Faith in Film

As I mentioned in my description of Southlands, the church had a “Faith in Film” series. I found an archived commentary on Christianity Today’s website concerning the “Faith in Film” topic. The archived material I found is from 7/13/2005. It is a debate between two filmmakers: Rik Swartzwelder and Angela Harvey. They attempt to answer the question, “Should Films be Faith-Explicit?” And more specifically, “Should films be used as a recruiting tool by Christians?” Different people will answer these questions differently. That’s why this commentary is in the form of a debate. Both filmmakers agree that there is a balance between leaving religious content out of films and using a film to preach. You can access their debate by clicking here. I have included several quotes that represent the greatest points of each filmmaker.

“I can think of only one reason why Christians would want religious content completely cut out of a film, and that's fear. They fear personal rejection and embarrassment, or they fear the film will be poorly executed, resulting in a further demeaning of themselves, the gospel and the Church.”
-Angela Harvey

“Hiding our faith isn't the answer, but at the same time, I don't think it's necessarily appropriate to scream that we are Christians from the tops of our lungs. There's a balance.”
-Angela Harvey

“People in Western society have firmly rooted belief patterns and stereotypes in mind when it comes to Christianity. When they're presented with something that is obviously "Christian" or labeled as such, they don't come to the table open-minded. They're bringing a lifetime of baggage with them. We don't have the luxury of putting our faith on display for casual observation. We have to be more creative than ever. I'm not suggesting that we should hide the four spiritual laws in every script and hope that people try to weed them out like some form of Where's Waldo. Embracing faith is a process, not an event. Films woven with scripture and the idea of personal salvation can help people along in that process.”
-Angela Harvey

“This isn't about creating commercials for Christianity or servicing a niche market; it's about telling truthful stories and creating distinct works of art.”
-Rik Swartzwelder

“As filmmakers of faith, our highest calling is to be truthful to what we know and believe and share that with others—not to play spin doctor for the Almighty, as if God would even need such a thing. And, to me, "well-rounded Christian characters" means characters that are just as flawed as the rest of humanity—just like in the Bible. I, for one, am rather grateful that God gave us the whole story and not just an advertisement.”
-Rik Swartzwelder

“How many people have truly committed their lives to Christ primarily because of watching a movie, or hearing a song, or studying a piece of art? Films can plant seeds, possibly give a nudge toward God, but, it's by interacting with real people in the real world that most people are drawn to the Kingdom.”
-Rik Swartzwelder