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We've been wrestling with the question of just how explicit, in the things of faith, a Christian film should be. Should it be in your face with Jesus and the gospel, or should it be more subtle?

We asked two sharp-thinking filmmakers to help us wrestle with the question. Rik Swartzwelder is an L.A. filmmaker whose short, The Least of These, won numerous awards on the film festival circuit. Atlanta's Angela Harvey is a filmmaker, writer, graphic designer, and founder of Crimson, which produces independent films, gospel tracts and greeting cards.

In an oversimplified nutshell, Swartzwelder believes Christian filmmakers should feel free to be direct with spiritual content—including the gospel—in the context of cinematic storytelling, while Harvey believes such things should be communicated in a more subtle way, if at all. With those assumptions as the starting point, we asked Rik and Angela to debate their positions in an e-mail exchange—which we're now sharing with you in a special four-part series, starting today and running through Thursday.

In yesterday's Part 3, the wide-ranging conversation further explored the purpose of film, and whether "Christian" movies are actually recruiting tools. In today's Part 4, our final installment, the debate wraps up with our filmmakers agreeing on some issues, but continuing to disagree on others …

Angela Harvey writes:

There are two more points on which we agree. We don't need to create movies solely by/for Christians or any other niche audience. And please, Lord, may we never, ever see the advent of "Christian" movie stars!

I'm not going to reiterate my definition of a you-know-what kind of film. But if you run Raising Helen or My Big Fat Greek Wedding through the aforementioned definition, you'll find that they don't pass the litmus test of intent.

Presenting positive images of Christians and Christianity is not an attempt to dupe anyone. This is a good thing we've embraced, is it not? Again, I'll say that a positive perspective doesn't mean a falsely perfect one. And a well-rounded character absolutely must face struggles and have flaws. But there are more than enough voices in the world portraying Christians and Christianity in a negative light. We don't need to add our own voices to this off-key chorus.

Jesus went about preaching good news. And when he met people in trouble or need, he didn't tell them to take up their crosses without first offering a message of grace. When he saved the woman caught in the act of adultery, he gave her good news first; "I don't condemn you either." With that statement, he offered hope to a woman who thought she was about to die. That short sentence was fuel for her to embrace his harder message: "Go and sin no more." Life is hard, Christian or not. But it's the good news, the positive messages that help us get through.

There is nothing manipulative or deceitful about hiding profound meaning inside a film. Jesus' parables are the ultimate examples of spiritual messages hidden in stories. Even today, we're exploring those stories for the truths they hold. It's not a matter of the audience "sniffing out an agenda," rather it's about the audience having the opportunity to explore and analyze the deeper meaning of what they've seen—if they should choose to do so.

A friend of mine named Terri works for a Christian relief agency. Terri became a Christian because of a U2 song. When she researched the lyrics to her favorite tune, she found out that some of the lines were quoted—unreferenced—from the Psalms. She said to herself, "If the Bible is good enough for Bono, it's good enough for me." Terri has not had an easy go in life. And working for a disaster relief agency, she's certainly seen enough ugliness in the world. But she's still clinging to the faith that was born from that song. In the book U2 at the End of the World, Bono says this about the expression of faith in his music:

"We've found different ways of expressing it, and recognized the power of the media to manipulate such signs. Maybe we just have to sort of draw our fish in the sand. It's there for people who are interested. It shouldn't be there for people who aren't."

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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 3 of 4.