God at the movies

Earlier this month the latest ‘Christian’ movie from Hollywood was released in New Zealand, called Son of God. But what makes a film truly Christian? War Cry talks to Christians working and playing in the film industry, about faith and the modern-day folklore that is the movies.

I grew up as the child of missionaries in a country where going to the movies was considered ‘unChristian’. I remember vividly the thrill of my first ever film—The Muppets Take Manhattan in Leicester Square, London—when my parents were on holiday. Indeed, for many of us, our first trip to the movies is a seminal childhood experience.

The best stories reflect, in some way, the beauty of God’s love and salvation for a broken and needy world. And even more intimately, his love for the unlovable. These stories are a reflection of God’s story for us—if only a smudgy mirror image.

But as Christians, we are often uncomfortable with portrayals of sinful people. And indeed, there is wisdom in keeping our minds innocent of evil. But is a Christian film simply something that is ‘family friendly’? Or is it a story that resonates with the themes of redemption, among a broken humanity?

There are people working in every corner of the film industry who call themselves Christians, so I went looking for their opinions on the question: is God at the movies?

What should we watch

Tom Wardle is a sixth-generation Salvationist who is forging a career as a professional actor and a teacher of speech and drama. In Salvation Army circles he is probably best known as ‘Levi the Lion’ in Zoo Boogie.
Tom says, ‘One of the questions I get asked the most is, “Would you portray an evil character, or someone morally ambiguous?” Well, that’s not who I am; I’m not the character. It always comes down to the context and the message of the story.’

He recalls that the most controversial character he has played was based on a true story, of a high school student who shot 12 people dead at his school. ‘I didn’t have a problem portraying him because it wasn’t condoning the behaviour,’ Tom explains, ‘it was exploring what happens to people when there is emotional, mental and community breakdown.’

So, would he do a sex scene? Ironically, says Tom, the most sexually provocative work he has done was when he worked for three years as part of a Shakespearian company—but because it’s Shakespeare, people don’t question it. ‘As Christians, we shouldn’t shy away from reality,’ he says, although he emphasises that he always questions how his work as an actor will affect his wider life and faith.

Andrew Cochrane has worked in film production for over 20 years. He has won acclaim for a short film he produced called I’m Going to Mum’s, which has been shown at more than 30 film festivals and has won several international awards.

‘As far as the content we watch goes, everyone has different triggers—and that decision lies with the viewer, not the filmmaker,’ says Andrew. ‘If I am susceptible to a porn addiction, then I may not be inclined to watch a film with sexual content. If I have anger issues, then I may choose not to watch a violent film.’

He says that the most conflicted he has ever been about making a film was when he was asked to work for a Mormon film production. Although it was ‘family friendly’, Andrew felt uncomfortable about the false theology of Mormonism. ‘I spent a lot of time with God and came to a sense of peace about doing that film, and I saw that as an opportunity to be a Christian in that environment.’

He observes, ‘The films I really like and remember are the ones that changed my mind about something, and there have been ones that have changed the direction of my life.’

Why we watch

Perhaps the best movies are not just the ones that are inoffensive and comfortable. Really good stories are the ones that challenge us and help us understand something about ourselves and others.  

Richard Goodwin has a Masters in Theology and Arts from the renowned Fuller Institute in Los Angeles, where he specialised in film. He has written three feature film scripts. ‘What do you learn from a story that you couldn’t learn from a lecture? I think the major thing is emotion,’ says Richard.

He uses a movie metaphor to explain further: ‘We’ve valued the rational—it’s like the tension between Captain Kirk, the hothead, and Spock, who can make better decisions because he is completely rational. But scientists are finding that emotions are important to our rational thinking, and actually promote good judgement.  ‘Intellectually, you can agree with a lecture, but if something moves you it changes your life, and that’s real belief. True belief is how you live, not just what you say.’

On beauty

‘Perhaps most significantly, art and stories give us an encounter with beauty,’ explains Richard. He is referring to the classic philosophical trio of ‘truth, beauty and goodness’. ‘Truth and goodness have been valued in Christianity, while beauty has been seen as a bit worldly or suspect. But an experience of beauty can take you to the heart of reality. It can make you understand something at a level that is deeper than words.’

The renowned philosopher C.S. Lewis described this encounter with beauty as ‘an experience of joy’, something people yearned after. This yearning was also a sign that there was something more to life. This realisation led to his belief in God, and ultimately, Jesus.

Beauty is not the same thing as ‘pretty’, though. Sometimes you need to see what’s ugly to appreciate the beauty. Richard explains that traditional ‘Christian art’ has sometimes focused on things that are pretty or nice to look at. ‘But you can’t have the emotional highs without the lows, otherwise it becomes sentimentality and we sense that it’s not genuine.’

