Church series to examine pop culture

It is through images that Jesus taught his followers. And in today's modern culture, the Rev. Cynthia Taylor will use images from books and movies to expand on Christianity during the Church of the Holy Comforter's summer series.

"When I look at what Jesus did, he used images all around him and used them to teach people," Taylor said. "These days we are bombarded with things and not all of them are bad."

The first meeting in the summer series, which begins today, will explore The Gospel According to Tolkien: How Middle Earth and Christianity Intersect, based on the book by Ralph C. Wood. The public is invited to attend the meeting from 4-5:30 p.m. at the church's office at 1104 Furys Lane in Martinez.

"I'm using my own research as well as some of Ralph C. Wood's work," said Taylor. "Ralph Woods' book is what got me thinking about it. But, I've also done a lot of research myself over the years.

"We're starting off with Lord of the Rings because everybody loved it and with the third moving coming out (on DVD) Tuesday, it just seemed appropriate. We just want to sit and digest these works."

The Gospel According to Tolkien series will continue for several weeks, followed by Breaking the Da Vinci Code, which focuses on author Dan Brown's fictional murder mystery. His book, The Da Vinci Code, has been on The New York Times best-seller list for 60 weeks.

"For some reason, people forget they are reading a well-written murder mystery," Taylor said. "We want to take a look at the book as a fun read."

Popcorn Theology will round out the series, with participants taking a look at messages conveyed by popular movies.

The Church of the Holy Comforter was formed on Christmas Eve of 1999 and currently meets at Savannah Rapids Pavilion.

Taylor, a pastor for 18 years and the first woman ordained by the Diocese of South Carolina, leads the 260-member strong congregation. For more information on the summer series, call the church office at 210-1133.