A Hollywood View of Christian Mis-Education

Saved! is the first Hollywood movie to focus on private religious
education and is therefore a significant milestone in popular culture.
The movie is critical of the school along the very dimensions
of concern to Brighouse (2006): undermining personal autonomy,
fostering social divisiveness, and promoting anti-democratic values.
This article is a close reading of the film's illiberal representation
of Christian education, including a discussion of whether liberalism
may legitimately require traditional schools to privilege autonomy
over obedience. The reading focuses on the issues the film highlights
(and avoids): gender identity, sexual freedom, and abortion. Finally,
the film is placed within the genre of anti-private school films, which
valorize individualism over loyalty to group norms.