Why Make A Movie About The Infancy Gospel?

Why Make A Movie About The Infancy Gospel?

Author: The Media Project January 6, 2026 Duration: 21:17

How does one balance faithfulness to religious tradition with artistic expression? Culture critic Joseph Holmes interviews director Lotfy Nathan on this very topic. Lotfy was raised in the Coptic Christian tradition and grew up to make a horror film about the childhood of Jesus based on the Infancy Gospel of Thomas--starring Nicholas Cage! 


In a world where faith is often reduced to headlines or soundbites, Religion Unplugged offers a different kind of space. This podcast, from The Media Project, engages with the profound and complex ways belief shapes our lives, politics, and history. You’ll hear candid conversations and stories drawn from original reporting by a global network of journalists. We move beyond simple debates to explore the nuanced realities of spirituality and religious practice as they intersect with culture, conflict, and community. Each episode is an opportunity to listen deeply to narratives that are frequently overlooked, understanding that religion remains a powerful and growing force across the globe. This isn’t about doctrine; it’s about the human experience at the intersection of the sacred and the everyday. Tune in for a grounded, journalistic approach that unplugs the stereotypes and connects you to the authentic stories defining faith in the 21st century.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Religion Unplugged
Podcast Episodes
Why Murder Investigations Can Be Complicated By Ashkenazi Jewish DNA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:33
There are currently 15,000 open cases of unidentified persons in the United States.Bodies are unable to be identified for a variety of reasons including severe mutilation, significant decomposition, no history of medical…
Are Big Churches As Healthy As Small Ones? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:29
In C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity he says: “the Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the…
Pope Leo XIV Before The Papacy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:49
This week marks one year since Cardinal Robert Prevost became Pope Leo XIV.The late Cardinal Francis George who once presided over Leo’s hometown of Chicago famously said that there would never be an American Pope until…
Can Virtue Save American Conservatism? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:35
This July, the United States will celebrate its 250th year as an independent nation.The Founding Fathers established the U.S. on the foundation of the ideals they believed in. The Declaration of Independence famously say…
How Both Fantasy and History are balanced in House of David [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:02
At Religion Unplugged, we talk a lot about how faith shows up in modern movies and tv shows. And, more and more, we are noticing a positive shift. Movies about religion are getting better funding, booking high profile ac…
In God’s Name: Stories Of Faith and Vigilante Justice [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:26
Categorizing those who do violence is a messy business.What one writer might call the actions of a terrorist, another might refer to as the work of a freedom fighter.The very individuals who are called heroes, warriors a…
Can Conservative Christians Take Back Mainline Churches? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:48
When you picture an American church building, what do you think of? Is it a gothic, palatial cathedral that dwarfs its neighboring buildings and carries with it an air of ancient mystery? Is it a small, white chapel with…
Iranians Are Ready To Be Free [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:05
It’s been 3 weeks since the United States and Israel attacked Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.And, for 3 weeks, rockets have flown across the Middle East in all directions. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Iraq…
Why You Should Seek Beauty In Ancient Places [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:35
Many of the most enduring displays of human artistic greatness have been, in some way, religious.The Egyptian pyramids were constructed to accommodate the needs of a king’s soul after his death.The oldest architectural s…
What Do the 2026 Oscars Have to Say About Religion? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:08
2025 was a big year for film. Theaters drew people in for a wide variety of stories. Moviegoers saw thrillers like Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” and Josh Safdie’s “Marty Supreme.” They saw the returns…