When the Academy Awards ceremony aired Feb. 26, an unusual film that bemused some, exhilarated others and drew wide-ranging comments topped the list of nominees.
“Tree of Life” lends itself to a variety of interpretations, but its Christian themes of grace and redemption appear explicitly from the first frame — a quote from the Book of Job asking, “Where were you when I (God) laid the foundations of the earth?”
It’s not the first time directors have discovered powerful religious themes make good films — think Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments” and “The King of Kings” — and it won’t be the last. Director Steven Spielberg announced in January he will direct a biopic about the life of Moses in a style Britain’s Guardian newspaper described as a mix of “Braveheart” and “Saving Private Ryan.”
But observers note an increase in independent and Hollywood-produced films inspired by clear religious — even Christian — worldviews. “The Book of Eli,” “The Blind Side” and film versions of C.S. Lewis’ beloved “Chronicles of Narnia” books are only a few.
Some evangelicals say even those films, and their subtle treatment of Christianity, fall short of an adequate alternative to what they regard as Hollywood’s decadent values. Their concerns have spawned a recent flow of much more explicitly Christian films aimed directly at the evangelical market — “Courageous,” “Fireproof” and “Facing the Giants” among them.
Many Christians enthusiastically have embraced those films as clear-cut expressions of their worldviews. Others say they lack artistic merit and assert their overt approach is unlikely to draw any but the most fervent Christian audiences.
The debate raises important questions: Are explicitly Christian films essentially propaganda pieces, not artistic expressions? Are Christian themes expressed most profoundly in more subtle ways — perhaps by directors who aren’t Christian? And who is the target audience?
Grappling with those questions to some extent requires defining “Christian film,” said Rini Cobbey, chair of the communication arts department at Gordon College in Wenham, Mass.
“Is it a film made by a Christian?” she asked. “Or is it a film made for — or, more likely, consumed exclusively by — Christians? Is it a film made with the intent to convert viewers? What kind of conversion? An initial statement of faith and prayer of confession or a lifelong conforming to God’s image?”
Lee Farquhar, Samford University assistant professor of journalism, believes it also depends on audience perception and the presentation and explicitness of the material in the film.
“I think most people’s understanding of Christian films is closer to ‘Fireproof,’” he said. “If it doesn’t have Christian values messages woven in, most people don’t think of it automatically that way.”
Cliff Vaughn, media producer for EthicsDaily.com, agreed: “Labeling films ‘Christian’ is a tricky business. Most use the ‘Christian movie’ label to corral films with no sex and no profanity — note that a little or a lot of violence isn’t a deal-breaker — or to showcase films with a literal come-to-Jesus moment.”
For a decade, releases by Sherwood Pictures have defined Christian films for many moviegoers. The studio, a ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga., has produced four films, including “Facing the Giants” in 2006, “Fireproof” in 2008 and “Courageous” in 2011.
“Facing the Giants” grossed more than $10 million at the box office, “Fireproof” more than $33 million and “Courageous,” as of January, more than $34 million.
Sherwood’s success has encouraged other church-based movie makers, among them Calvary Church in suburban Memphis, Tenn., which last year produced “The Grace Card,” distributed by Sony Pictures.
Alex Kendrick, who directed several of Sherwood’s productions, told Time last year: “Our goal is to use movies to change culture. How many sermons would we have to preach to reach 5 million people?”
Michael Catt, pastor of Sherwood Baptist Church, wrote on Sherwood Picture’s website, “Our goal from Day 1 has been to make family-friendly movies that build on the Judeo-Christian ethic and communicate the gospel without compromise.”
Sherwood’s and other producers’ successful foray into the movie-making business is a testament to a burgeoning niche market.
But there’s a danger, some observers insist, that a larger audience will find such films superficial and inauthentic — an impression they might transfer to Christianity itself.
Farquhar thinks it is more likely that the Christian films will reinforce what people already believe about Christianity.
“There might be some who are open-minded and get persuaded, but for the most part, a single film cannot undo or replace all of the lessons that people have learned for years and years,” Farquhar said.
“My biggest problem with ‘Christian art’ is that it is so typically not authentic,” said Thomas Ward, a professor of acting and directing in the theater arts department at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
“It seems to be a copy of something else. People say, ‘Let’s make the Christian version of this or that.’ Whatever happens in pop culture — whether it’s music or television or film — it seems that a few months later a Christian version of it shows up. I find no real value in that kind of work. Frankly, I’d rather see the original.
“The idea of having a truly original script would be nearly impossible because so many stories have been told over the years,” he said. “If something works, they change it a little and make another one.”
Still, wishful thinking leads to Christian support for some projects, Vaughn noted.
“Sometimes we want a particular movie to succeed … because we loved the book it was based on, or we’re fans of the lead actor, or we believe in its message. We may wish for these things in spite of the film’s shortcomings, which our bias may or may not allow us to admit,” he said.
The full story on this topic can be found at www.thealabamabaptist.org. Type in “popular culture” or “Spielberg” in the search bar.
(ABP, TAB)
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