{"id":2603033,"date":"2026-05-15T08:21:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T12:21:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-sheep-detectives-is-good-clean-fun-with-an-accidental-christian-message\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T08:26:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T12:26:01","slug":"the-sheep-detectives-is-good-clean-fun-with-an-accidental-christian-message","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-sheep-detectives-is-good-clean-fun-with-an-accidental-christian-message\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Sheep Detectives&#8217;\u00a0Is Good, Clean Fun With A Christian Message"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-sheep-detectives-is-good-clean-fun-with-an-accidental-christian-message%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2603033&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The author, a conservative Christian parent, hadn\u2019t previously taken their kids to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/amc-shares-rise-after-company-raises-over-900m-rules-out-immediate-bankruptcy-talks\/\" title=\"AMC shares rise after company raises over 0M, rules out immediate bankruptcy talks\">movie theater<\/a> but chose to see *The Sheep Detectives* after liking what the trailer suggested. They describe the experience as fun for their children (ages 4-12), with no overtly inappropriate content such as sexual jokes, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >scantily dressed women<\/a>, or LGBT messaging-only a minor, subtle reference to living with a boyfriend.<\/p>\n<p>They then describe the plot in broad terms: a kind shepherd (played by Hugh Jackman) is murdered, and the sheep work together to figure out who the real murderer is. The kids enjoy guessing and continue discussing the story afterward.<\/p>\n<p>A major focus of the article is the movie\u2019s Christian themes, even though it isn\u2019t marketed as a Christian film. The author points to multiple parallels with Scripture, especially the \u201cGood Shepherd\u201d idea (Psalm 23, John 10), Jesus as the \u201cLamb of God\u201d and \u201cbread\u201d (John 1:29, Matthew 26, John 6), and imagery contrasting a caring shepherd with a violent \u201cbad shepherd.\u201d They also highlight themes of judgment, welcome to outcasts (comparing a \u201cwinter lamb\u201d to the Good samaritan), and the flock becoming one.<\/p>\n<p>the author calls the movie refreshing as it avoids what they see as harmful messaging while still reflecting Christian ideas, and they suggest it\u2019s best not as a replacement for church, but as something that can lead children toward hearing God\u2019s voice in faith.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>I had never taken my kids to the movie theater before. Like many conservative Christian parents, I am wary of Hollywood\u2019s harmful messages in children\u2019s entertainment. But when I saw the trailer for <em>The Sheep Detectives<\/em>, it looked like something I could <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/theyre-laughing-at-you-and-mocking-you-candace-owens-blasts-liberal-elites-over-covid-restrictions-mask-mandates\/\" title=\"\u2018They\u2019re Laughing At You And Mocking You\u2019: Candace Owens Blasts \u2018Liberal Elites\u2019 Over COVID Restrictions, Mask Mandates\">enjoy watching<\/a> with my kids. So I took my five oldest children, ages 4 to 12, to a matinee on my day off, and I\u2019m glad I did. Sharing a couple of large boxes of popcorn, they giggled and whispered during the movie and had a great time. <\/p>\n<p>Without spoiling anything, the movie is about a shepherd who loves his sheep. He doesn\u2019t butcher them but instead only raises them for wool, feeds them, gives them medicine, calls them all by name, and reads them murder mysteries at bedtime. As the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=pyZI5oM6hWk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">movie trailer<\/a> shows, this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-releases-statement-on-synagogue-hostage-situation-leaves-out-major-details\/\" title=\"White House Releases Statement On Synagogue Hostage Situation, Leaves Out Major Details\">good shepherd<\/a>, played by Hugh Jackman, is murdered, and the sheep take it upon themselves to solve the crime. <\/p>\n<p>My kids had fun trying to figure out with the sheep who the real murderer was. After the film, they spent the rest of the day telling and retelling the story of the movie and asking each other who their favorite characters were. <\/p>\n<p><em>The Sheep Detectives<\/em> did not contain anything overtly inappropriate for children \u2014 no sexual jokes, no scantily dressed women, no LGBT messaging. There was only one subtle hint at one point that one of the characters may have lived with her boyfriend without getting married; a policeman mentioned an ex-boyfriend with a criminal record with whom a lady shared a bank account. But I\u2019m likely the only one in the movie theater who even noticed that. (There\u2019s also a murder, so commandments obviously get broken). <\/p>\n<h2><strong>Christian Messaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>When I was on my vicarage year (in the field training during seminary) in Regina, Saskatchewan, in 2013-2014, one of my pastors was Rev. Ted Giese, who regularly does movie reviews for <a href=\"https:\/\/issuesetc.org\/?s=ted+giese\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Issues, Etc.<\/a> and has written for <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/tedgiese\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Federalist<\/a>. He taught the youth group that Christian themes are often present in movies, even as many have left the church, because Christianity was ingrained in our culture.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Sheep Detectives<\/em> isn\u2019t marketed as a Christian movie at all, and I do not know what religious background the film\u2019s creators have. But the story contains strong Christian themes. One conversation between a wise ram and a couple of sheep as they walked past a church went something like this \u2014 a paraphrase based on my memory and my daughter repeating the exchange several times:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Sheep: What is that? <\/p>\n<p>Ram: That is where God lives. <\/p>\n<p>Sheep: Who is God? <\/p>\n<p>Ram: He\u2019s a Shepherd. And also a Lamb. And He\u2019s invisible. And He damns things. <\/p>\n<p>Sheep: Dams things? Like, what beavers do? <\/p>\n<p>Ram: Yes. <\/p>\n<p>Sheep: So, God is a Shepherd and also a Lamb and a beaver who is invisible? <\/p>\n<p>Ram: Yes. And on Sundays He becomes bread, and they eat Him. <\/p>\n<p>Sheep: Poor God. