Teaching the Bible and Film: Pedagogical Promises, Pitfalls, and Proposals Matthew S. Rindge, Gonzaga University Abstract. This article begins by recognizing the increasing use of film in Religion, The- ology, and Bible courses. It contends that in many Biblical Studies (and Religious Studies and Theology) courses, students are neither taught how to view films properly, nor how to place films into constructive dialogue with biblical texts. The article argues for a specific pedagogical approach to the use of film in which students learn how to view a film closely, in its entirety, on its own terms, and in its own voice. Viewing a film in this manner by attending to its aesthetic integrity is a prerequisite for constructing a fruitful dialogue between films and biblical texts. The essay concludes with three spe- cific examples of what this approach might look like. Two responses follow the essay; Erin Runions of Pomona College considers two additional learning goals we might consider, and Richard Ascough of Queens University at Kingston helpfully distinguishes a range of possible pedagogical goals for introducing film into the Biblical Studies classroom. The increasing use of films in courses on Bible, Religion, and Theology has coincided with a proliferation of university and seminary course offerings in “Bible and Film,” “Religion and Film,” and “Theology and Film.” 1 In light of the amplified role of film in the classroom, this article seeks to evaluate the pedagogical value of using film in Biblical Studies courses. 2 I will show that the use of film in Biblical Studies courses offers both promises and pitfalls, and conclude by offering constructive proposals for how film might be used responsibly, effectively, and imaginatively in such courses. I preface my remarks by acknowledging my vocational location as an assistant professor in a religious studies department at a Jesuit university. In addition to assigning films in courses such as “Synoptic Gospels,” “Bible and Ethics,” and “Parables and Popular Culture,” I also teach a course called “Bible and Film.” 3 This article developed out of a paper I presented at the 2008 Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting (Boston, Mass.). I thank the participants of the “Bible and American Popular Culture” section for their feedback, and am especially grateful to Patrick Gray for his thoughtful and helpful remarks. 1 Schools offering such courses include California State University at Chico, Cambridge, Dana College, Fuller Theological Seminary, Gonzaga University, Millsaps College, Texas Christian Univer- sity, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and University ofWyoming (to name but a few). 2 Although the explicit focus of this article is “Bible and Film,” I intend that it also be beneficial for those teaching “Religion and Film” or “Theology and Film.” 3 In “Synoptic Gospels,” students view and write papers on The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and Jesus of Montreal (1989). In “Bible and Ethics,” I assign The Mission (1986), Bonhoeffer (2003), IN THE CLASSROOM Conversation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd Teaching Theology and Religion, Volume 13, Issue 2, April 2010 140