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What sets Christian filmmakers apart from the Nia Vardaloses of the world is the exclusivity of our faith. We're recruiting. And we have an uphill climb. People in Western society have firmly rooted belief patterns and stereotypes in mind when it comes to Christianity. When they're presented with something that is obviously "Christian" or labeled as such, they don't come to the table open-minded. They're bringing a lifetime of baggage with them. We don't have the luxury of putting our faith on display for casual observation. We have to be more creative than ever. I'm not suggesting that we should hide the four spiritual laws in every script and hope that people try to weed them out like some form of Where's Waldo. Embracing faith is a process, not an event. Films woven with scripture and the idea of personal salvation can help people along in that process.

Tom Cruise's Vanilla Sky is arguably a recruitment tool for the Church of Scientology. Unbeknownst to those watching the movie, they're learning many of the tenets of Scientologist faith. Yet one of my closest friends, a devout Christian, loved that film. The presentation of the message was subtle enough to allow everyone the opportunity to enjoy the film, yet present enough to get people to think about how it could affect their own lives. The Scientologist church around the corner from my old apartment saw a great deal of growth around the time of that film's release. That could have been a coincidence, but I doubt it.

My favorite movie is Peter Hedges' Pieces of April. Hedges takes the very familiar themes of family unity and forgiveness, gives them a new face and creates a wholly unique cinematic experience. As Christians, we can do the same with the message of Christ.

Rik Swartzwelder responds:

It's encouraging to discover that we do share some common ground—most notably, an admiration for Pieces of April. That film is a wonderful portrayal of forgiveness that one could actually argue borders on a "Christian" message. The other issue that we definitely agree on is the need for filmmakers of faith to be even more creative and more tenacious and work harder than ever before at developing their craft. As we focus on those things, I believe much of what we now debate will become increasingly less important.

In the meantime, what do you say we nuke the label "Christian film" for the rest of our discussion? How about forever? As I emphasized in my opening statement, I believe the focus should be craft, not labels; and as we progress, I'm even less sure what that particular label means or if we should be using it at all. Just what exactly does make the end product "Christian" in nature? Does the fact that Gary Marshall's Raising Helen has, by your definition, a positive Christian character make it a "Christian film?" Somehow, I don't think Gary Marshall would necessarily embrace that idea.

As for Nia Vardolas, I'm not sure what her faith background is, but I do know that My Big Fat Greek Wedding contains quite a few Greek Orthodox references and a character that actually chooses to convert to the Greek Orthodox faith as part of the main story line. Again, the inclusion of these elements in no way hurt the box office of this film. Or, are you referring only to evangelical Christianity as being "Christian"? I wouldn't make this delineation, but I understand that some do. The deeper issue here, I think, is that Christians around the globe can't even agree at every point as to what Christianity is or isn't, so it's no surprise that when it comes to the movies we're no different.

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Related Elsewhere:

Should Films Be Faith-Explicit?	Printer view
That's the question we posed to two Christian filmmakers on both sides of the issue. We initiated an e-mail debate between them, and while there were no easy answers, the lively exchange is instructive. Part 1 of 4.

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Should Films Be Faith-Explicit?	Printer view
That's the question we posed to two Christian filmmakers on both sides of the issue. We initiated an e-mail debate between them, and while there were no easy answers, the lively exchange is instructive. Part 2 of 4.

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Should Films Be Faith-Explicit?	Printer view
That's the question we posed to two Christian filmmakers who were coming from two sides of the issue. We initiated an e-mail debate between them, and while there were no easy answers, the lively exchange is instructive. Part 4 of 4.