Christians around the world are super excited about recent Christian-themed achievements in American cinema. For many, it feels like what’s called, “kairos time,” or “God’s appointed time to act,” and it’s happening in the entertainment industry, of all places. The spiritual awakening commenced when media personality Jawn Murray shared a Facebook post encouraging his friends and fans to check out the movie War Room, a drama by the Kendrick brothers (Alex and Stephen) about a picture-perfect family that seemed to have it all. They were in a spiritual warfare and overcame it with prayer. The movie was a box office hit.
Adding to the mix, this weekend, Oprah Winfrey will present the landmark television event “Belief,” a week-long documentary series airing over seven consecutive nights that depicts how people with a wide range of beliefs search for deeper meaning and connection with the world around them: the rituals, stories and relationships that bind us together as human beings.
Also, opening in theaters this weekend, Friday, Oct. 16, 2015, is a film by the Erwin brothers (Jon and Andy) which features multi-hyphenate entertainer Sherri Shepherd, titled Woodlawn. In a breakout role, Caleb Castille plays Tony Nathan, a gifted high school football player who has to balance football and faith as he comes of age at Woodlawn High School in Birmingham, Alabama, and later became an NFL player and coach. Playing in the ’70s, Nathan was Birmingham’s first Black football prodigy.
Castille, who complements Nathan so well, is the product of a football dynasty. A noted player himself, his father, Jeremiah, and his two older brothers, Tim and Simeon played football at the University of Alabama – two generations of Crimson Tide – and went on to play in the NFL.
In Woodlawn, Shepherd plays Nathan’s mom. “With what’s going on today, with such division and tension, this story really hits home that we actually could heal,” Shepherd says. “To see how Tony’s parents survived, in the midst of such racial tension, and what they passed on to their children, especially Tony, to make it past that, to get through that, with love, is something that we need now. We need love. We need faith. We need hope. Healing can happen. And hearts can be changed. They can.”
During a recent episode of “The View,” Shepherd praised the film that showcases spiritual revival and reconciliation.
