Religion: Mount Sinai to Main Street

The religious movie epic—along with the "religiose" pop tune and the Biblical bestseller—is more than ever a part of the U.S. scene. Clergymen have mixed feelings about it. Some see it as a heartening sign of a religious revival, believe that movies can make the stories and sometimes even the spirit of the Bible come alive for otherwise indifferent millions. Other churchmen are appalled to find Scripture reduced to sex and circuses, to see spiritual messages clothed in the well-publicized flesh of Hollywood stars, regard the whole trend as part of a vulgarization...