Looking for the perfect biblical character for a prestige TV show? Look no further than King David. The backstory of the guy is loaded with action, drama and political intrigue. He dealt with literally insane, murderous bosses and ungrateful kids. He made his share of mistakes, too, but David was still considered a man after God’s own heart.

Well, Amazon’s Prime Video is now offering its viewers—Christian and secular alike—an opportunity to dive into David’s story (with a bit of extra-biblical material added to the broth) with House of David.

Kennedy Unthank recently had a chance to interview series creator Jon Erwin and some of the show’s stars. We’ll listen to a few of those conversations and talk about the show itself.

Granted, some of you might be a little behind in your television watching. Why? Because you’re in the middle of Plugged In’s 2025 Screen Fast, of course! As a matter of fact, there’s just a couple of days left to go. I went on my own screen fast a few weeks ago and, if you’re like me, you’re ready to pick up your phones again. But you might not want to return to your same old habits. How do you engage with your screens in a more healthy, less obsessive way? We’ll talk about that very subject with Emily Tsiao and Jonathan McKee.

So take a listen, won’t you? And then, chime in with your own thoughts. Are you watching House of David? Are you watching anything at all? How did your own screen fast go? Let us know on Facebook and Instagram, or write us a missive at team@thepluggedinshow.com. You can leave a message at The Plugged In Show homepage, too.

And join us next week when Adam Holz returns to the host’s chair to talk about how to have a family movie night.

The post Episode 277: ‘House of David.’ Plus, the Screen Fast Is Almost Over! Now What? appeared first on Plugged In.

“Agatha, confession,” he says. “I know an egregious amount about you. Been obsessed since I first read up on your Salem days.”

Billy isn’t the only one obsessed with pop-culture witchery. According to Disney+, more than 9 million people watched the first episode of Agatha All Along—a substantial number in the fragmented world of streaming. The movie Wicked, a sympathetic origin story of sorts for The Wizard of Oz’s the Wicked Witch of the West, is set to become a box-office monster. (Its originating stage musical is one of the highest-earning Broadway productions of all time.) The witch-hub town of Salem, Massachusetts, drew about 2.2 million visitors in 2022, according to The Ringer—a million of those coming during the month of October alone.

There’s even now a design trend called “witchcore,” which is (according to RealHomes writer Jessie Quinn) “all about embracing a lifestyle of occult-inspired décor and practices such as Tarot card reading, potion making, herbalism and … collecting crystals.”

Granted, it is the season. Every October, popular culture is awash in witches, joining ghosts, vampires, mummies and the like. You might even see a few pint-size witches—their hats almost as tall as they are—come to your door and ask for candy.

But it seems that our society has been particularly, um, spellbound by witches as of late—and they have, as of late, taken a darker turn.

A Pop-Culture Cauldron

Turn the clock back a few hundred years, and witches were no laughing matter. Showing an affinity for witchcraft back then was liable to get you hung or burned at the stake.

(Fun fact: One of my reported ancestors, a Puritan preacher named George Burroughs, was executed as a witch in Salem. He recited the Lord’s Prayer on the scaffold—thought to be impossible for a witch to do at the time—but it did him no good.)

And why were alleged witches so hated and feared? Well, simple: Their powers came straight from the devil. Witches were thought to be in league with Satan, and no community wanted a lot of powerful, curse-wielding devil worshippers running around, right? So even if many convicted witches were guilty of nothing more than running afoul of a neighbor (whose cow might’ve gotten sick at just the wrong time) or using backyard herbs to treat a headache, you can understand the fear.  

But by the late 19^th century, America was already seeing a switch in witches. They were showing up in advertisements. Frank L. Baum was writing about “good” witches in his Oz books. By the time the TV sitcom Bewitched rolled around in 1964, the pop-culture image of magic users was almost completely divorced from its Satanic underpinnings. They were humorous Halloween staples who wore pointy hats and popped newt hairs in big cauldrons. Their magic often became more of a genetic thing (as we see in the Harry Potter stories) or from harnessing the powers of nature or, well, it just was. But it certainly didn’t come from Satan. No sirree, said pop culture.

In some circles, witches have morphed into symbols of female empowerment, something that Agatha All Along offers a nod to. As Agatha tries to form her coven to conquer the magical challenge of “The Road,” Teen tells us that covens are the “truest form of sisterhood.”

But despite society’s best efforts, you can’t divorce pop-culture witchery from witchcraft’s spiritual underpinnings. And that darkness is being acknowledged more and more.

Get Out the Brooms

Agatha from Agatha All Along is explicitly tied to Salem, and the show’s title sequence is awash in not just pop-culture witches (Bewitched even gets a nod) but in pentagrams and tarot cards and artwork taken from witch trials centuries earlier. The otherwise silly witches of Disney’s Hocus Pocus movies explicitly worship Satan, even bowing down to a guy in a devil costume by mistake.

