[...] E.D. Jones wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptI am a follower of Christ and believe that there are no good Christian movies out there. I’m constantly having people in ministry or at church tell me to watch movies like “Left Behind,” “Facing the Giants” and “The Sin Eater. … [...]

So are there any good Christian movies out there? I don’t believe that there are.

I guess it depends how high you set the bar (good, great?). How do you define Christian? Lord of the Rings was great, but not explicitly Christian. I desperately wanted Thr3e to be good, but I was disappointed.

I think The Second Chance was better than most, although predictable in places. Of course, the best Christian movies are the VeggieTales riffs on movie classics, like Lord of the Beans and Sumo of the Opera.

Does Bella count? I think it’s pretty good, but maybe it’s not considered Christian, just pro-life. How about movies like To End All Wars and The Exorcism of Emily Rose that have Christian writers/directors but come out of Hollywood?

I don’t know what you are talking about…The Sin Eater was amazing!!!! (that was sarcasm)

Give Second Chance a second chance. At least you’ll get to hear the black pastor threaten to “kick some ass.” That’s pretty cutting edge for a Christian movie (I think MWS is a little better than Willie).

Exorcism was good.

So does it meet the challenge, or don’t you count it as a “Christian” movie?

Stuart, you’re doomed from the start by trying to label a movie Christian and then from within that finding anything worthwhile (so in a way I’m just conceding your point).

Christian movies only exist in this shallow, alternate parallel universe where you find Christian music, Christian books, Christian radio, Christian mints, Christian food, Christian furniture, Christian household appliances, etc. “Christian” is a very poor adjective, but an ok noun unless of course you feel the need to say “Christ follower”. Unfortunately, to have the label “Christian” seems to mean “cleaned up and sterilized until it bears little resemblence to reality”, so by getting rid of the crap it tends to become crap, go figure.

Anyway, some “dem fine” movies that have some “Christian” themes: The Shawshank Redemption, Good Will Hunting, maybe even The Matrix. I’d like to see if someone can come out with a “Christian” movie of the Song of Solomon.

I agree with Left Nut. Often the movies labeled “Christian” have low budgets and limited resources all the way around. So they don’t end up being very good. Which is a shame.

I do think there are some thematic elements in many movies that would qualify as “Christian.” I remember watching a couple movies in college for a literature class and discussing some of the themes from a Biblical worldview, then writing papers on them. “First Knight” with Sean Connery had some overt “Christian” themes.

Finally, this conversation reminds me of a Christian literature course I took in college. It was decided that Christian literature includes all literature written by Christians, whether or not it is explicitly preachy or overtly “Christian.” So Christian literature includes Tolkien and Lewis and Dorothy Sayers, whose works are not all overtly “Christian.” Christian movies would therefore include films made by Christian people in the mainstream industry.

So, here’s the sticky point Jenn and Stuart. If we can label something as “Christian” because it was made by a Christian, then why don’t we refer to other things by the people that made them (Atheists, Buddhists, Muslims, Secular Humanists, Wiccans, Agnostics, Village Idiots, etc, etc, etc)? Even within what then gets categorized as “Christian”, who decides if it really is? Is it if the creator says they’re a Christian? Does it have to meet certain theological guidelines? Can movies like The Matrix or The Shawshank Redemption have “Christian” truths, yet be made by those not professing to be Christians?

Now it may not sound like it, but I do think that something a Christian creates is in reality Christian, but not as a label or a category. Instead of it being “Christian Art”, for example, I think it is art made by someone that is a Christian, if that makes any sense. Now if I’m a shoe designer and a Christian, can I say I create “Christian” shoes? It sounds ridiculous to say that, but maybe they really are Christian shoes because I take pride in the workmanship. I’m being responsible with the resources I use to make them. My workers aren’t 10 year olds in another country getting paid next to nothing so I can make more. In the way I conduct business, I am following my Christian convictions. There are companies owned by Christians that live that out in the decisions they make and the way they do business (Camano Island Coffee, for one). Although this may lead to calling a company like Patagonia “Christian”, yet as far as I know they are not owned by someone that professes to be a Christian. I guess it again goes back to whether we’re trying to use the word “Christian” as an adjective or a noun.

So why do we have this desire to describe something as “Christian” or not. And what do we mean by that? I think we tend to group things into “Christian” and “Everything else that is not Christian”. I think to an extent we’re trying to say that this “thing” we’re trying to describe supports a worldview that we call “Christian”, but then on how many points does it have to agree with a Christain worldview? What if only some things reflect a Christian worldview? It seems like we’re looking for a shortcut to decide if this “thing” is good/bad, worthwhile/not. My noodle is starting to hurt and I’m not sure where I’m going with this anymore. I guess overall I think “Christian” isn’t a very good label and that gets us in trouble from the start.

Jen> Christian movies would therefore include films made by Christian people in the mainstream industry.

Stuart> You’re right Jen!

Stuart> It’s a good movie, but not considered a Christian one.

So which is it? If Jen is right, Exorcism is a Christian movie because it was made by a Christian.

I think the whole idea of “Christian” as an adjective has become a confused attempt to identify what’s “safe.” I read a lot, and after a few “Christian” novels I often have to cleanse the palette with a good “secular” novel just to find some good writing. One exception is Athol Dickson. He writes books that are clearly Christian in their message, but he deals with issues like alcoholic former pastors. I wonder what percentage of books in a typical Christian bookstore are actually “Christian” in the sense of aligning with Biblical teaching? There’s a lot of garbage for sale.

Stuart, have you actually seen all the films you’re trashing? The Last Sin Eater, while made on a small budget, is actually quite an accomplished piece of film making. Trust me. I’m in a position to know. You’re painting all these films with the same broad brush, and that’s not very intellectually mature. There is no hard gospel “sell” in The Last Sin Eater. There is no altar call. The Christian theology is woven organically into some very strange and interesting story-telling. As opposed to some films, which I agree are mostly Christian propaganda designed to reinforce the choir, The Last Sin Eater is a brave little film.

Get the Christian artsy-fartsy chip off your shoulder. Don’t be an artier-than-thou elitist. Chrisitians critics, thinking they’re all edgy and controversial, have been using that tired old complaint about Christian art not being up-to-snuff for decades. It’s a really weary cliche. Judge each story, each film on its own merits. You’ll be a happier person.