Psycho, Killer, Bigot, or Saint? Christians in the Movies in 2008.

Last updated on: March 15, 2013 at 12:05 pm by Jeffrey Overstreet

Psycho, Killer, Bigot, or Saint? Christians in the Movies in 2008. 2013-03-15T12:05:58-06:00 Jeffrey Overstreet

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

It’s 2008, and I’m still waiting to see if any brave filmmakers out there will dare to introduce a Christian character who isn’t a mass murderer or a psychopath.

No, I’m not looking for a “Christian movie” with an altar call at the end. God forbid. I would just like to see a few films that take Christian characters seriously.

In my life among Christians, I ‘ve met three or four I’ve met who are actually dangerous in in their misguided beliefs and convictions. (And I’ve met a handful of unbelievers who qualify as dangerous for their own views.) I’ve met quite a few who are frightfully naive. (And I’ve met quite a few unbelievers of similarly dismaying ignorance.) The ratio of frightening Christians to frightening non-Christians is really not so different. There are extremists and lunkheads in any community, I suspect.

But most Christians I’ve known in my life within Christian communities have been decent, enjoyable, neighborly folks whose lives have been strengthened by faith, and who were probably kinder and gentler and more compassionate than they would have been without that faith. They’ve had the most of the same problems as unbelievers, the same strengths, and the same struggles.

There have been some memorable recent portrayals of Christians who actually seemed like human beings. But for the most part, it’s been business as usual: The Christian character is usually a wacko screaming for hellfire and brimstone, resorting to sensational violence, or a sour-faced prude.

Once in a while, these not-so-flattering portrayals point out destructive tendencies in human behavior that are worth taking seriously. I’m hearing that Snow Angels might qualify as a good film about a mixed-up Christian. And I found the pyschotic religious zealot in There Will Be Blood to be a fascinating character (although I don’t think he was a Christian. He claimed to be a prophet for something called “the Third Revelation” that gave him some kind of healing power. And he did not seem interested in preaching the gospel.)

But most of the time, movies that portray Christians as monsters do more to betray the screenwriter’s own ignorance or bigotry than to shed any light on the nature of faith. I’m convinced that someone could hold an annual “Christians are Psychotic and Insane” film festival, and keep the screens busy with qualified motion pictures each year.

So, I’m marking this as a Post In Progress. Over the course of this year, let’s observe how Christians are portrayed on the big screen, for the purposes of celebrating those artists that dare to portray Christians in an honest, thoughtful fashion. I’m not saying we should complain whenever a Christian is portrayed as misbehaving. But let’s applaud those rare thoughtful portrayals, and call those paper-thin portrayals of prejudice exactly what they are.

Last year, I was especially impressed by portrayals of Christians in Amazing Grace, Longford, and Lars and the Real Girl. These characters had strengths, weaknesses, and complexity.

Where have you seen Christians on the big screen in 2008?

Looks like we have an interesting case on the way:

Via Cinematical, here’s the summary for an upcoming film called From Within starring Adam Goldberg. (I’ve bolded a little detail that caught my eye.)

“The small, serene community of Grovetown is shaken by the dual suicide of a young couple. When more suicides quickly follow, people in the evangelical town turn a blind eye and cling firmly to their deep-seated beliefs. Lindsay (Elizabeth Rice), a local student and girlfriend of the pastor’s son, is not so dismissive. She begins to prod deeper into the mystery and befriends Aidan (Thomas Dekker), a non-believer whose family has stirred controversy before. Lindsay soon discovers that something evil and indescribable is at work, moving parasitically from victim to victim. As the frightened locals begin looking for revenge, Lindsay is convinced she will be the next to die and realizes that Aidan may be the only hope of eradicating the suicidal plague.”

Blog

Christianity on the Big Screen

There Will Be Blood

Previous Post

April 8, 2008

Compromising Caspian?

Next Post

April 11, 2008 Michael Chabon's Famous, Unfilmed "Spider-man 2" Script is Yours

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Blog Bloggers on "Through a Screen Darkly" Browser Coming Soon Endorsements Fiction Books Film Forum Film Reviews Inspirations Interviews Journal Kindlings Muse Movie buzz Music Reviews Non-Fiction Books radio Reviewers on "Through a Screen Darkly" The Auralia Thread Through a Screen Darkly Through a Screen Darkly - Bonus Materials Top 10 (or 20 or 100) lists Uncategorized

Select a Month June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 July 2003 May 2003 March 2003 September 1999

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What animal tricked Eve in the garden?

Select your answer to see how you score.

A serpent A wolf A fox A lion