Movies are a powerful medium that both shape and reflect society. This fall, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (CSL) and Concordia University, St. Paul (CSP), St. Paul, Minn., are partnering to offer a unique opportunity to examine film through the lens of faith. The six-week virtual continuing education course, “Movies and Mission [1],” invites participants to explore how popular films can help Christians better understand and engage with the world around them in their witness to the Gospel.
“Cinema offers one important lens through which Christians can better understand the culture in which we have been called to confess the Lord Jesus Christ and bear witness to His Gospel,” said Dr. David Lewis [2], one of the instructors for the course and the Dr. Jack Dean Kingsbury Professor of New Testament Theology at Concordia Seminary.
Course Overview
The course will meet weekly via Zoom from 3:30–4:30 p.m. CT, Wednesdays, Oct. 15–Nov. 19, 2025. Each session focuses on a different film genre or theme. Participants will be asked to view two or three selected films in advance of each session; the viewing list will be provided upon registration.
Weekly themes
- Oct. 15: Hero Films
- Oct. 22: Hitchcock
- Oct. 29: Pixar
- Nov. 5: Science Fiction
- Nov. 12: Film Noir
- Nov. 19: Westerns
Class sessions will include guided discussion on how the films engage with themes of mission, redemption and the human condition, and how they can serve as conversation starters for sharing the Gospel. Participants seeking continuing education credit will complete a short reflection paper with guidelines provided by the instructors.
Meet the Instructors
- Dr. Joshua Hollmann, professor of Systematic Theology at CSP, brings a wealth of international and urban ministry experience. A devoted cinephile, he frequently explores how culture, technology and theology intersect in visual media.
- Dr. David Lewis [2], the Dr. Jack Dean Kingsbury Professor of New Testament Theology at CSL, is known for his research on Gospel themes in cinema, particularly how films depict Christ-figures.
Registration
This course is open to anyone interested in learning how film can be a resource for mission and ministry.
- Course fee: $99 (includes one Continuing Education Unit)
- Registration deadline: Oct. 14, 2025
- Registration link: Available through the CSP website [3]
Questions? Contact Concordia Seminary’s Continuing Education team at ce@csl.edu or 314-505-7286.
About Concordia Seminary
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis provides Gospel-centered graduate-level theological education for pastors, missionaries, deaconesses, scholars and other leaders in the name of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) [4]. To learn more, visit csl.edu [5].