There are so many Christian films out there that just seem cringe. Why? Instead, of spending most of the time beating up on …

45 COMMENTS

  1. Hey mike. How would you recommend for a non-beliver to read the bible for the first time? I was born a muslim, lost my faith 2 years ago. Ive watched some of your content and it seems that your postions are fairly aligned with my moral intution, should i simply read the bible from start to finish? Or should i supplement it with books that explain the text with more context, if so which books do you recommend?

  2. Great films?

    Akira Kurosawa. Ikiru (To Live)! or Rashomon.
    Andrei Tarkovsky. Stalker. Etc.

    Take a look you might be amazed!

    I do agree with Mike (Mike JONES? Really, now THAT is hard to believe, lol!) about keeping the Political out of it. And I am as FAR from a Rightwing boy as you can get, lol!
    Compassion? Kinda important boys and girls! Compassion, forgiveness, acceptance. The RIGHT! Not so much?
    Universals are IMPORTANT. But, in order for them to have an effect you often have to allow the viewer to MAKE
    the CHOICE and not provide THE ANSWER. The film must bring the viewer into the abyss and then ask him/her
    what will YOU do now? Without the COMFORT of being TOLD this is the RIGHT CHOICE! Christian films, not so much.
    They eliminate the burden of FREEDOM! Much like the Grand Inquisitor's Church which provides Miracle, Mystery and Authority.
    We will give them something to eat, something to believe, and someone to LEAD them! And they shall THANK US!
    And go on willingly listening and following us, never asking the nasty questions that YOU (Jesus) wish them to, never
    questioning anything, like passive sheep being led by their shepherd-or in this case, THE WOLF, the Grand Inquisitor, ME!
    Or the Writer/Director of most Christian films. perhaps? Don't worry be HAPPY!

  3. About your note on Tolkien's question about what Galadriel meant by "passing the test" . . . If anyone here hasn't read Stephen King's Dark Tower series, there is some wild stuff in there. King seems to have a similar relationship with his characters; they almost unfold before him and tell him what they're doing.

  4. There are so many films that need to be made

    The Confessions
    Paradise Lost
    Alfred the Great
    Aquinas
    Nicea
    Faust
    Constantine
    St Cuthbert

    Our Christian heritage is rich with stories.
    All could do with making in a modern way yet remain faithful.
    Without the ripped sheets for clothes!!!

  5. Disney's Hunchback of notre dame is also a good example, Frollo is an active member of the church, yet he let his perverted lust for Esmeralda to lead his way, Esmeralda though being a gypsy is a very kind woman, she understands how hard it is for Quasimodo to be humiliated because she was in the same status as him though in a different way. It's like the good Samaritan in a way.

  6. Hello Michael,

    I know you are very busy and have probably no time reading this. I hope, so GOD will, some of your Patreons see this and ask this in a Q&A, if you won't be able to:
    Can you please consider making a video or series on Christian interpolations? Many atheist, muslims use these to "prove" Christianity wrong. I tried to search for apoligetic in this area but almost got no answers. I'm sure it would help a lot people if you would present us a well prepared study, like so many you already did.

    I thank GOD for your ministry and it helped me a lot on my journey. I hope my text reaches you.

    GOD bless

  7. Really appreciate this breakdown. As a big fan of horror movies, I often make the case that horror can be one of the most Christian-themed genres out there. It treats things like demons and evil as objectively real, which they are.

    So many other genres are currently into subjectivity and everything being deconstructed into shades of gray. Even the latest Superman movies portray him, formerly the ideal of perfect goodness, as having a dark side. But horror doesn't work without the certainty of that which terrifies us. It hits our carnal flesh in a visceral way.

  8. Best films with Christian messages that aren't explicitly about Jesus:
    Little Women (1933)
    The Sound of Music (1965)
    Excalibur (1981)
    Gettysburg (1993)
    Braveheart (1995)
    Gattaca (1997)
    Les Misérables (1998)
    The Patriot (2000)
    The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
    Signs (2002)
    The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
    The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
    We Were Soldiers (2002)
    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
    Cinderella Man (2005)
    Apocalypto (2006)
    True Grit (2010)
    A Quiet Place (2018)
    Outlaw King (2018)

  9. Thing this is all the greatest stories and media created have storyline built with underlying Christian themes or philosophy questions that have parallels in the Bible. Honestly we can write amazing stories just using themes of the Bible but with different plots and characters.

