c. 2004 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) Stories of epic struggles between right and wrong are coming _ and not just to a pulpit near you.

From “Spider-Man 2” and “King Arthur” to “Troy” and “Fahrenheit 9/11,” themes of good and evil abound at the multiplex this summer.

“Movies are modern parables,” said David DiCerto, media reviewer for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Office of Film and Broadcasting. “Christ used the mass medium of his time. I think storytelling has always been the most effective way of getting the message across.”

DiCerto’s office issues movie reviews each week, not just when there’s an explicitly religious film like “The Passion of the Christ” breaking box office records. Other faith-minded organizations critique popular movies as well, with some even offering questions for consideration by discussion groups.

Such action may seem surprising, given that religious communities may be better known for protesting pop culture than analyzing it. But there are those who believe there’s something to be gained by taking a deeper look at Hollywood’s offerings.

Theology is now “being done” outside churches in popular culture, DiCerto said, adding, “I don’t think the church can stand on the sidelines.”

Robert Jewett made a similar case more than 10 years ago in his book, “Saint Paul at the Movies: The Apostle’s Dialogue with American Culture.”

“Many contemporary Americans are shaped much more decisively by popular culture than by their formal education or their religious training,” Jewett wrote. “Paul’s method was to place himself where other people were, to communicate the gospel on their turf. In our day, that clearly should involve the movies, which are a primary arena for discovering and debating important moral, cultural, and religious issues.”

At Christ United Methodist Church in Mobile, Ala., Rob Couch said he uses movies to teach biblical truths during Sunday morning summer services.

“We use movie clips as illustrations in the messages that I preach,” said Couch, who said he used a segment from “Finding Nemo” recently and plans to discuss “Chariots of Fire” in an upcoming sermon.

“I believe that movies more and more are dealing with spiritual themes,” Couch said.

So far this summer, DiCerto said much of the cinematic fare taps into a sense of national anxiety. Some films offer moviegoers a release, an opportunity to laugh in the midst of worries about war and fear of terrorism, he said, while others serve up heroes.

“Troy,” released in May, as well as recent and forthcoming releases like “Spider-Man 2” and “King Arthur” show viewers a society in ruins and someone who’s going to come and restore order, DiCerto said.

“I think most fear is a response to the unknown,” DiCerto said. “It’s a response to the order as we know it crumbling and losing your sort of moral bearings. You don’t know which direction the world’s going.”

In the midst of such uncertainty, figures like Peter Parker’s Spider-Man swing into action, setting things right.

Some have speculated that Spider-Man has been an especially meaningful hero to Americans after the terrorist attacks in 2001.

While Superman is the indestructible Boy Scout, DiCerto said, Spider-Man is everyman, a working class hero.

“He’s wrestling and struggling with the same doubts and fears and insecurities as everyone who’s shelling out the money to buy the tickets,” DiCerto said. “Spider-Man doesn’t have all the answers. And I think that that’s attractive to moviegoers in post-9/11 AmericaâÂ?¦

“We want heroes who … tap into that same sense of uncertainty. But he’s still a hero,” DiCerto said. “He still offers viewers that cathartic sense of hope.”

Humans are drawn to hope, he said. “That’s part of who we are. We’re wired for optimism.”

One summer blockbuster that has provoked debate is Michael Moore’s record-breaking “Fahrenheit 9/11.” The documentary explores issues of morality within the Bush administration and has raked in $60 million at 1,725 theaters across the country. After topping the box office on its opening weekend, it fell to No. 2 July 2-5 behind “Spider-Man 2”

“If the popularity of `Fahrenheit 9/11′ is any indication, people are serious about what’s going on right now and want to engage issues in a fairly unrestrained way,” said Randall Balmer, chairman of the religion department at Columbia University’s Barnard College.

“Perhaps some of the escapism is not greatly characteristic of moviegoers this summer. We live in perilous times, I think.”

MO/RB END CAMPBELL