How Faith-Based Films Are Changing | Christians Are Complex Too

Christian films suck.

You’ve heard it—I know I have. They’re cheesy. They wrap everything up with a Jesus bow, feature B-list actors, and are full of cringey jokes.

When I tell people I went to school for Christian film, I usually get one of two reactions: “Oh wow, that’s exciting!” Or—if they’re more business-minded: “You should really open yourself up to all industry films so you can actually grow your career.”

I remember going to see God’s Not Dead with my youth group back in 2014. (Technically my first date ever—but that’s a hilarious story for another day.) As cheesy as that movie was, I’ll never forget the call to action at the end to text a friend and tell them “God’s not dead.”

I actually did it.

I texted a few people from school—and it sparked some conversations I’ll never forget. It stirred something in me and made me want to tell stories too.

And I’ve always loved film in general—everything from cutesy kids’ movies to the hard-hitting films that I thought about for days after watching. There’s just something about stories. It connects us. It moves us. It stays with us.

And you know who understood that? Jesus.

His entire ministry was taught through stories—which he called parables, to help people understand truth. And He didn’t just stop there; He encouraged others to share their own stories through their testimonies.

“Jesus always used stories and illustrations like these when speaking to the crowds. In fact, he never spoke to them without using such parables.” | Matthew 13:34

And now we have the Bible—a whole collection of real stories that we can relate to that make us laugh, cry, and hope.

Radio DJ Wally sat down to interview filmmaker Andy Erwin of Kingdom Story Company. You’ve probably heard of some of their movies: Jesus Revolution, Unsung Hero, I Can Only Imagine, and most recently- Unbreakable Boy.

Something Andy said in their conversation stuck with me: “Christians are complex too.”

The story of The Unbreakable Boy isn’t just about a kid facing bullying. It’s about divorce. It’s about strained relationships. It’s about the messiness of parenting. It’s real life, and it’s layered.

“Pulling in the complexity of people into the message that we really believe.” | Andy Erwin

And that, friends, is my point: Christian film is evolving.

We’re not pretending life is perfect anymore. Because that’s not how faith works. Faith isn’t powerful because life is easy—it’s powerful because we keep believing even when life is hard.

Andy talked about how some movies are centered on faith, and others are what he calls “Christian adjacent.” And before you start furiously typing about being a lukewarm Christian, here is why I think this is a great thing:

Movies create community. They shape culture. Just look at Wicked—that movie took over the internet. My TikTok FYP was full of people singing, laughing, commentating, sharing, and connecting. Whether you love it or hate it, it brought people together.

That’s what good stories do.

Here’s my hope and prayer for the future of Christian films:

That real stories continue to be told.
That we don’t “sanitize” the story to make it unoffensive.
These films reach wider audiences, sparking more gospel conversations.
That Christian filmmakers stop putting themselves in a box.

Unsung Hero landed in my top 10 films of all time. Not just because it was beautifully shot, but because it told a story that felt real. A family struggling to make it, leaning on God and one another—it was raw, beautiful, and hopeful.

Creators like Kingdom Story Company, the Kendrick Brothers, and Dallas Jenkins are paving new paths for Christian media. They’re connecting us to characters we can relate to—people who ultimately point us back to Jesus.

I’m excited because the lines in the film industry are being blurred, while the truth of our faith remains black and white.

Once the credits roll… that’s just the beginning of what God can do.

Read Next: This DreamWorks Movie Unknowingly Tells the Story of Jesus

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Alaina Goode

Hey, I'm Alaina!

Or some would call me Laney. I'm from small town friendly Forest City, NC. I love spending time with my family, worship, film, theater, and basically all things music.

God is writing our stories so that every life has a testimony. I want to spend my life creating platforms with others to share these stories and glorify the kingdom of God!