GOD used to have a staring role in the movies.But despite wizards and goblins now being more common on the silver screen than the big guy himself, one Suffolk clergyman says that he has far from disappeared.

GOD used to have a staring role in the movies.

But despite wizards and goblins now being more common on the silver screen than the big guy himself, one Suffolk clergyman says that he has far from disappeared.

"What do modern Hollywood movies teach us about the Bible?" asks Canon Andrew Todd at a seminar in Bury St Edmunds next Wednesday.

The answer is, "quite a lot".

Using excerpts from four Hollywood hits: The Lord of the Rings – The Fellowship of the Ring, Chocolat, Knights Tale and The Mission; the Rev Todd will argue that it is important for Suffolk's clergy to engage with popular culture in a theological way.

Although it may be a far cry from the days of Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments, the likes of Frodo and Gandalf have something to say about religion.

"The clergy tend to keep popular culture and religion in separate compartments," says Mr Todd, who is responsible for the professional development of the clergy in the St Edmundsbury and Ipswich Diocese.

"This course is about breaking down those boundaries."

All the films chosen have something to teach members of clergy attending the seminar.

"Lord of the Rings is topical and offers a new way of looking at the Bible," added Mr Todd. "The Mission is all about redemption, Knights Tale has some interesting Christian images and Chocolat appears to be anti-Church and anti-Christian, but is it?"