And in some ways, you could say that even the themes of Satanism itself are being treated more lightly these days. In Peacock’s new show Hysteria!, a high school heavy metal band decides to “embrace” devil worship as part of their stage act, just as their small town is wringing their hands over the reputed ritualistic murder of another high schooler.

“None of us is remotely into Satanism,” one band member says, arguing about their turn to the literal dark side.

“That never stopped Ozzy [Osbourne] from using the devil to sell records,” the leader counters.

“Satanism is in,” the band member says. And even though the show takes place in the late 1980s, the same just might be said today.

In our increasingly secular culture, where just 58% of Americans say they believe in the devil (according to a 2023 Gallup poll), witchcraft and Satanism apparently feel ripe for light, pop-culture treatment.

That’s a big issue for many Christian families. And it’ll likely only grow in the Octobers to come.

Not all pop-culture witches are created equal. Harry Potter’s Hermione Granger is cut from a different cloth than Hocus Pocus’ Winifred Sanderson. Sabrina Spellman (as portrayed by Melissa Joan Hart in Sabrina the Teenage Witch) would likely balk at the character’s Satanic ancestry in Netflix’s The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. But we should always approach this subject with a great deal of care—if we approach it at all.

The Bible offers plenty of warnings concerning witchcraft and sorcery. And as our pop-culture witches grow darker, parents should be mindful with that sort of entertainment.

Does your family give it all a hard, firm no? It’s not a bad idea. But even if you do wade into entertainment’s witchy waters, remember to talk through these issues with your kids. Ask them to consider where the witches get their magic: Is it Harry Potter-style genetics, or does it come from a darker source, such as Supernatural’s demon-summoning witches? Remind them that real magic is nothing to play around with—perhaps quoting Leviticus 20:6, 1 Samuel 15:23 or any of the many other verses that deal with witchcraft.

And, of course, always remember to point back to God, the source of all power and the home of our hope. Leaning on anything else, including witchcraft, is worthless.

The post Toil and Trouble: Witches Are In, and Why That’s a Problem appeared first on Plugged In.

Over the last few years, news stories about artificial intelligence’s proliferation show up, it seems, just about every day. Some ponder whether we’re headed down a Terminator or Matrix-like path. Others speculate about how this rapidly evolving technology will change the way we work or otherwise revolutionize our culture.

But closer to home, there’s another question worth pondering right now: How is AI changing the experience of adolescence? Some of the answers to that question might surprise you as our team ponders this technological marvel’s impact on being a teen today.

And in our second segment, I talk with Paul Asay about the latest Marvel show, Agatha All Along. Just how occult-focused is it? We’ll address that question, as well as dealing with some other elements of this series that you’ll want to be aware of as a parent.   

As always, we’d love to hear from you and engage your thoughts on this week’s topics … or anything else related to pop culture and technology. You can connect with us in several different ways. The comments section below is one method. Or shoot us an email at team@thepluggedinshow.com.

And if you go to our podcast homepage, thepluggedinshow.com, you’ll find a black ribbon on the right-hand side of the page where you can leave us a voicemail with your thoughts—we might even feature your audio message on a future show. And, of course, Facebook and Instagram are options, too. We’re excited to report that we’ve begun hearing from some of you, and we look forward to adding more voices to the show as you leave us your thoughts.

Thanks for joining us this week on The Plugged In Show.

The post Episode 256: How AI is Changing Adolescence. Plus, ‘Agatha All Along’ appeared first on Plugged In.

How mainstream is anime? A recent Polygon survey found that 42% of Gen Z respondents report watching anime content weekly, compared to 25% of Millennials, 12% of Gen X and 3% of Baby Boomers. The same survey further notes that only 25% of Gen Z’s members keep up with the NFL weekly.

What’s more, prominent brands, including McDonald’s, Duolingo and Puma, have likewise capitalized on the popularity of anime to boost sales. The BBC even writes on how anime has “taken the West by storm.”

What Is Anime, Anyway?

For those unaware, anime isn’t a genre so much as it is a medium. The word derives from a shortened version of the Japanese word “animēshon,” which, unsurprisingly, refers to any animated work. Linguistically, the term is typically used to describe any animation that originates from Japan—as opposed to Western animation, for instance.

Similar to how Marvel adapts comic books for the big screen, many anime shows and movies are based on manga, which are Japanese comics or graphic novels. Polygon noted that manga—which differentiates from Western comics in that they’re read right to left and are typically black-and-white—rose in sales by 280% in 2021 at American bookstores.

Because the term anime essentially just describes where an animated work originated, its topics can range as widely as the rest of the entertainment landscape. Some movies and shows feature deep, heavy and contemplative topics (such as Grave of the Fireflies). Others can be soaked in action and adventure (such as My Hero Academia). And some might just be far too inappropriate for your family.

