Christianity in Hollywood
The Purpose and Task of a Christian Filmmaker in a Secular Film Industry
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By Joseph Hughey
Movies are a multi-million business, earning on average 10 billion per year. Each year, producers pump hundreds and perhaps thousands of films into society, many of which espouse anti-Biblical worldviews and ideals. Humanists have made a number of socially accepted and momentous films like Titanic, American Beauty, and Brokeback Mountain, all of which deny and contradict Biblical truth. This has caused many concerned Christians to retreat from Hollywood, and thus, there are no such momentous films from the Christian side of the film industry. Instead, we get overwhelmingly evangelistic, dogmatic, and usually poorly constructed and acted films created “for the glory of God,” while the unbelieving critics and audiences turn up their noses and look away. This is because Christian filmmakers have missed the point of making movies, and have become trapped in a mindset of preachy evangelism, devoting more time toward pushing their point and less time toward developing a well made film. We can see this most famously in any of the Kendrick Brothers’ films, which are not wholly bad, but still suffer from poor and overly preachy writing and weak acting.
In this paper, I will seek to correct the Christian’s confusion with their purpose in the movie business. In order to determine what a Christian filmmaker’s purpose should be, however, we must first define what a Christian filmmaker is, so I will begin by defining the term “Christian filmmaker,” and then subsequently, and for the rest of the paper, address his purpose and task in the largely secular film industry.
Deciding how a Christian artist should be defined is not always easy. In the music industry, it is sometimes unclear whether musicians should be considered Christian artists based on their faith or the music they produce. Christianity has become unchangeably attached to a specific music genre, but some of the artists themselves are not Christians or don’t produce Christian music regularly. On the other hand, the members of the rock band Switchfoot claim and seem to be devout Christians, but their music is marketed to everyone. There is perhaps less confusion in the film industry, where there is decidedly less Christian fare. The Kendrick brothers are examples of Christian filmmakers, and their films are favorites among Christendom. However, there are many other films not created by Christians that are God-honoring, just as there are films created by Christians that aren’t. Thus, it makes sense to define a “Christian filmmaker” as simply a Christian who makes films, but one does not have to be a Christian to make moral films, which is an important thing to remember and consider. So to clarify the issue, I shall also define a “moral movie” as simply a movie that espouses and upholds God-honoring Biblical morals. Movies like The Incredibles, The Shawshank Redemption, The Sound of Music, The Passion of the Christ, Signs, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Bruce Almighty are examples of this concept, and all are not-coincidentally better films than most avid Christians produce these days. This is because Christians have confused art with evangelism when approaching films, and the results tend to be murky.
What Christians in the film business have mostly forgotten is that movies are a pure art form, and should be treated as such. That being understood, the purpose of any filmmaker, religious or secular, is to make good films. Christians should not approach filmmaking as a mere means of evangelism, as most unfortunately seem to do. This might sound revolutionary, but it’s really not. Just as a Christian carpenter’s purpose should be to make good furniture, and a Christian teacher’s purpose is to be a good teacher, so then a Christian filmmaker’s purpose, in the context of filmmaking, should only be to make good films. It is important to note that when I use the term “good film,” I refer merely to a film that engages the intellect as well as the emotions through effective use of visuals, score, actors, and script, and which also has a strong, well thought-out, and well-developed story. The purpose of any filmmaker should be to make such films.
On the other hand, a Christian filmmaker’s purpose should not be confused with their task. All filmmakers should strive to make good movies, but for secular filmmakers, that’s usually as far as it goes. Their worldviews influence their art, but whatever themes they might propel through their films are usually secondary and perhaps even tertiary to the film’s entertainment value and technical worth. The ideal Christian filmmaker, however, should always be concerned with the message they are portraying. So while their purpose as filmmakers is to make well-made films, their task is two-fold. First, the ideal Christian filmmaker should strive to learn how to make good films, and secondly, they should seek to create aesthetically pleasing films which also champion Biblical truths and “ring true morally.” Let us first address the first task.
