“The movie is a prayer,” says Bryan Zahnd, about Terrence Mallick’s 2011 The Tree of Life, his favorite movie of all time. Bryan has seen it forty times (I have seen it three times); Bryan has taken his pastoral team from his Missouri Church to see it; he has shown it to his Congregation in Church. The film follows a family in Texas in the 1950s. Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain are the parents; they have three sons. Sean Penn plays the oldest boy when he is grown in the 1980s. It’s a sermon on theodicy, creation, eschatology, all of it, all of it. And it’s just very beautiful and interesting. If you’ve not seen it, go see it first, and then come back and talk it over with us!

Another talk with Bryan Zahnd about another Terrence Mallick film:

Another talk with Bryan Zahnd about his books and his theology:

A couple more episode of Almost Good Catholics on related themes:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network