool but were not propaganda.
There are a few other reasons why I think this way but they fall more into opinion/ideology.
Again, great question!