How Hollywood can help us understand hospitality

Jason Roach  |  Comment
Date posted:  16 Jul 2026
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How Hollywood can help us understand hospitality

The Odyssey. Image source: IMDb

Biblical hospitality – welcoming strangers – is fading in Western Christian life. Yet, Christine Pohl said “as a way of life, an act of love, an expression of faith, our hospitality reflects and anticipates God's welcome.” Maybe Hollywood can help us recover our sight.

The stories we tell train us in what to expect from strangers. Odysseus’ story paints a picture of what happens when we treat strangers as threats.

Scripture offers an alternative: where hospitality becomes an opportunity for blessing.

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