Christian Filmmakers: How to Tell Authentic Stories Without Overpreaching 🎬

Why do so many Christian movies feel preachy and out of touch? In this video essay, I confront a common mistake in Christian filmmaking: forcing the gospel into every scene instead of telling great stories. Many Christian artists believe that quoting Scripture and including overt conversions automatically makes a film godly—but that’s not how Jesus told stories.


Dear Christian Filmmakers: Stop Making Faith-Based Films:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rW38pF1Eg6o&t=4s

Dear Christian Filmmakers: Stop Forcing the Gospel into Movies:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfqIAJ7bkQ0&t=152s


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⭐ Website & more
Contact Info: ryderharnett.com
My Films: https://www.youtube.com/@RyderHarnett
My Music: https://bit.ly/ryderharnettmusic
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Please check out Josh Keefe's video on Christian film. Credit to him for the "Saving Christmas" scene: Why Christian Movies are Bad - https://youtu.be/50_3J6Go5Ng?si=MzPU73U5vqOqmt9b


Timestamps:
0:00 - STOP forcing the gospel into your art
0:33 - What do we mean by "forcing" the gospel?
4:03 - Laziness in faith-based art
6:00 - Good production, bad message?
7:44 - Why faith-based media FAILS as art
10:45 - The biblical storytelling method (100% success rate)
13:36 - The BEST way to tell stories...is through emotions.


So, who am I?

I make films & video essays/commentary from a Christian perspective. I'm an amateur filmmaker who is passionate about writing stories in the visual medium and talking about issues in the film industry and culture at large.