Texas Pastor Suggests ‘Project Hail Mary’ Was a Christian Movie

When Project Hail Mary hit theaters earlier this year, it became a big box office win and a talking point for more than just movie fans. Based on Andy Weir’s novel, the film follows Ryland Grace, played by Ryan Gosling, as he wakes up alone on a spacecraft and learns he may be the last hope for a mission to save Earth. That setup alone gives the film a serious weight. Grace finds the dead bodies of his crewmates early on, then holds a funeral for them in space. He is left as the lone survivor, and the story pushes him into a fight that feels bigger than one man. Is that a Christian movie? Not exactly. The film includes obscenities, drunken behavior at a party, and other content that families may want to talk through. Still, that did not stop Pastor Josh Howerton of Lifepoint Church in Texas from joking on a recent episode of the LIVE FREE podcast that Project Hail Mary is a “Christian movie.” It’s not an original idea necessarily, but in the clip below, he pointed to the film’s name, the hero’s name, the alien’s moniker, the hero’s sacrifice, and the theme of salvation as some of the many signs that the story reaches for something more than science fiction. He also noted the line, ...