“Family” Films vs. “Christian” Films - What’s the difference?

I've been reading lately about the Christian film industry. I think it’s important to distinguish between “family films” and specifically “Christian films” as genres. . . As for definitions, I’d say “family films” are films that

1. I could take the kids, my parents, AND my grandparents to
2. All of us would enjoy and
3. I wouldn’t be embarrassed or have to walk out.
   (Thus, the FAMILY could watch and enjoy)

“Christian films” - by my own definition - are OFTEN a subset of “family films” (but not always). They’re films that present a Biblical worldview, meaning (among other things):

• absolute truth exists
• Biblical morality is shown as the norm; immorality is shown as out-of-the-norm (Right is right and wrong is wrong. Where “gray areas” exist, they’re shown to be less than the best)
• ultimately, evil is punished and good is rewarded - or at the very least, evil doesn’t win out at the end
• sin has consequences (People are hurt, lives are sometimes shattered, people may die - as a result of sinful decisions & actions. Sometimes people are hurt through no fault of their own).
• the traditional family structure is seen as important (Although sometimes divorce is a reality, it’s not shown as the easiest, quickest, best solution to marital problems)
• authority figures are respected & obeyed by the “good guys” (For example, laws aren’t broken by the good guys in an “end justifies the means” mentality)
• the story is one of redemption (defined very broadly)

There’s probably more that could be said on this; I'll need to think through it more.

I’d say that all family films could be watched & enjoyed by Christians but not all Christian films could be watched & enjoyed by all families. In fact, some families would be thoroughly offended by anything that was distinctly Christian. After all, there are devout Muslim and Hindu and secular families who watch films; they’d probably be offended by “Fireproof” or “Facing the Giants” - but they could watch “Leave Me” (a GREAT 4.5 minute film with a theme of love and commitment) or “The Butterfly Circus” (a GREAT 20-minute film with a theme of hope) and enjoy them - or at least not be offended.

Calculus and the Kingdom of God

If you're not familiar with the Andrew Tallman radio show on the Phoenix airwaves (weekdays from 5:00-7:00 PM on KPXQ, 1360 AM), you should be! A few years ago, my friend Andrew sent this out in his newsletter:

Is the kingdom of God advanced only when souls are saved? Here's what I mean. If a Christian teaches his high school students calculus, is he advancing the kingdom of God? At first it seems like the answer is no, because no one is born again because of what he does. But maybe it's a mistake to think that the only currency in God's bank is souls. Because if it is, then the Christian has no business teaching calculus when he could be out evangelizing.

Instead, I believe that the proper thing to say is that God's plan is to share His Glory with us and thereby allow us to fully enjoy this life He gave us. That means bringing more people into the family, but it also means living an abundant life once we're in. The kingdom of God is advanced by making people laugh, providing people with clean water, painting the ceiling of a chapel, discovering the truths of the physical universe through science, and by saving souls--who then fulfill at least part of their purpose by teaching calculus.

This is at the heart and soul of what we are attempting through the Arizona Christian Worldview Institute. If we truly believe that Christ is sovereign, then He must be sovereign over every square inch of life - including that part of life known as the teaching of calculus - or any other profession, for that matter. The Christian life is fully Christian, or else it is something else - specifically, Gnostic. The Gnostics were first-century heretics who believed in a "spirit-is-good; matter-is-evil" dichotomy.

Many of today's believers live like Gnostics, with a similar unbiblical division in their lives. Sundays and Wednesday nights are holy, and the rest of the week is just "regular life."

Christian music (whatever that is) is good, and other types of music are somehow less - if not downright wicked. Art and other forms of entertainment are basically worldly (and thus, evil), unless they contain pictures of Jesus. And just to be sure we "get it," let's tack a Scripture verse on the end to make our point.

Entertainment (books, movies, etc.) are good if they don't contain any bad words or any sex scenes. But in fact, lots of "clean" stories are just lousy literature: poorly written, with no interesting characters or realistic dialogue.

This last thought reminds me of an old saying among campers: "Everything tastes better when eaten outdoors." But in truth, some things don't taste good at all - whether consumed indoors or out - castor oil, for instance. The moral of this story: A "G" rating on a movie doesn't stand for "good"; it stands for General audiences. Placing a "G" rating on a film doesn't automatically make it good, any more than consuming castor oil outdoors magically makes it taste better.

Of course, there are those who hold to the beliefs Andrew spells out in his first paragraph above, and as I explained to a friend when discussing Andrew's comments, it all depends on how you define the "kingdom of God." We've got to start with the same definitions of our terms if we are ever going to come to agreement on anything. As the late Dr. Francis Schaeffer said, too many of today's heresies are rooted in traditional Christian terms, but with new definitions. We hear people using the words that we know - like Trinity, or salvation, or spirituality - and assume that they mean the same things we mean, but in fact, they mean something completely different.

We at the Arizona Christian Worldview Institute are attempting, in our small way, to edify the believers and to strengthen them so they hold to the traditional definitions of such words. And then, they can go forth, teaching calculus, or writing books, or managing a business, or making films, in a way that glorifies God and seeing that Christ is indeed sovereign - not just sovereign over a small corner of their lives, but over every square inch.

Filmmaking is Not Preaching

This is a follow-up to a previous post, which you can read here.


Over the years, Christian films have gotten a bad rap. The accusations are many: they're poorly written, they have lousy production values, the acting is cheesy; it's clear that the personnel behind the camera are inexperienced. . . and the list could go on.

