My Problems with Films of Faith

God and movies don't often mix. As a Christian, one thing I've noticed is that Christians portrayed in mainstream films are often not-flattering or over the top. Christians portrayed in Christian films are often totally lost souls who end up finding God's grace in an unconvincing 90 minute story that spends more time preaching and less time being a movie. I don't have a problem with preaching, but when people go to the movies, they should not be insulted - entertainment doesn't have to be thrown out the window at the sake of education.

In addition to that complaint, I also wish not every Christian movie out there was for beginners. Every religious film seems to be about finding salvation - which is a very important topic. But in the vast world of movies, I would love to go to a movie now and then that dealt with Christian characters in their day to day life POST "I accept Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior." Would it be too much to ask for a Christian romantic comedy where the characters didn't jump into bed on their first or second date? Would it be too much to ask for an action movie where the F-word wasn't dropped a dozen times in one fight sequence? Would it be too much to ask for a buddy-movie where the jokes didn't revolve around sexual humor? I won't sit here as a saint and say I don't like movies with some of that crap in them, but if there was a well-made alternative, I would happily buy a ticket.

I had big problems with films like Fireproof for one, because it was just so poorly made. It delivered a clear faith message, but amidst a Hallmark-y storyline that was borderline feminist (man is the only one at fault in a relationship where both partners had their problems). The movie To Save a Life actually had some very good acting - and some parts of the movie were very well done. My problem there though was that they tried to do way too much - they covered teen suicide, teen drinking, teen pregnancy, school bullying, dating, virginity, salvation, bomb scare at school, etc. They threw the kitchen sink at the screen trying to reach out to everyone, but they didn't develop a single message long enough to make it as potent as it could have been. I know some of my friends will argue that it's better to have that out there than not at all - but I say to them, if the movie as it stands touched 'x' amount of people, imagine how many more could have been touched had it been made with more respect to the viewing audience.

The couple of films of faith that I have enjoyed or appreciated were The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry and The Passion of the Christ. The first one markets itself to kids, and while preachy, it provides a touching story for it's demographic. The latter is a historically accurate, if not overly violent but impeccably made movie about the death of Christ.

I think the problem is that most Christians tend to get behind anything marketed as a Christian movie. They organize screenings, youth group outings, bring-a-friend events. What they don't do is demand quality because they're just so excited about hearing the phrase "John 3:16 says..." while sitting in their local movie theater. So I would challenge Christian film makers to take the time to make films that are going to linger far after the credits have rolled. Make movies that touch the heart, not just the soul. Take some time to make films that can stand on BOTH cinematic merit and the message of coming into God's perfect grace. I don't know, I can hope, but maybe I'm just asking for a miracle.