This echoes the remarkable words of the apostle Paul: ‘I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings’ (Philippians 3:10). The profound mystery of Christ is that suffering and glory co-exist, helping us fellowship with Christ and with others.

‘The heart of Christianity to me seems to be empathy,’ agrees Tom. ‘The Christian story is about reconciliation with others and with God. At the centre of our faith is redemption, so stories should lead us towards empathy with others.’

Movies and the mission

Richard adds that from a missional perspective, movies are a big part of how stories are told in our culture, so for that reason alone Christians should engage with the movies and filmmaking. In fact, some commentators believe Hollywood has kept alive Christian values that would have otherwise been lost to our culture —such as the concept of the ‘hero’ who sacrifices his own desires for a greater good; a direct reflection of Christ’s sacrifice to offer redemption.

Says Richard, ‘As part of my training I went to Sundance [the preeminent American independent film festival], and the headline in the Los Angeles Times that year was “Spirituality the Hot Topic at Sundance”. That was certainly my experience—people have got past their anger at the Church and are now saying, “But there’s still something, life is still beautiful and meaningful.” ’

In a society where there are so many ‘alternative accounts of the truth’, movies can be an entry point to God and spirituality. ‘In our culture, to walk out of a movie with a sense that life has meaning, is invaluable,’ says Richard. ‘It’s a rebuke to unbelief.’

Jim Downey, director of Creative Ministries for The Salvation Army New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga Territory, says the Army has always been creative in spreading the message of Christ. ‘The Salvation Army has always used creative expression to attract people to church. When the Army was new it was brass bands, and now there are numerous expressions of creativity, from church production to musical forms, to film clips in worship.

Creative Ministries has filmmakers on staff, and Jim says this medium is becoming increasingly important. ‘Territorially, The Salvation Army recognises the value of movies for getting information out and inspiring people—telling our story to others, and telling our story to our own people,’ he says.

The X-rated stuff

All the Christians I spoke to had their own personal boundaries around the kind of films they choose to watch. Tom doesn’t watch films that are about the ‘glorification of violence and revenge’. He adds that as a leader in children’s ministries, he always considers how an acting role will be perceived by others—especially children.

Richard agrees that ‘what glories in sin is distasteful, and I don’t enjoy watching it’. Although he doesn’t consciously think about how ‘Christian’ a film is, he still sees ethics as important, explaining, ‘When you’re younger, especially, having black and white rules can be good; being given standards is good. But at some point you have to grow up and make your own standards.’ So the question is: do your standards reflect Christ?
He adds that there is ‘no grand conspiracy’ against Christianity in the movies. Nor is Hollywood suddenly pro-Christian. ‘Hollywood is driven by what sells, and they have discovered that religion sells, so that’s why you’re seeing more “religious movies” coming out.’

Andrew recalls that his journey with God has been intertwined with his career: ‘For the first part of my career, my faith was not part of my work. But that wasn’t because I was working in the film industry; I was away from God because that was my deliberate choice. But as I make God the centre of my life, that is changing who I am as a person—I have greater empathy, I’m better able to cope with stress, I’m more trustworthy. As the characteristics of God enfold my life I’m a better business person, manager and colleague.’   

Andrew says that throughout his career working within the film industry, he has never met anyone who has not been prepared to engage in a conversation about faith. And as Christians we must do the same: engage in the conversation our culture is having.

As Richard says, ‘Movies have the potential to proclaim the gospel in words and ideas that make sense in this place and time. Films have a real potential for good.’

Movies That Moved Me

There Will be Blood: ‘This stars Daniel Day Lewis as an oil tycoon. It’s a brutal story, but just amazing acting, writing, and cinematography. There’s a beautiful moment where the tycoon’s adopted son forgives him for being so awful, and walks away while the father is still yelling at him. It speaks of the wages of sin, and the wages of his life is loneliness.’—Tom Wardle, actor.

Drive: ‘I was at a point where I was looking for inspiration, and felt that I had lost my way creatively. I saw this film and knew this was the kind of story I wanted to tell. It’s very violent, but it was the relationship between the characters—the filmmakers created very deep, intimate relationships without using words.’—Andrew Cochrane, producer.

The Lego Movie: ‘It’s about a guy who is part of a construction gang and discovers he’s the “chosen one” but he doesn’t think he’s worthy of being chosen—and that really resonates with the Christian message, of God choosing us to represent him in the world.’—Jim Downey, Creative Ministries, The Salvation Army, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga.

Magnolia: ‘The movie that kickstarted my own personal obsession with God and movies. It follows several loosely-associated characters whose lives are unravelling until they’re hit with a cataclysmic event seemingly lifted straight from the pages of the Old Testament. You can write it off as a freak occurrence, but the fact that it becomes an odd moment of grace for most of the characters makes it clear that it’s really divine intervention.’—Richard Goodwin, theologian and scriptwriter.

(Please note: the movies listed above do contain content that could be considered offensive.)

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