  10. Plz do a video on Judaism's rejection of Jesus, and why jews don't believe Jesus was the Messiah, what should be done about this, how should they be convinced?

  11. The puss in boots the last wish movie can be argued to be pushing for Christians values cuz it’s talking abt accepting death instead of fearing it like how Christ tells us to not be afraid.

  12. Atheism ain't got nothing new or better to offer than the very religious beliefs it's critical of so it's hypocrisy at it's finest 😂. Hello this is for all you Atheists, unbelievers and skeptics. I'm going to address a few misconceptions and lies about God's Character and His Word. The Bible doesn't support chattel slavery or anything else Immoral. Ok so Atheists and unbelievers say God is either Immoral, incompetent or not responsible so let's see what The Scriptures actually say. God revealed himself and created a nation in a real, historical context. It was a world with a slave-based economy, with city states often at war with each other, with polygamous marriages to ensure the continuation of family lines. The laws of the Old Testament regulate this behaviour. Slaves are to be treated humanely (Exodus 21:11). They are given rights and not seen as mere possessions. Hebrew slaves were able to buy their own freedom. Human trafficking is condemned (Exodus 21:16). In contrast to the law code of Babylon, Old Testament Israel was a light to the nations. The Old Testament law and narratives do not stand alone. Jesus is now the best example of what we read. So the moral teaching of the Bible cannot be summarised by a quote taken out of context from the Old Testament to demonize God and His Word. Slavery was permitted in Old Testament law but it was regulated by God giving the Israelites instructions on how to fairly and humanely treat their slaves (it was like indentured servitude where someone could work for you if they owed debts or needed income not cruel like chattel slavery). God allowed the people of Israel to own slaves since they themselves has already experienced over 400 years of generations of Egyptian slavery and knew how inhumane it was to be beaten, overworked and taxed so God set them apart from other nations and cultures around them by giving them a fair way to treat their slaves since slavery had already existed in the world but it doesn't mean God condoned it just used it for His Will to bring Good And in the light of the whole scriptural teaching, we find the reasons for its ultimate abolition (Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 4:1-3; Philemon 15-16 and Galatians 3:28). The Word of God provided the moral standard against slavery in the Roman Empire and against the slave trade in the New World.
    But what of genocide or holy war in the book of Joshua? Several things could be pointed out. The use of warfare in the ancient world did not always mean literal total destruction, even when events are described in such terms. Furthermore, the book of Joshua does not describe a genocide. It is not a race who are being wiped out, as in genocide, but a religious practice which was often appalling and degrading. Those who repent (like Rahab from Jericho or Ruth) are not destroyed but become part of Israel. It is not the racial group that is in view but their "detestable practices".
    However, after all is said, we must still acknowledge that God brought judgment on the nations of Canaan. It is not our place as believers isn't to sugar-coat the Bible. For some skeptics, this is enough to make God a moral monster. But the fact is that Jesus continued to affirm that God is a Judge who will bring a future judgment on all peoples and all nations. God’s judgment will be just. The list of Old Testament stories rejected by critics often leads to a similar dismissal of the New Testament teaching of Jesus on the existence of hell.
    After all, what was the Flood of Genesis or the conquest of Joshua if not a glimpse of future judgment? Hell does not demonstrate cruelty on God’s part, but it does demonstrate His Holiness and our moral accountability. Perhaps this is the real reason many people rail against the God of the Bible? It is not that they think He is a moral monster, but that they are afraid He is a moral Judge, and that has implications for our behaviour now. God is an Eternal Almighty Spirit Being and we as His creatures have Eternal souls and spirits so the punishment for our sins against Him must therefore also be Eternal but so must the reward for righteousness that's why He sent His Son Jesus to live a perfectly righteous and sinless Life (which none of us could ever possibly expect to do) suffer the humiliating and torturous death of crucifixion to shed His Own Blood willingly so that all who willingly accept His gift of salvation by grace through faith in Him will be saved and given Eternal life because that's what God wants is for us to willingly accept His gift of salvation and choose life. Exodus 21:20-21 literally speaks about capital punishment befalling anyone who mistreats their slaves so yes people are taking Scripture out of context to demonize God who literally promises that slaves who are mistreated under someone else's authority is to be avenged. When we hear the word “slavery” we think of innocent human beings, kept prisoner for life, having no rights under law and so reduced to animals. This is clearly immoral because it is unjust: the slave has done nothing to deserve the treatment.
    The situation described as “slavery” in the Bible was nothing like this. It is more accurately described as one of indentured servitude. Many “slaves” were indentured servants, working for a term of years