With such a wide range of potential content concerns, it can be helpful to understand some other key jargon related to the medium. Anime and manga alike fall into various genres. And while some can be slated under genres with which we’d be familiar—such as drama or comedy—some iterations fall under specific terms that’ll be foreign to a newcomer. To help you start navigating a medium growing in popularity, we’ve put together a list of prominent anime genres with which you might not be familiar. And after that, we’ll note some of the common issues that, while not indicative of every movie or show in the medium, do appear often enough to merit a warning.

Genres

Different kinds of anime are not immediately divided by plot descriptions but are instead primarily labeled by age demographic. It is important to recognize that these distinctions are based on where its manga was originally published. Also important: anime’s age categories aren’t determined by any sort of MPA rating system.

For instance, if a show is described as a shonen TV show, that means the manga on which it is based likely originally appeared in a magazine which prints stories intended for 12-to-18-year-old boys. So while content in the show should generally match the age demographic associated with it, some shows can certainly toe the line of what’s appropriate for that age range. The following terms all describe the age demographic to which a title is meant to appeal:

• Kodomomuke. This term translates to “intended for children” and targets age groups younger than 12 years old. These stories tend to have moral lessons and heavy emphasis on the value of friendship and family. Popular examples of this genre include Pokémon, Digimon and Beyblade.

• Shonen. Literally translating to “boy,” shonen anime aims to entice boys between the ages of 12 to 18. This genre typically features a larger-than-life teenage or young adult male protagonist and a whole lot of action, adventure and fight scenes, sometimes with a lot of blood. In the United States, shonen anime tends to be the most popular type. Typical lessons include perseverance, fighting against evil and the value of friendship. Popular examples of this genre include Hunter x Hunter, Naruto, Death Note, My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan, Dragon Ball and One Piece.

• Shojo. Shojo is the opposite of shonen, translating to “girl” and intended for female audiences between 12 and 18. The genre often contains a female lead and frequently contains a romance plot, though other shojo may focus on mysteries, action or fantasy. Due to many shojo anime titles focusing on romance, some may contain lighter sexual content. Typical lessons include self-love and acceptance, compassion and a variety of social issues. Popular examples of this genre include Sailor Moon, Fruits Basket and Princess Tutu.

• Seinen. This genre targets adult men (those 18 and older). The content is typically more graphically violent, and it may contain foul language and sex. Likewise, many stories are often (though not always) dark, and they don’t always have happy endings. Common themes explored in seinen anime include politics, philosophy and realism. Popular examples of this genre include Vinland Saga, Berserk, Made in Abyss, One-Punch Man and Cowboy Bebop.

• Josei. Continuing down the list, josei targets adult women (those 18 and up). Like the shojo genre, josei anime tends to focus on romance. However, these romances also tend to be more realistic in the positives and negatives that come with them, and they can be sexually explicit. They can sometimes dive into LGBT relationships as well. Meanwhile, other josei stories simply focus on non-romantic issues relevant to adult women. Common themes explored in josei anime include issues in relationships, various moral and philosophical questions and realism. Popular examples of this genre include Paradise Kiss, Chihayafuru and Honey and Clover.

Following this distinction, anime also falls into various topic-based genres. While many will be familiar with genres like sci-fi, action or horror, below are genres that are more common to anime than other media.

• Slice of Life. Slice-of-life anime focuses on the mundane, intentionally containing a slow, episodic pace in order to mimic life for most real-life people (though in some cases, these shows may focus on the daily lives of outlandish characters). A subgenre of slice of life is called iyashikei, meaning “healing.” It tries to show the small beauties of mundane life, such as the enjoyment of surrounding nature or tension-less activities. Fans of lighthearted sitcoms may enjoy the slice-of-life genre. Popular examples of this genre include The Disastrous Life of Saiki K., The Way of the Househusband, Fruits Basket and Aria.

• Mecha. This popular form of anime centers on giant robots, often ones that do battle with each other or giant monsters. While they can sometimes adhere to the laws of physics, they likewise can contain aspects of magic. Popular examples of this genre include Mobile Suit Gundam, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gurren Lagann and Code Geass.

• Isekai. Isekai literally translates to “other world,” and it features a protagonist who, through magic or other means, is transported into a different realm and must learn how to live there. Western audiences might identify Alice in Wonderland or The Chronicles of Narnia as having isekai qualities. Popular examples of this genre include That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime, Spirited Away, Sword Art Online and Re: Zero – Starting Life in Another World.

• Ecchi. This is the kind anime you’ll want to avoid—and to help your children stay away from as well. This genre intentionally contains light sexual situations that can be designated as “soft porn.” It derives from the first letter of the far more graphic hentai, another genre which translates to “pervert” and features explicit sex and nudity. For obvious reasons, we won’t list examples for this category, but we want parents to be aware that this category exists.