Christians need to learn how to make good films. There are a variety of ways in which the skill of filmmaking can be acquired, but it comes easier and more naturally for those who are already creative, imaginative, and carry a passion for movies. Any Christian who loves movies is able to recognize good filmmaking wherever it may be found. The unfortunate truth is that some of the most technically well-made films ever created contain worldviews and themes contradictory to Christian truths. Such a list includes films like American Beauty, Memento, Cape Fear, and many more. Just the same, Christians should not shy away from studying well-made movies with anti-Biblical themes because often, one can learn a lot from such movies, if only on a technical level. This of course demands a level of spiritual maturity. One should also be aware of the many different worldviews and should be able to recognize them in movies. Just the same, not all well-made films purport antichristian doctrines. Aspiring Christian filmmakers can also learn from films like The Incredibles, Amadeus, Citizen Kane, It’s a Wonderful Life, and many more, all of which contain Christian truths. What matters most is that Christians learn how to make good films, and so their study of films should be narrowed down to those which are well-made, whether they contain Biblical ideals or not. It is also important to note that in studying how to make good films, Christians might not always have teachers who share their beliefs. Sometimes a good film education means going to a secular institution or learning from secular sources. Christians should not shy away from this but rather seek ways to interact in these environments in a way that honors Christ.
Once an aspiring filmmaker has learned how to make a good film, they should simply seek to create one, all the while remembering that films are an art form and not an evangelism tool. Movies should be built around stories and characters, not “messages,” otherwise the film inevitably becomes an overly preachy, agenda-driven sermon, and whatever message the creator wanted to push will all but be silenced by the film’s own mediocrity. Christians are not the only ones who do this, but it seems unfortunately prevalent among Christian filmmakers. Stories are the basis for movies, and rarely are stories created with a specific theme in mind. Rather, a story is developed, and then a theme is gleaned from it. This is how most movies are made, and it’s also why it is sometimes hard to identify a film’s central theme at first and even second glance. Remember also that one’s worldview will always influence their art, whether they intend for it or not. This is why I believe that honesty is the best policy when it comes to filmmaking. Inventiveness is the key, and so if one truly has a Christian worldview, it will appear in the stories they create. It need not be forced or even intentional. Regarding hypocrites, Jesus says in Matthew 7:16 (NASB) “You will know them by their fruits.” This can be applied to all artists, and filmmakers in particular, whose art today is so influential. If one is masquerading as a Christian in Hollywood, it will be seen through his actions and through the films he makes, just as a true Christian will produce God-honoring films incidentally. And this is the thing that so many Christians nowadays are missing when they approach filmmaking. They feel because they are Christians and have the duty to glorify Christ, they somehow need to force Christianity into their films or build a story around a Christian ideal. What they need to do is simply embrace their own creativity, if they have any, and their Christian worldview will make itself known.
History has proven that audiences and critics alike have been open to Christian themes in movies, heaping praises onto films like The Sound of Music, Lord of the Rings, Amadeus, etc. It is not apparent that any of these films were created by devout Christians, and yet, they are far more effective at promoting Godly truths than most films created by Christians. A movie like American Beauty will be studied by film enthusiasts for years for its technical genius, but few film enthusiasts will be studying Christian movies unless and until Christians put themselves on the map by making well-made films with compelling, relatable characters and a compelling story. It is not too late to amend Christians’ bad reputation in the film industry. Nor it very hard, if one is truly inventive. All it takes is to embrace one’s own creative capabilities and tell a story.
In this paper, I will seek to correct the Christian’s confusion with their purpose in the movie business. In order to determine what a Christian filmmaker’s purpose should be, however, we must first define what a Christian filmmaker is, so I will begin by defining the term “Christian filmmaker,” and then subsequently, and for the rest of the paper, address his purpose and task in the largely secular film industry.
Deciding how a Christian artist should be defined is not always easy. In the music industry, it is sometimes unclear whether musicians should be considered Christian artists based on their faith or the music they produce. Christianity has become unchangeably attached to a specific music genre, but some of the artists themselves are not Christians or don’t produce Christian music regularly. On the other hand, the members of the rock band Switchfoot claim and seem to be devout Christians, but their music is marketed to everyone. There is perhaps less confusion in the film industry, where there is decidedly less Christian fare. The Kendrick brothers are examples of Christian filmmakers, and their films are favorites among Christendom. However, there are many other films not created by Christians that are God-honoring, just as there are films created by Christians that aren’t. Thus, it makes sense to define a “Christian filmmaker” as simply a Christian who makes films, but one does not have to be a Christian to make moral films, which is an important thing to remember and consider. So to clarify the issue, I shall also define a “moral movie” as simply a movie that espouses and upholds God-honoring Biblical morals. Movies like The Incredibles, The Shawshank Redemption, The Sound of Music, The Passion of the Christ, Signs, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Bruce Almighty are examples of this concept, and all are not-coincidentally better films than most avid Christians produce these days. This is because Christians have confused art with evangelism when approaching films, and the results tend to be murky.
