The Encyclopedia of World Religions

cinema and religion S 93

Church of God Name of several denominations in the H OLINESS and P ENTECOSTAL tradition. Now worldwide, they originated in the United States. The two main Churches of God, designated by the location of their headquarters, are the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) and the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee). The former is a leading expression of the 19th-century Holiness movement, which taught that Christians can, after conversion and believer’s baptism, receive a second gift of the Holy Spirit called sanctifica tion, the ability to live a holy life. This church was founded in 1880 and follows congregational organization. The larger Cleveland, Tennessee, church traces its origins to 1886, though the name was not adopted until 1907. It has put more emphasis than the other Church of God on Pentecostal-type gifts of the Holy Spirit as evidence of sanctifica tion. Speaking in tongues, divine healings, and ecstatic behavior show that the Spirit is at work in a person and a congregation. Its organization is comparable to that of M ETHODISM , with bish ops and superintendents. The Church of God of Prophecy, another Holiness/Pentecostal body, is an offshoot from it. The Church of God in Christ is a largely Afri can-American denomination tracing its origin, as does Pentecostalism generally, to the famous Azusa Street revival of 1907 in Los Angeles. It also embraces a combination of Holiness and Pentecostal features, and it has spread around the world. cinema and religion Ever since motion pic tures were invented in the 1890s, filmmakers have been fascinated with religious themes. They have explored such themes in a variety of ways. Some films tell religious stories. Others use religious ele ments to tell different stories. Still others explore— or allow their audiences to explore—religious issues. Of course, filmmakers have made many instructional films about religions, too. Such films are usually viewed in classrooms rather than in the cinema. This entry does not discuss them.

FILMS THAT TELL RELIGIOUS STORIES Most religions tell stories, and filmmakers the world over have found that religious stories can make good cinema. For example, the film Atanar juat (2001) presents a traditional story of the Arc tic peoples of North America. The film Whale Rider (2002) explores tradition and change among the Maori of New Zealand from the perspective of a girl who emerges as a leader of her people. Kundun (1997) portrays the early life of the D ALAI L AMA , while the Hindi film Asoka (2001) drama tizes—and fictionalizes—the early life of emperor A SOKA , a major figure in the spread of B UDDHISM . In the late 1980s filmmakers in India created a national sensation when they televised very long, serialized versions of two profoundly religious EPICS , Ramayan and Mahabharaat. Sensational for its time, too, was Cecil B. DeMille’s epic, The Ten Commandments (1956), as was the 1976 film The Message about M UHAMMAD and I SLAM . Filmmakers have also found inspiration in the lives of Christian SAINTS , such as Thomas à Becket ( Becket [1964]), F RANCIS OF A SSISI ( Brother Sun, Sister Moon [1972]), and Thomas More ( A Man for All Seasons [1966]). The story of J OAN OF A RC was first filmed as long ago as 1895. One story that has attracted North American and European filmmakers over and over again is the life of J ESUS . Because Jesus is so special to many North Americans and Europeans, some film makers have been reluctant to portray him. They have filmed stories in which they show Jesus’ shadow, hands, or feet or even just the reaction of onlookers to him but do not show Jesus’ entire body or face. Two films from the 1950s provide good examples of this technique: Ben-Hur (1959) and The Robe (1953). The British comedy troupe Monty Python parodied such films, among others, in Life of Brian (1979). Other filmmakers have portrayed Jesus directly in many different ways. The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) shows a formal, stiff, proper Jesus in a film with little action. The Jesus Film (1979) pres ents a very different Jesus: a friendly Jesus who, before he is arrested, constantly smiles and always sports neat hair, trimmed beard, and immaculate