The basic outline of the book follows from its two-fold purpose of teaching how to objectively understand the messages of movies and how to evaluate these messages according to the Christian faith.
ACT ONE deals with understanding how movies communicate their message. First, we look at whether or not movies are ever good for one’s faith (ch.1). Next, we look at the specifics of movie interpretation. Movies communicate through a variety of means and if we do not understand the standards that filmmakers are working within we can easily misunderstand their intentions. Once we learn what to look for in a story (ch.2) we turn to how stories are told through film (ch.3). Then we focus in on how specific movie elements contribute to the message of the story, including stylistic features (ch.4), and background elements (ch.5). Finally we see how all these come together to form one coherent message (ch.6).
ACT TWO concerns evaluation and critique of a movie’s message from the standpoint of the Christian faith. Specifically we discuss how movies communicate messages of salvation (ch.7), the knowability of truth (ch.8), the existence of God (ch.9), and the Bible itself (ch.10). In each chapter space is devoted to describing and defending the Christian faith as it relates to these messages.
ACT THREE wraps it all up with a section on movie selection for believers. Commonly misunderstood verses used to decry any and all movie viewing are dealt with, and some general principles are suggested for choosing when to watch and when not to bother (ch.11).