But the biggest problem is that many Christian filmmakers think they're supposed to be preachers. And what they haven't realized is that filmmaking is not preaching – it's an art form centered on telling great stories.

Some will say, "Wait just a minute. Preaching can be artistic. It can be eloquent, sermons can be well-crafted, and some preachers know how to turn a phrase just so. Great preaching can lead a person to change a life, to repent of sin, to adopt a new worldview." I agree.

But at their heart, these two means of communication are 180 degrees apart.

What is Preaching?
In his small booklet, What is Biblical Preaching? Rev. Eric J. Alexander identifies several key aspects, or "essentials" of the Word preached.

In his list of eight priorities, Alexander lists as number three, "Biblical Preaching is Didactic in its Nature." He goes on to say:

By that I mean that we are called primarily to be teachers of the truth of God's Word. Our ultimate concern, of course, is to reach the heart and the will, but the scriptural route to the heart and to the will is through the mind. . .

If you look at the language of Paul's preaching, it is the language of reasoning, persuading, and arguing. . .

So our preaching must have a teaching content.
(What is Biblical Preaching, Eric J. Alexander, pp.13-14)

Alexander also quotes William M. Taylor:

To call upon men to come to Christ. . . without at the same time telling them who Jesus Christ is and what it is to come to Him, is the merest mockery. It is using the name of Christ as though it were cabalistic charm and reducing the Gospel message to an empty formula.

In short, preaching is didactic; it must be filled with content. To call a person to "believe in Jesus" without explaining who Jesus is can have disastrous results. A person could "believe in Jesus" without ever knowing who Jesus is or what they actually believe. Preaching that is not teaching can send a person straight to hell.

What is Filmmaking?
I posted the following in an earlier blog entry, but it bears repeating here (especially since Cooke says it more eloquently than I could):

Phil Cooke, CEO of Cooke Pictures and a respected consultant for faith-based, non-profit media . . . mentioned the poor quality associated with Christian films. "But in spite of that great need, most films, television programs, radio specials, and websites produced by Christians are still poor quality, and have a limited audience. That's because for most Christians, the message is everything, and we've forgotten the power of a great story."

Cooke goes on to say that films "aren't about sending messages, they're about telling great stories." Just like the stories or parables that Jesus told.

I’ve spoken with many filmmakers who will get on a bandwagon to preach how films are ideal to express an emotion, demonstrate a way of life and inspire a change in behavior. Unfortunately, most Christian filmmakers just want to preach an overt message using poor quality production values. They miss the entire artistic beauty of the medium.
http://www.christian-movie.com/the_blind_side.html

At its heart, filmmaking is about storytelling, not preaching. As soon as Christian filmmakers understand the difference, we'll begin to see better Christian films.

And maybe, just maybe, if preachers understand that preaching isn't storytelling, we'll hear more biblical preaching.

"Breaking Man" - Gifts, Talents, and Purpose

Once upon a time (just after the earth began to cool, it seems), I was trained as an actor. In my last "day job," I acted on a regular basis - 10 years of short on-camera performances, plus some voice-over work. It was a nice break from sitting at the computer. I haven't been to an audition in - oh, say, 18 years.

That is, until tonight. I just returned from auditioning for a small independent film, "Breaking Man."

It's a "Christian film."

Whatever your thoughts are about "Christian films" and the "Christian film industry," consider this:

Phil Cooke, CEO of Cooke Pictures and a respected consultant for faith-based, non-profit media, recently spoke of the great need in our society for stories that demonstrate morals and codes of behavior. He further mentioned the poor quality associated with Christian films. "But in spite of that great need, most films, television programs, radio specials, and websites produced by Christians are still poor quality, and have a limited audience. That's because for most Christians, the message is everything, and we've forgotten the power of a great story."

Cooke goes on to say that films "aren't about sending messages, they're about telling great stories." Just like the stories or parables that Jesus told.

I’ve spoken with many filmmakers who will get on a bandwagon to preach how films are ideal to express an emotion, demonstrate a way of life and inspire a change in behavior. Unfortunately, most Christian filmmakers just want to preach an overt message using poor quality production values. They miss the entire artistic beauty of the medium.
http://www.christian-movie.com/the_blind_side.html

If we as Christians have any real hope of impacting culture for the cause of Christ - be it through business, art, preaching, or even film - our efforts must be excellent! We must use the gifts we have been given to the best of our ability.

Cooke has written elsewhere about the fact that some Christian films will continue to tell Bible stories and preach (sometimes with a very heavy leather-bound hammer) - but as Christians become better filmmakers, more and more of their films will present truth without ever quoting a verse of scripture.

May it be so!

Soli Deo Gloria

UPDATE 04/20/10: I heard from the producer of the film last night. I didn't get the lead, but a small speaking role. We begin rehearsals this weekend.

I've also written a follow-up post. You can read it here.

Death

Death is no stranger to me, I watched old inkwell die. I sit now and watch a youngster die. Is it of age, 8 or 9? Is death harder for the young? It languishes. The blog is dying. Soon never to be considered. So short a stay! Remember, inkwell had at least a hole left as a marker. What will the marker be for the blog?

Eutychus

Where were you?

Where were you when the iPad was first sold to the public? This may be one of the greatest occurrences in history. What is the iPad for?

Eutychus