Apparently fed up with too much of
sex and violence in movies, audiences
are showing a growing slant towards
faith-based films.
British actor Michael York, who played
the role of Stone Alexander in The
Omega Code, was reportedly surprised
at the huge popularity of the movie.
The Omega Code was the third most
successful video title in 2000.
Michael York then went on to star in
the sequel Megiddo and to write a book
about the experience, titled
Dispatches from Armageddon: Making the
Movie Megiddo – A Devilish Diary!
Despite its modest budget, The Omega
Code turned out to be a big surprise
against all odds and was the most
successful limited-release film.
Trinity Broadcasting Network, which
funded The Omega Code, said the
company wanted to expand its audience
and claiming that there was a whole
group of moviegoers “who did not go to
see films because they did not like
what Hollywood provided and they
wanted something that would meet their
particular needs.”
Analysts say that presenting a
faith-based world view is the goal not
only of Christians but also anyone who
believes that today’s movies are too
sexually explicit and maybe too
violent. All the same, movies such as
Megiddo, which is about the Battle of
Armageddon, have violence and scary
special effects.
Kevin McCullogh, director of children
and youth ministries at Westminster
Presbyterian Church in Munster, the
United Kingdom, says that “some
Churches and films have got a bad
reputation for being hard, and that’s
not the way it is or should be. Films
should be about helping others and
about forgiveness.”
Zena Dell Stephens, screenwriter,
director and producer who specialises
in Christian-themed films, says that
she tries to teach her students that
“we are all capable of many things, of
disgusting and horrible acts. And, so
we need to avoid making harsh
judgments and being self-righteous
Christians and instead write about
redemption and healing.”
Greg Wright, managing editor at
Hollywood Jesus, has two lists of his
favorite Top 10 movies – one is the
Top 10 ‘faith-based movies’ and the
other is the Top 10 ‘faith-based
movies for the whole family.’
Wright differentiate between
‘faith-based movies’ and ‘faith-based
movies for the whole family’ thus:
“The entire Bible is obviously
intended for the faithful, yet not
entirely family-friendly (like, for
instance, the rape and dismemberment
of the concubine in Judges or David’s
murderous affair with Bathsheba).
Likewise, some of the best faith-based
movies also are not intended for a
family audience.”
Here is Greg Wright’s Top 10
‘faith-based movies’: Babette’s Feast,
Final Solution, Places in the Heart,
The Passion of the Christ, The Last
Temptation of Christ, Jesus of
Montreal, End of the Spear, A Man for
All Seasons, Becket, and Amadeus.
His Top 10 ‘faith-based movies for the
whole family’: The Miracle Maker,
Jesus of Nazareth, Ben-Hur, The Ten
Commandments, It’s a Wonderful Life,
Fiddler on the Roof, The Robe, The
Bible, End of the Spear, and America’s
Heart and Soul.
However, Wright does not include
toddlers in the ‘whole-family’
classification.