Concerns to Note

As you’ll note from our reviews, pretty much every piece of entertainment potentially has something negative to consider. And just as a genre might broadly suggest what content issues you might expect (violence and spiritual themes are common in horror movies, for instance), there are likewise concerns that rise above others in frequency with anime, too. While there are always exceptions to that rule, be mindful of the following three issues that pop up in anime more often than other problems do.

• Sexualization. If there’s one stereotype that anime is unable to shake (and which, in many cases, is unfortunately true), it’s the unnecessary sexualization of its characters—usually its female characters. In many shows, women can be drawn with ridiculous proportions and are seen in revealing clothing. In other instances, which some viewers deride as “fan service,” animators intentionally take moments throughout a show to focus on a female character’s body parts. Or they’ll intentionally put the character in a situation that compromises her dignity in some way. This becomes disturbing, as some shows may even use the same tactics on underage characters. It is common for viewers to ask online if a show contains “fan service” before they watch to avoid such objectifying issues.

• Heavy Violence. Some shows contain heavy amounts of violence. Fights in the shonen genre tend to accentuate the amount of blood the characters lose as well as the toll taken on their bodies as they battle. The popular series Attack on Titan, for instance, is infamous for its bloodshed, depicting people struggling to survive against man-eating titans. Other shows, like Promised Neverland, even depict the death of children.

• Spiritual Themes. Many shows dive into Eastern spiritual themes. While some are casual references to Eastern philosophy, others can incorporate these ideas more fully. Death Note, for instance, features a land full of gods of death and the means by which they take human lives. Meanwhile, Record of Ragnarok incorporates traditions from across the globe to depict a battle between man and the gods. While these ideas are often used more for entertainment value and to explain a show’s otherworldly setting than any sort of proselytizing, parents will still want to be aware how shows can dabble in spirituality.

Conclusion

Like the realm of television, it’s unfair to classify all anime as good or bad. I’ll admit that, other than prominent shows such as Pokémon, I didn’t pay much attention to anime for a long time, believing that every show was going to be filled with the aforementioned issues. And while it is true that some shows contain these themes, there are plenty out there that don’t—and they may even tell a good story.

My advice, therefore, is not to reject the medium altogether, but rather to treat it as you would any other streaming service. When you hop on Netflix, Disney+ or Prime, for instance, you know that there are plenty of movies and TV shows that are just plain garbage and should be avoided.

But if you’re coming to Plugged In, you also already recognize that there are pieces of entertainment on those streaming platforms that are worthwhile, shows and movies that provide positive messages and don’t fall into the same pitfalls as others. (After all, we previously listed Spy x Family as one of our Top 5 TV shows of 2022.)

And as anime becomes a more recognizable medium in the Western world, we’d encourage parents to use this guide as a way to push their children away from problematic shows and towards helpful ones.

The post What Is Anime? A Parent’s Primer appeared first on Plugged In.

Well, that’s only partially true.

Some movie stars unexpectedly lost during Sunday’s award show: Meryl Streep and Robert Downey Jr. were both nominated; both were heavy favorites; and both walked away empty-handed.

But streaming services shared the stage with cable networks. And traditional broadcast television—CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox and the CW—didn’t score a single victory on Sunday’s telecast. Not one. Only one scripted show—ABC’s Abbott Elementary—was even nominated.

And that’s not just bad news for those networks. It’s bad news for families, too.

First, let’s mention the winners.

FX’s Shōgun collected four statuettes Sunday night, including one for best drama series, best dramatic actress (Anna Sawai) and best dramatic actor (Hiroyuki Sanada). Add in the Emmys given out the day before (which weren’t part of the telecast) and Shōgun carted home 14 wins.

Fellow FX show The Bear scored 11 wins between Saturday and Sunday—a record for any comedy series. But HBO’s Hacks upset The Bear for Outstanding Comedy Series, and Jean Smart earned yet another Emmy as best comedic actress. (She’s won three such statuettes for her work in Hacks and six overall.)

Meanwhile, the semi-autobiographical Baby Reindeer, streaming on Netflix, took home the award for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, along with three other wins on Sunday.

But these shows share more than just some nice hardware. They also share this: a TV-MA rating.

The MA brand signifies that the shows are for “mature audiences” only, essentially the TV equivalent of an R-rating (or worse). And while these ratings are selected by the creators themselves (making them a tad more unreliable than the movie industry’s independently-rated MPA ratings), they’re certainly an indication of the level of content viewers can expect.

And when we say these shows carry the equivalent of an R-rating, let me caution further: These shows are often harsher, and significantly so, than their typical R-rated film brethren. Certainly much more explicit than anything you might see on broadcast TV.