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Now, this is a humorous description of God and the Christian church as explained to sheep by sheep. However, this was not just a one-off allusion to the Christian God in the movie. <\/p>\n<p>Scripture teaches that \u201cthe Lord is my Shepherd\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=psalm%2023&#038;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Psalm 23<\/a>) and that Jesus is \u201cthe Good Shepherd\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=psalm%2023&#038;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">John 10<\/a>). Jesus, of course, is the true God (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=john%2020:28&#038;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">John 20:28<\/a>) and \u201cthe Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=john%201:29&#038;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">John 1:29<\/a>). <\/p>\n<p>In the movie, Jackman\u2019s character, George, is the good shepherd. Unlike the bad shepherd and butcher in the movie, George does not slaughter his sheep but rather treats them as if he himself were part of the flock. As is mentioned in one of the books in George\u2019s library, a shepherd belongs to his sheep even as they belong to him. <\/p>\n<p>Even damning is addressed in the movie. God damning people to hell may seem too dark for sheep and little children. Yet even good shepherd George, in his last will and testament, passes judgment on people in the town, including calling the butcher and bad shepherd murderers. He may not send them to hell, but they quickly fall out of favor with the sheep and all the children watching. What does it mean to damn, but to pass judgment on the wicked?<\/p>\n<p>God becomes bread, says the ram. This is an obvious allusion to the Sacrament of the Altar, where Christ offers His body to eat under the form of bread (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=matthew%2026&#038;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Matthew 26:26<\/a>). It also hearkens to Jesus\u2019 words in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=john%206&#038;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">John 6<\/a>, \u201cI am the bread of life.\u201d Yet this statement by the ram about God, the Shepherd who becomes bread and is eaten by his flock, contrasts greatly with the bad shepherd who butchers his sheep for meat. We see that the God described by the ram is very much like good shepherd George, whom the flock loves. At one point, one of the sheep dies and goes to be with George, just as Christians believe that when they die, they will go to live with Christ. <\/p>\n<p>As with any good kids\u2019 movie, there were other lessons learned along the way, not just who the true murderer was. Among the sheep was an outcast called a \u201cwinter lamb.\u201d Yet, during the adventure, they discover other winter lambs, both among the flock of sheep and the people, including their own good shepherd, George. The winter lamb served as the Samaritan, an outcast among the Jews in Jesus\u2019 day, yet the hero and imitation to follow in Jesus\u2019 story of the Good Samaritan (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Luke%2010:25-37&#038;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Luke 10:25-37<\/a>). Even Jesus is called a Samaritan by his opponents (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=John%208:48&#038;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">John 8:48<\/a>). And so, the outcasts are welcomed into the good shepherd\u2019s fold and form one flock, another allusion to Holy Scripture (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=John%2010:16&#038;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">John 10:16<\/a>). <\/p>\n<h2>A Refreshing Film<\/h2>\n<p>It was refreshing to watch a children\u2019s movie that not only avoided inappropriate messaging but also mirrored Christian themes. I hope the many children who watch this movie will recognize that God, the Shepherd and Lamb mentioned in the film, is a Good Shepherd. And while a movie may make references to the Christian faith, it is in God\u2019s house that children hear the voice of their true Shepherd. <\/p>\n<p>So, while parents should take their kids to see <em>The Sheep Detectives<\/em>, it\u2019s so much more important for them to take them to church, the house of their Good Shepherd. <\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I am Jesus\u2019 little lamb, <\/p>\n<p>Ever glad at heart I am; <\/p>\n<p>For my Shepherd gently guides me, <\/p>\n<p>Knows my need and well provides me, <\/p>\n<p>Loves me every day the same, <\/p>\n<p>Even calls me by my name. <\/p>\n<p>\u2013 Henrietta L. von Hayn (1724-1782), translation by <em>\u201cThe Lutheran Hymnal\u201d <\/em>(1941) <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<hr>\n<p>      James Preus is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Ottumwa, IA.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019d never taken my kids to the theater, but \u201cThe Sheep Detectives\u201d seemed wholesome, so I brought my oldest children<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4057,"featured_media":2603036,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/sheep-detectives.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[69131,79714,79715],"class_list":["post-2603033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-christian-entertainment","tag-sheep-detectives","tag-wholesome-family-fun"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/sheep-detectives.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2603033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4057"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2603033"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2603033\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2603039,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2603033\/revisions\/2603039"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2603036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2603033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2603033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2603033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}