    Some other “slaves” were prisoners. There were no prisons. Prisoners had to work to live like everyone else. Some had life sentences. Some served a term and were released.
    People didn't beat their good slaves but treated them well and protected their assets thus.

    But no matter how rebellious a slave was, you couldn't just beat them to death. And if you knocked out their tooth or damaged their eye then you had to set them free. (Exodus 21:26). God wasn't using what other nations did because He wanted to set His Chosen People of Israel apart from the cruel, inhumane and unjust systems other cultures had so He gave them a fair way to treat their slaves and servants.
    There is a lot of ignorance on this topic which is understandable given the age we live in but it's not the nefarious set up we think of when we think of modern slavery. The question Atheists must ask themselves is how come the Jews aren't being accused of slavery and human trafficking if they're guilty of it in The Bible and why would white slave owners rip out pages from The Old and New Testament Scriptures to justify their owning blacks as slaves if The Bible already justified slavery?

  13. The answer is simple. Make Christians actually read fiction, mainly older works when culture was still decently Christian influenced. Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Flannery O’Connor. Most of the time, it feels like modern Christian directors have a shallow understanding of the classics, and instead just make Christian lifetime movies.

    Honestly, it’s the reason most movies in general suck. Only homaging, only referencing what’s currently popular. No understanding of the roots of why that’s popular, or any classic works.
    Christian directors feel the need to reinvent the wheel. Like they’re the first ones to make Christian works of cinema. There have already been tons of incredible directors who were Christian, very traditional conservative ones at that, Rohmer, Tarkovsky.
    Even Golden age classic directors. Cecile b Demille, Frank Capra, they were very devout.

    Christians have such a wonderful and beautiful legacy of art. God Himself is an artist. We need to embrace it.

  14. 11:54 to 12:17 – Perhaps a better analogy would be someone like a transgender atheist being the protagonist in a Christian film, since it's more about identity than what the individual specifically did.

    That said, this is a great video. I'm sharing it on Twitter.

  15. It was also interesting that eleven, when she was bound by Vecna in the upside down, was trying to appeal to Vecna's conscience by emphasizing how papa treated him badly. She mistakenly thought Vecna did what he did because he felt wronged when in reality he only wanted to be God and Creator.

    By the way Michael, I thought it was interesting to hear you talk about Christianity being interwoven into our culture. It just goes to show how important religious identities are for human psychology. If you try to root Christianity out of your conscious identity, it will only live on in your subconscious identity. But no one should want that, cause it would only cause a gap in your conscious identity.

  16. I get what youre saying but most times the bad guys ARE usually not of the christian tribe and the good guys generally ARE Christians. Stereotypes are true. Have you ever been to a pro life march and seen the counter protests by the pro death crowd? its pretty much 98% Christians vs 98% atheist leftists. So why would you purposefully make the protagonist an islamic terrorist when they clearly will not be on your side

    I loved Gods not dead movies because gasp its an accurate depiction of reality

    People dont like it because its too simplistic and the first one was, but the second was much better. People just get butt hurt because darkness hates the light

  17. just make a cartoon of the life of Jesus. but make it very accurate in terms of background and historical context. imagine seeing an accurate Jerusalem of the 1st century AD and people in correct dress and archeologically accurate environment

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