The Gospel Reloaded: Exploring Spirituality and Faith in the Matrix

From Publishers Weekly
Pop a red pill and journey with the authors down the rabbit hole to the burgeoning world of Matrix spirituality. Ever since Neo first discovered his true identity in the now-famous 1999 sleeper hit, fans, critics and philosophers have gone over every celluloid inch of "The Matrix" to pick out its intellectual themes. And, like any pop culture phenomenon worth its salt, the film managed to be all things to all people, claimed by Christians as an allegory of resurrection and by Buddhists as a metaphor of awakening. Seay and Garrett are primarily concerned with the movie's Christian themes-Neo as the Christ; Morpheus as the John the Baptist figure who prepares the way; and Trinity as "the female face of God." (That's not the only thing that may cause more conservative Christians to put on Agent Smith faces; elsewhere, the authors very thoughtfully entertain the idea that the Matrix that is oppressing people in our own society may well be organized religion.) The authors are clearly diehard fans (Seay even named one of his children Trinity!), but the book is far more than an extended fan fawn; it is quite intelligent and substantive, as well as engagingly written. The final two chapters (not seen by PW) will discuss developments in the second installment in the Matrix trilogy. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Book Description
The millions of people who saw and loved The Matrix understood that it was much more than just an action adventure movie with state-of-the-art special effects. Audiences gravitated toward the film because it made a statement about life. Its plot and themes resonated with a postmodern worldview and caused people to think carefully about their spirituality. In The Gospel Reloaded, authors Chris Seay and Greg Garrett explore the Matrix films, studying the characters and metaphors for their hidden meaning. They show how these movies--with their themes of rebirth and awakening, fate and free will--are guaranteed to generate thoughtful discussion about culture and spirituality.


From the Publisher
Also discusses spiritual themes in The Matrix Reloaded, the second film in The Matrix trilogy.


About the Author
CHRIS SEAY is pastor of Ecclesia, a progressive Christian community in Houston, Texas, recognized for exploring spiritual questions of culture and breaking new ground in art, music, and film. He is the author of The Gospel According to Tony Soprano and The Tao of Enron. His work has been reviewed in USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, and Publisher’s Weekly. He and his family live in Houston. GREG GARRETT is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated novel Free Bird, forty short stories, and numerous articles and essays on film, narrative, and spirituality. He directs Art & Soul, a nationally recognized festival of religion and the arts at Baylor University, where he is a professor of English. He lives in Austin, Texas.


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Pop a red pill and journey with the authors down the rabbit hole to the burgeoning world of Matrix spirituality. Ever since Neo first discovered his true identity in the now-famous 1999 sleeper hit, fans, critics and philosophers have gone over every celluloid inch of "The Matrix" to pick out its intellectual themes. And, like any pop culture phenomenon worth its salt, the film managed to be all things to all people, claimed by Christians as an allegory of resurrection and by Buddhists as a metaphor of awakening. Seay and Garrett are primarily concerned with the movie's Christian themes-Neo as the Christ; Morpheus as the John the Baptist figure who prepares the way; and Trinity as "the female face of God." (That's not the only thing that may cause more conservative Christians to put on Agent Smith faces; elsewhere, the authors very thoughtfully entertain the idea that the Matrix that is oppressing people in our own society may well be organized religion.) The authors are clearly diehard fans (Seay even named one of his children Trinity!), but the book is far more than an extended fan fawn; it is quite intelligent and substantive, as well as engagingly written. The final two chapters (not seen by PW) will discuss developments in the second installment in the Matrix trilogy. (June) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.


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