This summer at the cinema, some movies are doing great.[1. Photo by Ben Hershey on Unsplash.] Others are flopping on their faces. Meanwhile, some streaming services are falling even harder, and thanks to the Hollywood strikes plus economic instability plus the threat of artificial-intelligence “art,” we could see a burst of the streaming bubble. How should Christians discern these big changes, while seeking onscreen stories that are well-made and more human?

middle grade • teens + YA • adults • onscreen • author resources • gifts • guild

I’m glad I listened last night. You maintain a hopeful & delicate balance between unhealthy excesses of optimism and pessimism. I mean, in one’s personal feeling about the results of hard work and passion, when not the winner.

Great stories make us feel wonder, and also feel grief, joy, love, or even some temptations to sin. Yet some of the greatest stories also help us ask big questions about God, ourselves, and the world. They help us practice thinking about the deep stuff, which we call philosophy. In our next episode, Phil “-Osophy” Lollar, Adventures in Odyssey founding father and writer, rejoins us to explore how Christian stories train us in renewing our minds.