Because of their age-old charter and historical reach, broadcast shows are designed for a wider audience. They censor the harshest profanities. Sensitive body parts are (typically) covered. While many certainly have their own set of problems, they tend to be more family friendly than their cable and streaming peers, which have no such restrictions. So when cable and streaming services dominate the Emmys, there’s a good chance that problematic content is the night’s biggest winner.

Certainly, we’ve followed this trend for a while. Across the world of entertainment, mature content often seems to be paired, ostensibly, with aesthetic excellence. But it need not be so. The Academy Awards, at least, acknowledge every year that the quality of a movie isn’t synonymous with its quantity of objectionable content. Of the nine Best Picture nominees for this past year’s Oscars, three of them—Past Lives, The Zone of Interest and Barbie—were rated PG-13.

But in the increasingly crass world of television, its most-honored shows are among its most foul. All eight shows nominated for Outstanding Drama Series this year were rated TV-MA.

That’s too bad. The Emmys might not acknowledge it, but the small screen does harbor some pretty good shows that don’t necessarily pepper you with problems. And we’ll continue to call them out here at Plugged In.

The post The Emmys Remind Us That ‘Great TV’ Is Often Terrible for Families appeared first on Plugged In.

Sauron is just the worst.

We read all about Middle Earth’s Big Bad in J.R.R. Tolkien’s sprawling saga The Lord of the Rings (and his equally sprawling but less-entertaining musings in The Silmarillion). We saw his glowing visage in Peter Jackson’s Oscar-winning films. And now, we see a more human—but no less evil—Sauron in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power series, which just began its second season on Amazon’s Prime Video.

Well, that gives some of us at Plugged In an excuse to travel to Middle Earth ourselves (metaphorically, of course) and get all Tolkien-geeky. And who will be making this brave-and-daring journey? Why, Kennedy Unthank, of course, who previously penned a saga of his own: “The Theology of … The Lord of the Rings.” He’s also reviewed the first three episodes of The Rings of Power, and he’ll be checking out additional episodes throughout the year.

Also making the trip with us is Bret Eckelberry, who brings his own Tolkien love in his elven-made satchel. And then there’s me, who—like Frodo Baggins on the Morgul Pass—will just be struggling to keep up.

And then we’ll make a quick return trip to our own world, where Adam Holz and I will talk about Reagan—a movie about the actor-turned-politician-turned-president. Is the movie good? Well, Adam will tell you all about it.

And hey, why don’t you saddle up your own horse and make the journey with us as well? We can swap stories around the campfire. No, no. Never mind. We don’t have a campfire. But we do have plenty of ways to connect with us: Tell us what you think about Reagan and The Rings of the Power down below in the comments. Or send us an email to team@thepluggedinshow.com. Or leave us a voicemail at The Plugged In Show homepage. Drop us a few words on Facebook or Instagram. Or, hey, if you have a Palantir, you could try to connect with us that way, too.

And, of course, we look forward to connecting with you again this time next week—when we celebrate our 250^th episode and talk about resetting your family’s screen time for the new school year.

The post Episode 249: Looking at ‘The Rings of Power.’ Plus, ‘Reagan’ appeared first on Plugged In.

You flip on Netflix or Prime Video or Disney+. You see what looks like a fun little cartoon in your feed. You say, “Oh, that looks fine to watch with the kids!” And then, you discover … it’s not fine. It’s not fine at all.

Sure, we’ve learned over the last several years that cartoons aren’t always made for kids. But recently, we’ve seen the release of two animated shows—Exploding Kittens and Sausage Party: Foodtopia—with issues that would cause even an R-rated movie to blush.

Exploding Kittens is filled with sex and gore, but its greatest flaw might be its sacrilegious spirituality. (That happens when you turn God into a cat.) Foodtopia—a sequel to the 2016 film Sausage Party—ratchets back its forebear’s own scathing religious attacks, but it amps up other forms of problematic content.

These shows would be on many a parental do-not-watch list. But because they’re cartoons, a 7-year-old might watch them anyway. All it takes is a click or two.

How do you protect your family? Our host, Adam Holz, talks with me, Kennedy Unthank and Jonathan McKee about that very thing. 

After we tell you about shows your kids probably shouldn’t see, Adam and Bob Hoose will talk about a movie that’s far more navigable. My Penguin Friend is a sweet, simple story about a grieving fisherman and—well, his penguin friend. Hollywood doesn’t make a lot of movies like this anymore. But maybe they should.

And speaking of friends, we’d love for our listening friends to join in the conversation. Do you have a favorite movie featuring a cute-and-lovable animal? Do you have thoughts on how you can keep really problematic shows out of your home? We’d love to hear them. Send us an email (team@thepluggedinshow.com.) Leave us a voicemail on our Plugged In Show homepage. Post a missive on Facebook or Instagram. Or just write a little something here on our blog.

