On the Square Today

Peter J. Leithart on messages at the movies :

Like many Christian filmmakers, the Erwins can’t resist “preaching” moments. Sure, non-Christian films can be plenty preachy, but preachiness is a disease to which evangelical filmmakers are especially susceptible. The nurse’s scene is more subdued than many preaching scenes, but it is still a preaching scene. Other Christian filmmakers are even less resistant to the temptation. I am impressed with the chutzpah and drive of the group at Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia, that has produced  Courageous ,  Fireproof , and  Facing the Giants . But these films don’t respect us enough to let us figure out the point of the film, which is as obvious as all get out. From the first frames, you know that a monologue will eventually sum up the film’s moral, and you half-suspect that the monologue will be followed by a joyous standing ovation. It’s like painting a crucifixion scene and then writing out the Passion narrative of Matthew at the bottom to make sure viewers get the point.