6 Unexpected Places to Find God in Pop Culture

Most Christians fall into the trap of only thinking they can find God in church. The traces of God can be found in the most unexpected places, even in our secular society. What initially might just be thought to be a fun catchy song might actually have symbolism to Christianity. There are even Christian movie stars and athletes using their platform to praise the Lord. God is widely found in our culture, most just aren't quite sure where to look.

Many Christians have not only missed seeing God in our pop culture, but they’ve overlooked opportunities to make Him visible to those most in need of hope. When we find pieces of media that celebrate God, we can use that as a way to connect with other Christians and even non-believers. Here are some places you can unexpectedly find God in our media that you can share with others.

Movies

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Finding God in movies is relatively easy. The most common top movie that shares Christianity is "The Passion of the Christ" from 2004. This movie directly portrayed the life of Jesus from the Bible. Some movies aren’t so direct, and might have main characters that have a Christian faith. Movies like this include "Dogma", "Soul Surfer", and "Bruce Almighty". Other movies don't mention God or Christianity at all, but upon further evaluation you can see underlying Christian themes. The Star Wars and Harry Potter franchises have both been analyzed by Christian theologians, and have been found to have some comparisons to the faith. There are even entire movie studios that are dedicated specifically to creating faith-based movies, such as Pure Flix. They have made movies like “God’s Not Dead” and “Samson”.

Television

Much like movies, there are many examples of God and Christianity being found on television. In the show "Joan of Arcadia" God is portrayed as taking on a human form in a wide variety of shapes, from a piano tuner to a telephone repairman. A more oblique portrayal of God occurs in the television series “Wonderfalls”, where God appears not as a person, but as a series of inanimate objects, that lead the protagonist of the series to perform good works in other people's lives. The word "God" is never mentioned in the show in relation to these encounters. The show "God Friended Me" on CBS is a new comedy that focuses on the life of an outspoken atheist whose life is thrown upside down when God sends him a friend request on Facebook. Other popular shows where religion has been addressed include "Supernatural" and "Battlestar Galactica". Having God in television hasn't come without controversy though. The animated television series "God, the Devil and Bob" portrayed God as being a beer-swilling, ex-hippie character, which raised objections from fundamentalist Christian groups.

Christian Celebrities

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It always surprises people how many Christian celebrities there are, given Hollywood is typically thought of as being a secular entity. There are some celebrities that share their faith frequently and loudly, such as Tom Hanks, Tyler Perry, Denzel Washington, and Candace Cameron-Bure. Other celebrities aren't quiet as vocal, but still are Christians nonetheless. These include stars like Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, and Stephen Colbert. These celebrities chat about their faith in interviews, on their social media accounts, and sometimes even in their acting or singing roles. They strive to be good role models for other Christians, and make the faith more main stream and less stigmatized.

Books

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If you are a big reader, you've probably already realized how many fictional books are available that talk about the faith. There are even entire sections of bookstores dedicated to Christianity. "The Shack" for example, is an incredibly popular tale that many have read. It was even made into a movie. Other books that you can find on the shelves include "Girl, Wash Your Face" by Rachel Hollis and "It's Not Supposed to be this Way" by Lysa TerKeurst. Many Christian celebrities have written about their faith as well, including the books "The Magnolia Story" by Chip and Joanna Gaines and "This is the Day" by Tim Tebow. "The Chronicles of Narnia" series by C.S. Lewis, while it doesn't directly talk about Christianity, has many underlying Christian themes.

Sports

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Much like popular Christian celebrities, there are many Christian athletes that are using their large platform to share God with their fans. The most notable Christian athlete is Tim Tebow, that frequently wrote "John 3:16" on his shoes, helmet or under his eyes. Stephen Curry is also an outspoken Christian, and makes sure his fans know that his faith is his identity, not his jersey. Clayton Kershaw, Russell Wilson, Manny Pacquiao, and Gabby Douglas are just a handful of the other Christian athletes dominating the sports world today. They really wear their faith on and off the field. Furthermore, there are many stadiums and arenas that host large sporting events that chose to lead games in prayer.