Film Comment: Resources for the Christian in Deciding Which Films to Watch

I recently posted about the film, Megan Is Missing, the message of which I think you should know.  I was extremely hesitant to recommend that you watch the film because it is so intense and savage that it may actually cause psychological damage to the viewer.  Viewing this film would not have been an issue when I was a child because many Christians at that time kept themselves and their children intentionally ignorant outside of their churches. They used their churches as “shelters from the storm.”

Theirs was a “do not” religion.  They adamantly did not smoke, drink alcohol, dance, play cards or games, gamble, watch television, watch movies, read works of fiction, or any other of a long list of things.  There was also a very strong streak of anti-intellectualism.

Many Spirit-led Christians today, myself included, still reject many of the same activities as before but with a different understanding.  From a spirit of Christian freedom, they reject some things because they do not advance the cause of the Kingdom.  They pursue some other formerly rejected activities but always from a Christian worldview.  All activities are viewed through Christian glasses.

In order to have influence on the world, Christians need to be aware of the world. Paul quoted from pagan poets to make some of his doctrinal points. While showing a strong knowledge of the surrounding culture, Paul did not in any way endorse their worldview.  He used their words to advance his arguments. Paul’s attitude can be applied to Christian study in any discipline. We need Christians who have expert knowledge about Islam and other religions. We need Christians who have expert knowledge about ancient languages. We need Christians who have expert knowledge about world politics. We need Christians who have expert knowledge about child pornography and human sexual trafficking. We need Christians who have expert knowledge about modern Western popular culture. We need Christians who have expert knowledge about science and medicine. We need to be able to show the world that we are at the very least their intellectual equals, without any compromise.  We need to be able to show the world the treasure of the Gospel.

This is the attitude from which I do these film comments. Non-Christians have no understanding of the Truth but this does not mean that they have no insights. This does not mean that they have no virtue. This does not mean that they cannot produce anything beautiful. This also does not mean that we should ever compromise the Truth.

  

Below is a short list of Christian websites devoted to presenting a Christian  understanding of films and movies. These sites have several things in common. Most discuss films as a sort of pre-screening for the viewer and especially for viewers with children. Many discuss both the negative and the positive points of the films. Some of the sites rate films based on the presence or absence of God or religion, violence, sex, nudity, bad language, objectionable philosophies or worldviews, extreme political content, hidden messages, or for their suitability for viewing by children. The aim is to aid Christians in discernment about films they may watch.

Inclusion of a site in this list does not mean that I necessarily endorse all statements made on that site. Some of these sites produce screen pop-ups.

http://christiananswers.net/spotlight/

http://www.Movieguide.org/

http://www.crosswalk.com/culture/movies/

http://www.dove.org/

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/movies/

http://www.christiancinema.com/catalog/articles.php

http://www.kids-in-mind.com

http://vidangel.com/watch

http://AmericanCatholic.org/movies/

http://cbn.com/entertainment/Screen/

If a particular film becomes controversial within your church, it might be wise to choose a group of mature Christians to view the film and to give their suggestions and comments to the church.