Pastor James Harleman leads Mars Hill's Lake City Campus. He also teaches classes on engaging culture and conducts monthly Film & Theology events at Mars Hill Church. Here are his top five Film & Theology lectures.

1. Iron Man

Comic book conventions create a character who literally gets a heart change, realizing how much his former life devastated the lives of others. As he dons armor and embraces a mission to confront those who are as he once was, the question is what this storybook transformation might mirror in our own lives.

2. Star Trek

In this 21st-century makeover of a classic series, Kirk has no father and Spock’s dad is emotionally absent. How these young men discover their purpose in life, and get embedded in a mission-focused team that becomes their family, mirrors more than simply a gospel of space exploration.

3. Dark Knight

A grease-painted “accuser” surfaces in a crime-ridden city, condemning “moral” and “immoral” citizens, public servants, and even savior-minded vigilantes. Does the narrative bear out these accusations against the city and find everyone condemned, or does a single man’s actions demonstrate hope for civic salvation? You flip the coin.

4. No Country for Old Men

Is anyone virtuous in this bleak adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel, or do all ultimately deserve a visit from the ominous Anton Chigurh? This ambling narrative wrestles with whether life is random or purposed, and dreams of a warm fire somewhere out there in the darkness. Is it only a dream?

5. Twilight

Whether you think this series sparkles or bites, the vampire has been an enduring metaphor for temptation, sin, and damnation. This examination traces the myth of the vampire from folklore to pop culture, looking at how this latest turn literally adds a new blood type.
Check out more Film & Theology lectures here. You can also read a recent interview with Pastor James about Film & Theology on the Mars Hill Blog.