Even the rocks cry out

Crosswalk.com - An 'Epic' Interview with 'Wild' Man John Eldredge:

"Chismar: I love that you draw an analogy between great books and movies – and the great epic. So, in spite of the sordidness of Hollywood, there are still good lessons to learn in movies?

Eldredge: This is really crucial – it was the Pagan Pharoah who had the vision, but it was Joseph who interpreted it. It was the Pagan King, Nebuchadnezzar, who had the vision, but it was Daniel who interpreted it. God speaks through Pagan kings. He speaks through Balaam's donkey if needed, and God is speaking through Hollywood. He is. There a story written on the heart of man that is absolutely inescapable. And if you want to write a great story, then you have to borrow from God’s story. You have to. So, Titanic, right, is based on the Gospel… She’s in prison, she’s a slave, she calls it her “slave ship.” It’s a world of hypocrisy, a world of Pharisees, right? Jack comes and he dies, so that she might live. It’s a story based on the Gospel. Maximus dies [in Gladiator], so that the people of Rome might be free. He’s the true general but he comes as a bondservant, like Christ, he comes from Nazareth. Braveheart, The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings trilogy – all of the great stories are built on the structure of the Gospel. We’re straining gnats and swallowing camels in our film critique, you know? How many swear words does it have, versus, why does this story capture people’s hearts? Why do people flock to it? Because it’s speaking to them about the deepest yearning of their heart and it’s giving them a story to live in. It’s telling them the Gospel."