Have you ever settled in for a movie night with the family only to have the evening ruined when your film choice turned out to be unsuitable for children? It wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened. We all want to have clean movies for our families to watch. For many households it can be difficult to find a film that works for a teenager, a junior high student, a 5th grader, and their parents. Lately we’ve seen a large number of Christian films being released in the theater and on DVD. There are also a few channels available that specialize in clean movies. While both can work for a family gathering, have you ever thought about the difference between these kinds of movies? Before we discuss the distinction of “Christian films,” let’s talk about the content that clean movies cut out.
Every family is a little different, but there are a few obvious things that Christian families are looking to filter out of their entertainment choices. Among these are bad language, sexuality and nudity, and violence. You don’t have to be a Christian to find these elements a less than ideal part of popular entertainment. Even the films that come out of Hollywood are rated according to their content. The outside world knows that some material is too much for kids. That's why there are so many rules about children at theaters.
No matter what religious beliefs you hold, it would be difficult to defend showing your family something like “The Wolf of Wall Street." Whether it’s the near-600 F-words, the scenes of gratuitous drinking/drug use, or the plethora of sexual situations, you’re going to have some kind of issues with it one way or another. Plus the 3-hour runtime is hard for any kid when Iron Man isn't making an appearance.
Families want to watch films that have wholesome values, make us laugh, and activate our imaginations. That’s where clean movies and Christian films start to come in.
For non-Christian families, clean movies are a great way to enjoy programming that is suitable for all ages. Examples are found in animated films or through cable channels like UP or Hallmark. These movies offer an entertainment option that is more wholesome, but might not have anything to say about religious beliefs. Either there is zero spiritual content or it is hidden underneath a moral platitude that most people would agree to regardless of faith.
There’s nothing wrong with clean movies that aren’t expressly Christian. Your family will still be spared from most bad language and strong sexual scenes and what little violence there may be will be watered down. The main difference between these films and those that fall under the Christian banner is that the spiritual content will be minimal (more on that later).
Clean movies are looking to hit the widest demographic they can, morally speaking, so the content is safe for families without being off putting to those who ascribe to a certain theology. The movies are safe for your family, but you don’t necessarily want to build your belief system off of the values preached within them. There are many nice ideas spread in these films like the importance of volunteering in the community, taking care of family, being generous, and valuing relationships over your work life. Christians won’t have any issues with these, but the values are incomplete without taking into account their spiritual reasoning. Let’s look at what spiritual content looks like in clean movies.
Perhaps “clean movies” isn’t the best name for a genre of films, but it does get the message across that these are safe choices for your family. Since we know that these movies will be shying away from anything too incendiary, the spiritual matter within them will be minimal at best. If there is anything religious to be taken away from clean movies, it’s likely to be some kind of watered down Christianity with a little Hinduism or Buddhism thrown in. You don’t really have to worry about this content around your family, but it might provide the opportunity for discussion to see how Christianity differs or relates to the films you are watching.
When you go back and look at some of your favorite non-Christian family films, you might be taken back when you realize that these films tend to cut out religion completely. If Christianity is mentioned at all, it’s likely to be in relation to how the local church is something of a community center. If you’re watching a Christmas film on Hallmark, you may see the two romantic leads attending a church service or partnering with a local Christian charity, but the building itself is likely to be the closest any talk ever gets to Christ.
Then there are the family friendly films that feature angelic beings, but seem to be written by someone who has a different understanding of the supernatural world than what is lined up in scripture. This last point is something that a few Christian films are guilty of as well, but it’s not a big enough issue to raise a fuss over.
Here’s the simple way in which Christian films differ from those that are simply clean: they point viewers toward a deeper understanding of Christian life. When we watch Christian films, we should be entertained and encouraged, but that’s not all. Christian films should push us closer to a relationship with Christ. There are plenty of these films that feature a non-Christian coming to faith in Christ. (“God’s Not Dead” and “The Resurrection of Gavin Stone” come to mind.) While that’s not a bad plotline, it’s not the only way to explore the virtues of belief.
Christian films should make us better fathers (“Courageous”), more loving to those who are different than us (“The Grace Card”), stronger in prayer (“War Room”), or determined to share the gospel (“Do You Believe?”). While clean movies also offer important lessons and values, they are missing the gospel of Christ which is the backbone of these revelations. When you remove God from the equation, you are missing the bigger picture.
As we’ve said before, it’s perfectly fine to watch clean movies that aren’t specifically Christian with your family. Enjoy the night together and maybe use it as a chance to talk about important life lessons and how they relate to the Bible. There is a difference between Christian films and those that are simply family friendly, but the important thing is to come together as a family and spend time with one another.
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