And be sure to listen in again next week, when I talk with Alex and Stephen Kendrick about moviemaking, discipleship and their new film, The Forge. Should be a conversation you won’t want to miss.

The post Episode 247: The Allure of Bad Content. Plus, ‘My Penguin Friend’ appeared first on Plugged In.

These athletes truly represent, in a way, the physical pinnacle of God’s creation. They’ve been blessed with natural talent, and they’ve stewarded those gifts through years of training and hard work. And while many compete solely for some blend of personal honor and national pride, some also choose to point to a higher power.

Indeed, many athletes have their eyes not just on gold, but on God, trusting Him to use their talents for His glory on the national stage. Here are a few of those God-glorifying athletes to keep an eye out for.

Caeleb Dressel

(Men’s 100m Butterfly, Men’s 50m Freestyle)

While Dressel is already a seven-time gold-medal swimmer, he hasn’t been swimming his whole life. Yes, he started swimming at a young age, and he competed in his first Olympic Trials in 2012—when he was just 15. But the stress of swimming built along with his success. When he felt the pressure to always succeed in his senior year of high school, swimming lost its joy so, for six months, he gave it up. When he came back, he not only was a more confident swimmer, but fuller spiritually.

“Coming out of that, I started swimming again and really just put all my trust in God and knowing that he’s going to take care of everything for me, good or bad,” Dressel told the Baptist Standard in 2016.

Dressel still confesses Christianity, and the eagle tattooed on his left shoulder is to remind him of Isaiah 40:31, his favorite Bible verse.

Jayson Tatum

(Men’s Basketball 5X5)

Dressel is not the only American Olympic athlete with faith-based tattoos. Tatum has been playing basketball for the Boston Celtics since 2017, and he has always used his platform to share his faith through his humility—and his ink.

A tattoo on Tatum’s back reads “God’s Will” in large letters with Proverbs 3:5-6 referenced underneath. He also lives by the motto, “In Jesus’ Name I play,” which is tattooed on his wrist and featured in his Instagram bio.

“From a young age, my grandmother was the first one to always remind me how blessed I am to be in this position and the talents that I have,” Tatum told Sport and Faith in 2023. “And to make sure that everything you do, you do it for Jesus.”

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

(Women’s 400m Hurdles)

In her memoir, Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith, McLaughlin-Levrone shares her personal testimony from having her self-worth wrapped up in a perfect run to being grounded spiritually in her personal life and on the track.

“My life wasn’t about me,” McLaughlin-Levrone told Women’s Running in January. It was about showing the world God’s power, wisdom, kindness, love, and forgiveness.”

In the 2022 World Championships, she broke the 400-meter hurdle record and won the gold, giving credit to God for giving her confidence and peace to succeed.

Vincent Hancock

(Men’s Skeet Shooting)

Hancock has won four World Championships, six World Cup events, and three Olympic gold medals, but there was a point when he considered giving up. Instead, his wife encouraged him to pray. Hancock gives his wife credit for her role in helping his faith grow, but he gives God credit for his success.

More than that, he believes God has given him an opportunity to lead others to Jesus, and he’s very vocal about his growing love for his Savior and the importance of prayer in his family.

“God has given me this amazing ability to do what I do, so I’m going to go out and I’m going to take a hold of it, and I’m going to do it because it’s more than just winning a gold,” Hancock told the Baptist Press in 2016. “It’s people I can impact in a positive direction on a daily basis through what I do—that would otherwise have no input from a Christian source.”

Vashti Cunningham

(Women’s High Jump)

Randall Cunningham, former NFL quarterback, is always there for his daughter, Vashti, as not just her dad, but as her coach and pastor. Vashti told NBC that her father would point her to God during practice and how trusting in Him helped her succeed in stressful situations.

“Mental training is about the inner being, in my opinion, and she trusts God,” Randall told CBS Sports in 2016. “A lot of athletes are strong Christians, because when you exhaust yourself with believing in yourself, you have to believe in the Truth. You can’t rub a rabbit’s foot. The rabbit’s foot is not going to do anything for you. But when you pull on the true and living God, there’s power in that.”

It’s safe to say athleticism and faith run in this family.

Brady Ellison

(Men’s Individual Archery)

When Ellison was 19, just two weeks before the 2008 Olympics, he got baptized. Kisik Lee, head coach at the time for the US Olympic Archery Training Program, advocated strongly for the Christian faith, believing that spirituality would help quiet his team’s minds in competition. He also prayed for his athletes to see God through him.

In 2010, Ellison narrowly avoided a head-on car crash on a small two-lane highway in Vermont. He credits God for saving his life. From that moment, Ellison said his faith was reaffirmed.

