More MTOL Press!

A Christian arts group called Fusion out of St. Louis has posted a blog about the show. The site is relatively new, but it looks like they’re doing some good stuff over there. Head on over and check them out. Meanwhile, the blog post is below.

Remember that rousing discussion we all had about Fireproof a couple months ago? Well, we weren’t the only ones. I recently discovered a podcast called “More Than One Lesson,” hosted by a fellow named Tyler Smith out in L.A. I was surprised and encouraged to find much of our conversation mirrored on his show.

By day, Tyler co-hosts the popular “Battleship Pretension” podcast, which he and co-host David Bax describe as “a weekly conversation between two movie nerds.” It’s a great deal of fun, and I highly recommend it if you enjoy some good film talk. Tyler and David have made appearances on some of my other favorite film ‘casts like “Filmspotting” and “On the Page,” so they’re not just messing around here. Well okay, they are, but that’s why it’s fun, and they know what they’re talking about.

Recently, Tyler branched out with a solo show. “More Than One Lesson” digs eagerly into popular movies with an eye towards gaining insights that Christians can appreciate. Mind you, this isn’t the kind of Christian review that counts up the swear words and points out who the Jesus figure in the movie is. It’s for Christians who genuinely love cinema and can hear God speaking through the art form, even when it’s in the hands of those who don’t follow Him.

Tyler’s first episode, for instance, talked about the film Milk, the true story of a gay politician assassinated in the middle of his efforts to gain civil rights. I’m sure many Christians, like myself, skipped it mainly on general principle. But Tyler waded into the middle of the controversy to see what there was to see–and there was quite a bit. You certainly don’t have to condone homosexuality in order to feel the same compassion Jesus felt when faced with the suffering of lost souls.

I’ll refrain from paraphrasing Tyler’s entire episode and instead invite you to listen. If you believe that art is originally a gift from God, capable of displaying His truth and beauty despite the failings of us fallen humans, this is a podcast for you. Check it out in iTunes, where you can subscribe to it, and visit the website at morethanonelesson.com. There you’ll find discussions about Harry Potter, Superbad, Wall-E, and of course Fireproof.