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The Gospel According to The Wiz: And Other Sermons from Cinema
“Through a biblical lens The Godfather is a retelling of the Shakespearean story of Macbeth . . . and The Matrix is a modern retelling of the Christ narrative.”
Every Sunday, more than 5,000 people come to hear Otis Moss III preach at Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ. According to Common, hip hop artist, actor, and member of Trinity, “A message from Otis Moss III always teaches about love, justice, and commitment to the community. It’s good to have a pastor who’s real and relevant.”
Moss describes himself as, “a jazz-influenced pastor with a hip-hop vibe committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ rooted in love and justice.” And he admits he can talk endlessly about theology, popular culture, and movies. Especially movies.
That’s why he’s based some of his best sermons, collected in this book, on these powerful films:
12 Years a Slave
The Butler
The Book of Eli
The Color Purple
The Wiz
Avatar
Flight
For Colored Girls
Read this book if you love movies and want to find even deeper meaning in them. Discussion questions are included, making it ideal for individuals or groups, movie nights and book clubs.
As Pastor Moss says, “If you think about it, movie theaters are the modern cathedrals. Where else, outside of the church, do we gather for a shared experience and are not bothered by the outburst and shouts of neighbors?”
Every Sunday, more than 5,000 people come to hear Otis Moss III preach at Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ. According to Common, hip hop artist, actor, and member of Trinity, “A message from Otis Moss III always teaches about love, justice, and commitment to the community. It’s good to have a pastor who’s real and relevant.”
Moss describes himself as, “a jazz-influenced pastor with a hip-hop vibe committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ rooted in love and justice.” And he admits he can talk endlessly about theology, popular culture, and movies. Especially movies.
That’s why he’s based some of his best sermons, collected in this book, on these powerful films:
12 Years a Slave
The Butler
The Book of Eli
The Color Purple
The Wiz
Avatar
Flight
For Colored Girls
Read this book if you love movies and want to find even deeper meaning in them. Discussion questions are included, making it ideal for individuals or groups, movie nights and book clubs.
As Pastor Moss says, “If you think about it, movie theaters are the modern cathedrals. Where else, outside of the church, do we gather for a shared experience and are not bothered by the outburst and shouts of neighbors?”
152 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 15, 2013
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About the author
Otis Moss III
7 books19 followersOtis Moss III (1970–) is the pastor of Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ.
He is a graduate of Morehouse College (1992) and Yale Divinity School (1995).
He is a graduate of Morehouse College (1992) and Yale Divinity School (1995).
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July 1, 2015
I have to admit, I wrestled a bit about whether to give this one three or four stars, as it comes with the liability that often accompanies a collection of sermons... you get the text, but not the delivery or the worship context. That's particularly felt in a collection by an African-American preacher, whose delivery is so much a part of the message. In the end I opted for that fourth star, as I've heard Dr Moss preach and I was able to hear the voice behind the text; a fine, fine preaching voice indeed.
Moss's engagement with the various films can sometimes be on the edge of being rather loose; his sermon on "for colored girls," for instance, is one of those. Yet as he described what went on in worship to accompany the sermon, you got a sense that his congregation would have made the connections in a way that a reader could not.
For a great introduction to Otis Moss III (and to hear that voice!), I'd recommend his 2014 Beecher Lectures: http://livestream.com/yaledivinitysch...
Moss's engagement with the various films can sometimes be on the edge of being rather loose; his sermon on "for colored girls," for instance, is one of those. Yet as he described what went on in worship to accompany the sermon, you got a sense that his congregation would have made the connections in a way that a reader could not.
For a great introduction to Otis Moss III (and to hear that voice!), I'd recommend his 2014 Beecher Lectures: http://livestream.com/yaledivinitysch...
Displaying 1 of 1 review