Faith, film and profits: part II

The New York Times’ Sharon Waxman today has her take on the Christian film phenomenon that’s currently sparking discussion with the release of the newest Left Behind film. And once again, it reveals the unfortunate truth about so much Christian filmmaking—these films aren’t actually about film. As usual, Christians have no idea how to approach art, and in fact seem to shy away from it (when not condemning it outright) in favor of pseudo-art whose dual purpose is proselytizing and profiting. Clearly, I support both of these as worthwhile goals (my cred as both a Christian and a free-marketer is pretty well established), but devoid of artistic integrity they’re a prime setting for pretty cruddy art.

Probably the most prominent omission from the article is any talk of the movie’s quality. The focus is entirely on evangelizing and making money.

Mr. Feingold said Sony had plans to make two more Christian movies next year, and intended to make more "Left Behind" films. "We think it will be a nice franchise for Sony," he said. "Modestly budgeted, the 'Left Behind' books are a nice business."

Many of last month's church screenings were followed by an altar call for born-again conversions and fund-raising. Mr. Lalonde said proudly that at a screening for about 900 people at a Costa Mesa, Calif., church on Friday night, "11 people became Christians after the film."

This isn’t filmmaking; it’s advertising. It’s a new way to sell faith—and to do it at the expense of any pretense of artistic quality. The issue I have with this isn’t so much that the films are explicitly pro-Christian, it’s that they’re only that. They’re two hour commercials for accepting Jesus under threat of Revelation, and the result is that, while they may achieve some limited good, they ultimately succeed primarily in furthering the association between Christianity and bad art, as well as propagating the notion that religion is just fire insurance.

Just as bad is the absolute focus on profitability. Yes, the world of film is one that is massively concerned with money—who’s got it, who’s making it, and how everyone can get a piece. But this single-minded focus on profit is just another sign of how these filmmakers are utterly unconcerned with artistic integrity, as well as an easy way for the secular world to paint Christian filmmaking as trashy and exploitative. The sad thing is, when it comes to movies like this, they’re right.