What Christians in the film business have mostly forgotten is that movies are a pure art form, and should be treated as such. That being understood, the purpose of any filmmaker, religious or secular, is to make good films. Christians should not approach filmmaking as a mere means of evangelism, as most unfortunately seem to do. This might sound revolutionary, but it’s really not. Just as a Christian carpenter’s purpose should be to make good furniture, and a Christian teacher’s purpose is to be a good teacher, so then a Christian filmmaker’s purpose, in the context of filmmaking, should only be to make good films. It is important to note that when I use the term “good film,” I refer merely to a film that engages the intellect as well as the emotions through effective use of visuals, score, actors, and script, and which also has a strong, well thought-out, and well-developed story. The purpose of any filmmaker should be to make such films.
On the other hand, a Christian filmmaker’s purpose should not be confused with their task. All filmmakers should strive to make good movies, but for secular filmmakers, that’s usually as far as it goes. Their worldviews influence their art, but whatever themes they might propel through their films are usually secondary and perhaps even tertiary to the film’s entertainment value and technical worth. The ideal Christian filmmaker, however, should always be concerned with the message they are portraying. So while their purpose as filmmakers is to make well-made films, their task is two-fold. First, the ideal Christian filmmaker should strive to learn how to make good films, and secondly, they should seek to create aesthetically pleasing films which also champion Biblical truths and “ring true morally.” Let us first address the first task.
Christians need to learn how to make good films. There are a variety of ways in which the skill of filmmaking can be acquired, but it comes easier and more naturally for those who are already creative, imaginative, and carry a passion for movies. Any Christian who loves movies is able to recognize good filmmaking wherever it may be found. The unfortunate truth is that some of the most technically well-made films ever created contain worldviews and themes contradictory to Christian truths. Such a list includes films like American Beauty, Memento, Cape Fear, and many more. Just the same, Christians should not shy away from studying well-made movies with anti-Biblical themes because often, one can learn a lot from such movies, if only on a technical level. This of course demands a level of spiritual maturity. One should also be aware of the many different worldviews and should be able to recognize them in movies. Just the same, not all well-made films purport antichristian doctrines. Aspiring Christian filmmakers can also learn from films like The Incredibles, Amadeus, Citizen Kane, It’s a Wonderful Life, and many more, all of which contain Christian truths. What matters most is that Christians learn how to make good films, and so their study of films should be narrowed down to those which are well-made, whether they contain Biblical ideals or not. It is also important to note that in studying how to make good films, Christians might not always have teachers who share their beliefs. Sometimes a good film education means going to a secular institution or learning from secular sources. Christians should not shy away from this but rather seek ways to interact in these environments in a way that honors Christ.
Once an aspiring filmmaker has learned how to make a good film, they should simply seek to create one, all the while remembering that films are an art form and not an evangelism tool. Movies should be built around stories and characters, not “messages,” otherwise the film inevitably becomes an overly preachy, agenda-driven sermon, and whatever message the creator wanted to push will all but be silenced by the film’s own mediocrity. Christians are not the only ones who do this, but it seems unfortunately prevalent among Christian filmmakers. Stories are the basis for movies, and rarely are stories created with a specific theme in mind. Rather, a story is developed, and then a theme is gleaned from it. This is how most movies are made, and it’s also why it is sometimes hard to identify a film’s central theme at first and even second glance. Remember also that one’s worldview will always influence their art, whether they intend for it or not. This is why I believe that honesty is the best policy when it comes to filmmaking. Inventiveness is the key, and so if one truly has a Christian worldview, it will appear in the stories they create. It need not be forced or even intentional. Regarding hypocrites, Jesus says in Matthew 7:16 (NASB) “You will know them by their fruits.” This can be applied to all artists, and filmmakers in particular, whose art today is so influential. If one is masquerading as a Christian in Hollywood, it will be seen through his actions and through the films he makes, just as a true Christian will produce God-honoring films incidentally. And this is the thing that so many Christians nowadays are missing when they approach filmmaking. They feel because they are Christians and have the duty to glorify Christ, they somehow need to force Christianity into their films or build a story around a Christian ideal. What they need to do is simply embrace their own creativity, if they have any, and their Christian worldview will make itself known.
History has proven that audiences and critics alike have been open to Christian themes in movies, heaping praises onto films like The Sound of Music, Lord of the Rings, Amadeus, etc. It is not apparent that any of these films were created by devout Christians, and yet, they are far more effective at promoting Godly truths than most films created by Christians. A movie like American Beauty will be studied by film enthusiasts for years for its technical genius, but few film enthusiasts will be studying Christian movies unless and until Christians put themselves on the map by making well-made films with compelling, relatable characters and a compelling story. It is not too late to amend Christians’ bad reputation in the film industry. Nor it very hard, if one is truly inventive. All it takes is to embrace one’s own creative capabilities and tell a story.