Spring 2022 17 argumentatively satisfying, but is that how we want our conversations with unbelievers to go? To rub the very tragedies that motivated their unbelief in their faces for the sake of “winning” the argument? Yes, a character’s conversion to Christianity should be presented as a positive development and character growth. However, if we try to convey that by showing their newfound faith magically fixes all their problems, are we selling people a realistic vision of the Christian life or merely an idealized, fictional version just to get them on board? Dr. Joshua Kira, assistant professor of Philosophy and Theology at Cedarville, pointed out that preachy movies often fail to acknowledge the “existential reality” of our problems. Even though our problems may seem simple, actually wrestling with and living through them is anything but. Stories meant to show the truth and viability of Christianity ring hollow when they neglect the very real difficulties of living in a broken world that remains broken even after we come to faith. Having an authentic “come-to-Jesus-moment” is life-changing, but it’s not life-perfecting. Also, in this broken world, there’s only one good guy, and He’s the one who died on a cross to save us wretched sinners from ourselves. May we please, then, dispense of the simplistic “Christians are good, atheists are bad” motif that has marked so much Christian cinematic messaging? In Christ, we are being sanctified, but Jesus also had the least patience for the sanctimonious Pharisees, the self-proclaimed “good guys” of their day. All of that said, I have no problem with stories about Christians made for Christians, or about Christians made for non-Christians, or about Christianity in general. Shockingly enough, there are movies that do a decent job at being exactly that. “Hacksaw Ridge” is a moving account of a WWII medic’s faith inspiring him to courageously risk his life for the sake of his fellow soldiers. “The Case for Christ,” PureFlix’s adaptation of Lee Strobel’s famous book, gives a believable account of one man’s journey from atheism to faith while also shoehorning in some solid apologetics material along the way. The strength of both these movies come from their focus on their characters; their stories are ultimately about real people coming to their own conclusions in a way that feels organic and true-to-life. Their strength comes from their specificity. They’re meant to be examples of how Christianity plays out in an actual person’s life, not the “end-all, be-all” case for why Christianity fixes everything all the time. Importantly, they leave you free to explore Christianity for yourself instead of beating you over the head about what you should or should not believe. After all, we must remember what movies, apologetics arguments, mic-drop moments, and our own will-power all have in common: none of them save people. The Spirit’s working in the heart of those who hear the gospel is what saves people. So let’s present the gospel. Let’s tell the stories of actual peoples’ lives who have been changed by Jesus. Let’s create new stories that show how Christianity best explains the world we live in. But let’s do it with the underlying confidence that our job isn’t to force people into a corner and lecture them until they agree with us. We are meant to be witnesses to the God who does save, not the saviors ourselves. Let’s also remember that we serve the God who created fun, laughter, adventure and the greatest story ever told. Let’s be content with some stories just being that: stories that engage us, inspire us, show us what life is really like or ought to be like, without every single one having to have an altar call moment at the end. Whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, we should do everything to the glory of God, but that doesn’t mean every meal we eat must have some elaborate gospel metaphor encoded within its ingredients or flavors. Sometimes, a good meal is reason enough for us to praise our good, good God. Ben Hiett is an Advanced Biblical & Ministry Studies graduate student and Editor-in-Chief of Cedars. When he’s not pretending to study, he loves watching movies, looking them up on Wikipedia afterward and hanging with the boys.
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