How Indiana Jones can help you talk to your friends about God

As the new Indiana Jones film hits our cinema screens, Giles Gough unpacks the Christian iconography used in the film franchise. It’s a great way to start a conversation about Jesus, he says

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was released last week to a collective sigh of relief from fans. While critical opinions were mixed, virtually no-one was arguing that it was the worst instalment in the franchise. One interesting aspect of the original trilogy was the use of Judeo-Christian religious iconography in two of the film’s main story lines. Let’s have a closer look at what these icons mean for the story world of Indiana Jones.

First, a quick primer; Indiana Jones was dreamt up by famous film directors, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Inspired by the serialised matinee films of their childhoods, they set out to create an action adventure film that was “a James Bond film without the hardware.” Indiana Jones was born: part bow-tied archaeology professor, part whip-cracking treasure hunter.