Those who have been around the Catholic blogosphere during it’s early part a decade a go will remember (and fondly remember) Fr. Bryce Sibley.
He has an article in Crisis Magazine which voices my opinion on Christian films like Courageous quite well. He is able to put succinctly what I try to grasp to understand in why I think these movies don’t ultimately succeed. His comparison of these movies to the Christian fiction so often produced is a nice parallel in that as he says they both fail to have a “sacramental imagination”.
I also fully agree when he writes:
While films like Courageous have their place, Christian filmmakers should take up the challenge to not only convey the truths of the Christian faith, but that also convey a sense of beauty and mystery in their films. These are the type films that will have the power to truly change minds and touch hearts for generations to come.
Courageous certainly shows the filmmaker has grown, but compare it to a movie like “Of Gods and Men” and then you can rightly see it more as a good Christian Bookstore Movie than what it should be, a work of art.
I encourage you to read his thoughtful article.
