The Problem with Christian Films

Lamb

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The Problem with Christian Films

"There are currently two primary problems with Christian films: (1) they are either inherently dishonest and/or (2) they are primarily concerned with what C. S. Lewis called “egoistic castle-building.”"

I have an issue with some so-called Christian films because I agree somewhat with what the author above wrote.
 

Josiah

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The Problem with Christian Films

"There are currently two primary problems with Christian films: (1) they are either inherently dishonest and/or (2) they are primarily concerned with what C. S. Lewis called “egoistic castle-building.”"

I have an issue with some so-called Christian films because I agree somewhat with what the author above wrote.



I agree.

I think they do more harm than good.

I think they tend to promote HORRIBLE theology.
 

MennoSota

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The Problem with Christian Films

"There are currently two primary problems with Christian films: (1) they are either inherently dishonest and/or (2) they are primarily concerned with what C. S. Lewis called “egoistic castle-building.”"

I have an issue with some so-called Christian films because I agree somewhat with what the author above wrote.
A little trivia...the CEO and founder of Pure Flix (a Christian movie company..."God's Not Dead"), David White (yes, he's a Mennonite), is the son of my wife's former pastor when she was a kid. David's older sister and my wife still send Christmas cards.
That being said, I don't agree with the Arminian theology his movies promote and I find the plots generally stereotypical.
 

Andrew

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Meh, The Passion of the Christ was pretty good, The Gospel of Luke is a verbatim movie but I think I just like the gospel in general and also the story of two brothers Jacob and Essue/Joseph and his brothers a duo film -is rather good...
As for others based on Christianity, I think the only one I remember is Heaven is Real, which was not offensive but wasn't all that captivating.
 

Andrew

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A little trivia...the CEO and founder of Pure Flix (a Christian movie company..."God's Not Dead"), David White (yes, he's a Mennonite), is the son of my wife's former pastor when she was a kid. David's older sister and my wife still send Christmas cards.
That being said, I don't agree with the Arminian theology his movies promote and I find the plots generally stereotypical.
I'm still pondering if I should watch this.
https://youtu.be/axjzInqdzBI
Have you seen it Menno?
 

MennoSota

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I'm still pondering if I should watch this.
https://youtu.be/axjzInqdzBI
Have you seen it Menno?
No, I have not heard of this. I have heard a handful of those in the trailer. Specifically I went to Bethlehem Baptist where John Piper was the pastor. I have listened to Michael Horton and RC Sproul. I didn't see Albert Moehler, but the transformation of the Southern Baptist Conference to a Particular Baptist (Calvinist) theology is quite amazing.
 
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Andrew

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No, I have not heard of this. I have heard a handful of those in the trailer. Specifically I went to Bethlehem Baptist where John Piper was the pastor. I have listened to Michael Horton and RC Sproul. I didn't see Albert Moehler, but the transformation of the Southern Baptist Conference to a Particular Baptist (Calvinist) theology is quite amazing.
Im going to go ahead and rent it here in a few days or so and review it as an outsider, it looks very interesting and so far I agree with the trailer that many evangelical churches worry too much about drawing the interest of non believers by conforming to what they want in a church and not having much biblical structure in the sense that the Church is for believers... I have been invited to a "church for those who don't like church" before but I 'do' like church just not those types of churches, it's a bit offsetting for me but glory to God if all who are willing to attend find them helpful and can evenly divide scripture for themselves by doing there homework...
 

tango

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The Problem with Christian Films

"There are currently two primary problems with Christian films: (1) they are either inherently dishonest and/or (2) they are primarily concerned with what C. S. Lewis called “egoistic castle-building.”"

I have an issue with some so-called Christian films because I agree somewhat with what the author above wrote.

I've long since given up on watching Christian films after a few of them got rave reviews (from Christians) and I found them depressingly shallow and predictable. You know, the endless hostility to the Christian perspective leading up to a remarkable conversion in someone's dying moments. Or the thinly veiled objections to the Christian faith presented by an atheist who isn't really an atheist. Or the use of good apologetics but dragged out over a long and tortuous movie.

I remember in my teenage years being aware of a guy in my church who everybody thought was really cool (everybody in the church, that is). Outside the church people thought he was an idiot. The trouble is when people like that are rolled out to "reach out to the world", they can be quite counterproductive. In my late teenage years part of the reason I walked away from the church completely was an increasingly powerful sense that "I don't want to be like these people". Frankly I'd be embarrassed to show some of the Christian movies I've seen to non-Christian friends.
 

psalms 91

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I've long since given up on watching Christian films after a few of them got rave reviews (from Christians) and I found them depressingly shallow and predictable. You know, the endless hostility to the Christian perspective leading up to a remarkable conversion in someone's dying moments. Or the thinly veiled objections to the Christian faith presented by an atheist who isn't really an atheist. Or the use of good apologetics but dragged out over a long and tortuous movie.

I remember in my teenage years being aware of a guy in my church who everybody thought was really cool (everybody in the church, that is). Outside the church people thought he was an idiot. The trouble is when people like that are rolled out to "reach out to the world", they can be quite counterproductive. In my late teenage years part of the reason I walked away from the church completely was an increasingly powerful sense that "I don't want to be like these people". Frankly I'd be embarrassed to show some of the Christian movies I've seen to non-Christian friends.
I have seen many good films and one I highly recommend is I can only Imagine, a great film
 

psalms 91

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A little trivia...the CEO and founder of Pure Flix (a Christian movie company..."God's Not Dead"), David White (yes, he's a Mennonite), is the son of my wife's former pastor when she was a kid. David's older sister and my wife still send Christmas cards.
That being said, I don't agree with the Arminian theology his movies promote and I find the plots generally stereotypical.
Gods Not dead is another I really like even if others dont.
 

MennoSota

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Gods Not dead is another I really like even if others dont.
It made a lot of money. Mainstream evangelical Christianity liked it, so you're in the majority in the US.
 

tango

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Gods Not dead is another I really like even if others dont.

I really struggled with that one. It seemed to blend some good apologetics material into an extended movie that overall I thought was dismal and utterly predictable.
 

tango

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I have seen many good films and one I highly recommend is I can only Imagine, a great film

I tried looking on Google and all the hits I'm getting is "I can only imagine". Is that the same one?
 

psalms 91

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I tried looking on Google and all the hits I'm getting is "I can only imagine". Is that the same one?
Yes it is also the title of a christian song and is the story of the man who wrote it and why
 

tango

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Yes it is also the title of a christian song and is the story of the man who wrote it and why

I know of it. I think my wife watched it and really liked it. Like me, she thought God's Not Dead was truly dismal and felt the urge to facepalm when she saw the sequel. We also watched What If? and her response to that was it was two hours of her life she could never get back.

I'll ask her about Imagine, don't know if she borrowed the DVD or went out to see it.
 
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