Why Christian Movies Are So Terrible

I think that’s the problem—we think we are passive, but if we are paying any attention at all to what’s on the screen, we aren’t truly indifferent. We may not feel engaged intellectually, but the whole point of the way movies are produced is to at least affect us emotionally. I think movies are successful at this more often than not.

I agree that objectionable content is more than just nudity or foul language. I’m much more likely to feel a movie is objectionable because of the themes. I think The Little Mermaid is one of the most objectionable movies ever made, regardless of how much I like the singing lobster.

I never said that movies do not have any effect on people - just that people are mostly passive while watching movies, with their mind not actively engaged. My post was not concerned with the subtle psychological effects of movies on the mind. Yes, movies can affect people emotionally, but usually only for a brief period of time. Usually three months later, they don’t care and can’t remember much. And my MAIN point was that we should consider other, more efficient and effective ways to spend that kind of money. How much money have Christians wasted on movie tickets, buying movies they will only watch once, and subscribing to movie channels . . money which could have been invested in evangelism, missions, Christian education, church planting, etc? I think it’s a question worth considering.

Here’s the basic plot of an imagined Christian movie.

-Joe is unemployed, his family is in poverty and under terrible stress.

-Joe has a number of encounters with the local pastor, most of which end with Joe losing his temper.

-An accident befalls Joe or a family member, causing Joe to remember some of the things the pastor told him.

Now, pick your ending:

A- Joe gets converted but remains in poverty.

B- Joe gets converted, gets a new job, and peace reigns in the home. (I call this the Osteen Ending)

NOTE: Joe has to get converted because it’s a Christian film.

[WallyMorris]

I never said that movies do not have any effect on people - just that people are mostly passive while watching movies, with their mind not actively engaged. My post was not concerned with the subtle psychological effects of movies on the mind. Yes, movies can affect people emotionally, but usually only for a brief period of time. Usually three months later, they don’t care and can’t remember much. And my MAIN point was that we should consider other, more efficient and effective ways to spend that kind of money. How much money have Christians wasted on movie tickets, buying movies they will only watch once, and subscribing to movie channels . . money which could have been invested in evangelism, missions, Christian education, church planting, etc? I think it’s a question worth considering.

I mostly agree, and I hope I don’t sound like I’m arguing with you, because I’m not—it’s just that because when our minds are not actively engaged, I believe we may be MORE affected by what we see, not less. We think the messages are bouncing off, but I think they’re sinking in. Remembering the movie itself isn’t IMO an indicator of whether or not one’s affections are altered by the content.

As for how we should spend our money… that’s a sticky wicket. Of course we could all stop wasting money on entertainment, but there’s always going to be a huge difference in opinion about where that line should be drawn, whether you are talking movies, restaurants, clothes, cars, homes…

Bottom line IMO: I think stories are effective tools for getting important messages across, and helping us see different perspectives. The medium IMO isn’t the measure of whether a story is good or bad. If it’s a good story, it’s a good story.

Which is why Christian fiction in print suffers from the same problems as Christian movies. The stories themselves tend to be formulaic (as Ron so pointedly illustrated) and character development is wafer thin.