Mark D. Eckel

“storytelling often wishes to keep the conversation going after the screen fades to black. Sermons, on the other hand, are often used to argue a point and win others over to that way of thinking. Movies should not be sermons. While many Hollywood films use this tactic in their storytelling, they do not make for those ‘transcendent’ experiences I mentioned earlier. This is why movies like God’s Not Dead, Religulous, Inconvenient Truth, etc. will be enjoyed solely by those who agree with the premise of the story and hated by those who don’t. If Christians want to be heard through story, they must be willing to tell their story in such a way that it invites others to participate in the conversation and does not make them feel they are simply listening to a lecture while having zero input of their own.”
― Mark D. Eckel, When the Lights Go Down: Movie Review as Christian Practice

“Study must begin by preserving the past, for by it, we know better how to live, what to live for, and what is most important. Nations, churches, families, and individuals have no future if they forget to study their past.”
― Mark D. Eckel, I Just Need Time to Think!: Reflective Study as Christian Practice