Ministers and Movies: An Analysis of Christian Religious Leaders' Roles in American Film in the 1960s and the 1980s

This qualitative analysis sheds light on movie portrayals of Christian religious leaders during the 1960s and the 1980s. While movies both shape and reflect the attitude of Christianity in the second half of the 20 th century, they do so by using clergy members as plot devices, as metaphors for authority, tradition, and God, and as a representation of the human nature of religious leaders. This study concludes that although at first glance the movie portrayals of Christian religious leaders appear negative, they actually strongly indicate a need to adhere to or embrace traditional religious or moral values. Furthermore, while religious leaders usually appear in minor roles in movies, they are integral to the telling of the plot, and as long as religion plays a central role in society, it likely will in Hollywood movies as well.