“I wouldn’t say I was the most angelic of a person,” he told Yahoo Sports in 2012. I’ve quit drinkin’. Just tried to be a better person, healthier and live for Him.”

Hezly Rivera

(Women’s Artistic Gymnastics)

Rivera, at 16 years-old, is the youngest athlete from Team USA, but her youth doesn’t stop her from praising God. In fact, her first response when she was asked how she made the team was to give God credit for her success. Later she posted Philippians 4:13 under pictures of her with the Olympian team to her Instagram account.

“I’m just enjoying the journey and the process, and I’m so blessed, and I thank God every day,” Rivera told NBC DFW in a recent interview.

The young gymnast will likely be around for a while.

The post 7 Christian Olympians to Watch This Summer appeared first on Plugged In.

The second season of Prime’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (predicated on J.R.R. Tolkien’s work, of course), is set for an Aug. 29 release. Prime has also released two seasons of The Wheel of Time (based on Robert Jordan’s sprawling fantasy series), with a third season rumored to be on deck for 2025.

And now, Prime Video has turned to the most important book of all: The Bible.

Production is underway in Greece for the upcoming series, House of David. Relative newcomer Michael Iskander has been cast as Israel’s giant-slaying, psalm-writing king, while Ali Suliman has been cast as King Saul. It’s the first joint production from Amazon’s MGM Studios and The Wonder Project—a faith-based indie studio founded by Christian director and producer Jon Erwin. Erwin will be serving as the show’s director and executive producer, too.

And while we obviously can’t say that House of David is going to be any good yet, the partnership between The Wonder Project and Amazon MGM has me pretty jazzed. (The House of David is also produced by Nomadic Pictures and Argonauts, along with Kingdom Story Company and Lionsgate Television.)

Erwin’s been a driving force behind some of the most successful faith-based movies out there, from I Can Only Imagine to American Underdog to Jesus Revolution. Back in MGM’s heyday in the 1950s and ‘60s, the studio was known for its biblically tinged epics, including Quo Vadis (1951) and Ben-Hur (1959).

This feels like a partnership that’ll take the source material seriously, and it’ll keep its eye on the show’s aesthetic quality as well. Both of which are important to a show such as House of David. The biblical narrative is worth a sweeping epic, and it’s filled with all the stuff that causes Hollywood to swoon: action, blood, heroism and scandal. For my money, I think that King Saul just might be one of the most compelling characters in the whole of the Bible. (Not heroic, mind you, but his tragic arc is reminiscent of Shakespeare.)

But because it is so dramatic, David’s story—in the wrong hands—could turn pretty salacious, and problematic, in a hurry. Lose sight of the source material and you lose the story. Because let’s face it, Hollywood’s most notable dance with King David, a 1985 film starring Richard Gere, certainly feels like a cautionary tale. (It logs in with an 8% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.)

Indeed, Hollywood has had a spotty history with biblically based movies. Some have been good. A few might’ve been great. But others? Not so much. And at times, they’ve been flat-out weird.

So here’s a look at seven such movies and television shows—stories based on the Bible (and, for this list, we’ll stick mainly to the Old Testament). This is by no means an exhaustive list, and plenty of your favorites are not included. But all of these are notable—for one reason or another.

The Bible (miniseries, 2013)

In 2013, the History channel took a curious leap of faith: It aired a sprawling miniseries based on the bestselling book of all time. Created by the husband-and-wife duo of Mark Burnett and Roma Downey (the former, a reality TV impresario; the latter, an actress best known for Touched by an Angel), The Bible was an unexpected ratings smash and, despite some critical raspberries, was nominated for an Emmy for Best Miniseries. And just as the miniseries touched on the book of Revelation at the end, Hollywood received its own revelation: Bible-based entertainment can be profitable.

Noah (PG-13, 2014)

In the wake The Bible’s (see above) success and the shocking box-office achievements of such faith-based films as Fireproof and Courageous, mainstream Hollywood decided to test the biblical waters (so to speak). And its first effort pulled out all the stops. Featuring an all-star cast (including Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson and Anthony Hopkins) and a huge special effects budget, Noah was … something. But it wasn’t biblical. Director Darren Aronofsky wasn’t much interested in staying true to the source material. If you forget that Noah is based on, y’know, Noah, the story does have some interesting themes. But for the most part, Christian audiences disembarked Aronofsky’s box-office boat.

His Only Son (PG-13, 2023)

We move from the Flood to the age of biblical Patriarchs and, in His Only Son, we meet Abraham—the literal granddaddy of them all. While Abraham’s life was long and varied, this 2023 film concentrates on a turning point in not just his life but in all of ours. Asked to sacrifice his son, Abraham dutifully packs up and prepares to do so. But—spoiler alert—he’s stopped just in the nick of time. His Only Son was not only far more reverent to Scripture than Noah, it stressed the ties between that near sacrifice and God’s own coming sacrifice of His Son. And while His Only Son wasn’t a box-office smash—grossing just $13.8 million worldwide—it holds a Rotten Tomatoes “freshness” rating of 83%.

