the Message Factor – a guide to understanding Christian films
I have long been conflicted in what I believe about Christian Films. As a Christian and as a filmmaker and as a someone who works in the church I have long been conflicted on this subject. Now I won’t get into the sacred-secular debate for time sake, so for this instance we will label “Christian Films” as those film that have a clear message and might be sold in a Christian bookstore. For the sake of argument I am not going to suggest that these “Christian films” are more powerful than say “subtle Christian films” like X-Men which is a film that has very powerful Christian underpinnings…..however I am going to talk specifically about “Christian Films” in this post.
Most “Christian Films” are often looked at as second-rate films. We compare them to “The Dark Knight” or a movie up for the Oscars and so we think of them as inferior. Over the last 5-7 years there has been a surge in the increase of “Christian Films” that have drastically improved in their quality. Still these films are going to fall short when they are compared with movies that have multi-million dollar budgets. Recently the movie Fireproof came out and I had the chance to see it at the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival. To be honest I enjoyed the movie but as a filmmaker I did not think it was incredible. The acting was not that great and parts of the movie seemed very second-rate compared to big blockbusters out there. While at the SAICFF I got the chance to hear Stephen Kendrick talk about how many marriages had been saved through this film and the movement they have started. Hearing stories like these I think it is time we stop criticizing films for not being “Oscar worthy” and start seeing them as “God worthy.” I mean if a film can inspire a couple to save their marriage…that is a film worth praising and so in instances like this the message gets through the bad acting and the broken script. I am not arguing that we cease to pursue excellence I am arguing that we start praising what God might be praising and start looking through the lens of what is God honoring not so much as what is film worthy. Yes I believe excellence matters but I also believe that God can work and move through movies that might not ever reach “excellence.”
- Teaching on Film and Faith
- SAICFF (san antonio independant christian film festival) Reviewed
- SAICFF this weekend
- two movies you should take your youth group to this Fall
- 4 films to watch with your youth group
