As a Catholic Christian (yes, we Catholics are actually Christians), I have mixed feelings towards evangelical Christian movies (as I always have, even when I was an evangelical). Although I appreciate what Christian media does in an attempt to share Jesus, the results are often hokey and creates an "us against them" mentality. In this case, it's the all-atheists-are-out-to-get-Christians scenario. While there is a sense that growing secularism is attempting to restrict Christian freedom, most atheists aren't trying to outright destroy Christianity. Indeed, very few atheists are of the Christopher Hitchens/Richard Dawkins "God-is-evil" mentality.
Aside from that, these movies tend to paint an unrealistic picture of how things work. The harsh realities of life tend to get glossed over with the premise that while life is difficult, God will just magically make everything okay. Take Sorbo's character's loss of his son. He became a drunk who denied God, but no effort was shown that he needed to work through a grieving process before moving on. Instead the character has a near-death experience where he sees his son, ends up talking to his wife's pastor, then BAM--he's suddenly a Christian. The same happens when the wife is diagnosed with a brain tumor. As she is dying, she glosses over her (living) sons' fears by saying that her death will be like her "being in the next room." Sorry, but this is hardly comforting in the real world, even for a Christian. It is just too simplistic and denies the struggles that people face.
My thought is that if Christian media wants to be effective, they need to show faith being worked out in a strong, yet generic sense (as opposed to an in-your-face objective sense) with down to earth people truly working through their struggles.
As a side note, if we Christians truly want to make a difference in society we will focus more on prayer and righteous living, and less on propaganda.
Aside from that, these movies tend to paint an unrealistic picture of how things work. The harsh realities of life tend to get glossed over with the premise that while life is difficult, God will just magically make everything okay. Take Sorbo's character's loss of his son. He became a drunk who denied God, but no effort was shown that he needed to work through a grieving process before moving on. Instead the character has a near-death experience where he sees his son, ends up talking to his wife's pastor, then BAM--he's suddenly a Christian. The same happens when the wife is diagnosed with a brain tumor. As she is dying, she glosses over her (living) sons' fears by saying that her death will be like her "being in the next room." Sorry, but this is hardly comforting in the real world, even for a Christian. It is just too simplistic and denies the struggles that people face.
My thought is that if Christian media wants to be effective, they need to show faith being worked out in a strong, yet generic sense (as opposed to an in-your-face objective sense) with down to earth people truly working through their struggles.
As a side note, if we Christians truly want to make a difference in society we will focus more on prayer and righteous living, and less on propaganda.