Joseph: King of Dreams (not rated, 2000)

Before the company turned its attention to Shrek and Kung Fu Panda, DreamWorks cut its teeth with kid-friendly biblical narratives. It released The Prince of Egypt in 1998 to modest success. Its second Bible-based animated feature was Joseph: King of Dreams, released directly to video. Featuring seven original songs, gorgeous animation and a notable cast of voice actors (including Ben Affleck and Mark Hamill) Joseph: King of Dreams still lost its way a bit in its storytelling. Most critics didn’t find it quite the equal of The Prince of Egypt, and it was the last Bible-based story that DreamWorks would tackle. But many people still adore it. And if it never made it into your old DVD collection, it is available to rent and stream.

The Ten Commandments (G, 1956)

No Old Testament story has received more attention than that of Moses. From the just-mentioned The Prince of Egypt to 2014’s dispiriting Exodus: Gods and Kings to Cecil B. DeMille’s first take on the story (his 1923 silent film, also titled The Ten Commandments), though most people still think of DeMille’s 1956 epic, featuring none other than Charlton Heston in the title role. Admittedly, this film shows its age. But when it was first released, this was a big deal. It won an Oscar for special effects (thanks to the famous parting of the Red Sea scene) and was nominated for six others. It became the highest-grossing film of the year.. (If you adjusted its earnings for inflation, according to the Guiness World Records, it earned the equivalent of $2 billion.) But, while the broad-brush story is familiar to the one you’ll read in the Bible, The Ten Commandments came under some critical fire for the liberties it took with the source material. It’s a good reminder that such liberties are hardly new to our own age.

One Night with the King (PG, 2006)

You don’t find a lot of biblical epics centered around women. One Night with the King—a retelling of the story of Esther—is an exception. Filmed in India and featuring plenty of familiar faces (including the legendary Peter O’Toole as the prophet Samuel), One Night with the King stuck pretty much to the biblical script and, arguably, paid the price for it among secular critics. It earned a 19% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But Christian audiences largely approved of its efforts to stick to the original script.

Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie (G, 2002)

Russell Crowe as Noah. Charlton Heston as Moses. And … an asparagus as Jonah? That’s what happened in Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie. Released during the height of VeggieTales mania, Jonah was the first feature film to be released by Phil Vischer’s Big Idea Productions—making it, at that point, arguably the company’s biggest idea. Looking back, it might’ve been a little too big. The film made just $25.6 million, and Big Idea declared bankruptcy the next year. But the movie itself is a delight. Our reviewer at the time, Bob Waliszewski, said it “easily competes with A-list Disney fare.”

We could go on, of course. We’re missing everything from the 1928 “part-talkie” Noah’s Ark to 1951’s sultry David and Bathsheba and plenty others besides—and that’s before we even get to the New Testament. There’s a lot of other films I’d love to talk about, but those will have to wait for another blog. And by that time, House of David might just join its ranks.

The post The Bible Goes to Hollywood: Seven Movies and Shows Based on Biblical Stories appeared first on Plugged In.

Galaxies are, by definition, pretty big things. But one particular galaxy—that of the Star Wars franchise—just keeps getting bigger.

Star Wars: The Acolyte is Star Wars’ latest addition. It takes viewers to a time 100 years before the Empire, when the Jedi were still the galaxy’s coolest cops. But underneath all that peace and prosperity, trouble is brewing. And at the center of the cauldron? A former Jedi apprentice named Osha, suspected of killing a Jedi master or two.

The Acolyte is plenty spiritual, but that’s nothing new for Star Wars. After we unpack the show for you, we’ll launch into a broader conversation about the theology of Star Wars. Our own Kennedy Unthank wrote a blog on the subject, and he, Adam Holz and I discuss The Acolyte, the franchise and just what the coolest spaceship in the Star Wars galaxy is.

Then, Adam will sit down with Luke Dimyan and George H. Xanthis, who play Judas and John in The Chosen series. It’s a fascinating conversation you won’t want to miss.

And then, we’d love it if you chose to talk with us for a bit. Leave us a missive on Facebook or Instagram. Write us a letter at team@thepluggedinshow.com. Or leave us a voicemail on our Plugged In Show homepage. You can even try to send us a message via the Force—but we can’t guarantee we’d get it.

And then be sure to listen to our show next week, when we talk about Inside Out 2. You won’t want to miss that conversation, either.

The post Episode 238: ‘The Acolyte’ and the Theology of Star Wars. Plus, an Interview with Judas and John of ‘The Chosen’ appeared first on Plugged In.