Scottish theologians use Tarantino to spread the word

Move over Charlton Heston's American-accented Moses and make way for Samuel L Jackson's Bible-quoting hitman in Pulp Fiction.

If you believed the high point of the relationship between the silver screen and the Good Book was Cecil B de Mille's epic The Ten Commandments, it's time to think again. Quentin Tarantino's blood-soaked stories of low-life may have more to say about ideas of redemption and conversion. And Pretty Woman's tale of a prostitute finding love with a wealthy man is "stuffed full of biblical messages".

That is the view of some theologians, who want to use examples from the 20th century's dominant art form to illustrate the timeless moral themes of the Bible to make it more accessible to the modern world.

This weekend, a conference called Reel Issues is taking place in Edinburgh, in which theologians and church leaders will be told how to use modern films to help them to explain the Bible more easily to a world steeped in popular culture.

"Films such as The Full Monty, Pretty Woman and Billy Elliot all contain themes which can be found in the Bible. We are saying the Bible is a modern book for modern times. It's full of great stories and they have informed modern culture over the years,'' said John Lloyd, spokesman for the Scottish Bible Society, which is organising the conference.

"We believe in using film, television and the visual media to get things over to people. Great films get people thinking,'' he added.

One of the speakers will be the Rev Gene McAfee, formerly a lecturer on film and religion at Harvard University and now an assistant minister at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, who will be talking about Pulp Fiction. "Rather than make film fit into pre-defined categories, I ask, 'What do the great films tell us about the fundamental religious questions?' Pulp Fiction is a violent film, a filthy film, but it's also a complex film about a variety of issues, a very good instructional film," Mr McAfee said.

He is also enthusiastic about the work of the British director Ken Loach, in particular his latest film, Sweet Sixteen, which tells the story of a teenager living in deprived circumstances on a housing estate in Scotland. "It tells us a lot about the cyclical nature of poverty," he said.

The 200-year-old Bible Society is proud of its innovative attempts to promote the Good Book to modern-day communities and has engaged in projects with the Scottish National Library and the Scottish National Galleries and, more recently, held a one-man show at the Edinburgh Fringe. Surprisingly, given the conservative reputation of some elements of the Scottish church, it received only a couple of letters of objection.

But the more conventional biblical epics, such as those of Cecil B de Mille, will not be discussed at the conference. "That's the stuff of another conference really," Mr Lloyd said. "We want to focus on more contemporary films where we think there is much more to be gained."

Matt Mueller, the editor of Total Film magazine, said he thought Tarantino would be very pleased to hear of Pulp Fiction being used in such a way. "I must admit it's a bit surprising at first, but I'm sure Tarantino would very much approve of this, because the film does contain ideas of biblical redemption. The conference does sound like a good idea because film is a very big part of popular culture. It is a very interesting way of getting people involved with the Bible."

A churchman's view of the movies

Pulp Fiction

Quentin Tarantino's episodic and violent story of hitmen, gangsters and other low life in Los Angeles.

The Rev Gene McAfee's verdict: "A complex film which raises issues of redemption and conversion. It's an ugly film for an ugly time, telling us about the values of the United States in the 1980s. The way in which the Samuel L Jackson figure undergoes a transformation has strong parallels with the story of Jacob.''

Babette's Feast

Critically acclaimed French film about a woman who spends a windfall on one sumptuous meal for members of a spartan religious community.

Mr McAfee's verdict: "It's a film about two ways of being religious: the cold, northern European way, and the more worldly way of French Catholicism. It's also about the ability to transform people's lives and the whole concept of the meal can obviously be compared to the Last Supper.''

Sweet Sixteen

Ken Loach's latest venture into gritty realism is about a 15-year-old boy on a deprived Greenock housing estate whose mother is in prison.

Mr McAfee's verdict: "A very good film. It shows us the complexity of poverty and how violence and addiction are tied up with its cyclical nature. These themes are present in the Bible, if not in direct narrative form, and I am immediately reminded of the words of Jesus: 'The poor will always be with you'."

The Matrix

Hi-tech science fiction drama for the DVD generation set amid a virtual reality world.

Mr McAfee's verdict: "The exception that proves the rule. This is a film that begins with very interesting use of religious symbolism and the idea of Keanu Reeves as the Messiah figure amid much apocalyptic imagery. Then it all falls apart and it becomes just a sci-fi Western vehicle for Reeves, which fails to deliver any message. A waste, really.''