The entertainment industry gets its annual dose of newbies – from the screen, to the back of the contestants, to their productions and even their fans. Granted, some works could best be described as cheesy, but many others aren’t just good and entertaining, they’re very inspiring and leave their viewers feeling better than they encountered them. More often than not, Christian movies over the years have continually fallen into the latter category.
That noted, films with strong Christian, Biblical content and values, especially as they relate to Jesus Christ, obviously attract large audiences and are extremely popular. They continue to dominate a high percentage of the highest-grossing films in the world, and interestingly, it’s not just in Christian countries. These works help promote family values and have always been more than suitable for young and growing children.
Some of the Christian films that have changed narratives in the industry over the past few decades include Visual Bible: Matthew (1993), Christian fable by C. Lewis The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) , Mel Gibson The Passion of the Christ (2004) depicting the last twelve hours of the life of Jesus Christ as depicted by Jim Caviezel, Face the Giants (2006), the Kendrick Brothers’ Ignifuger (2008), Save God (2008 ), the animated film, The Secret of Kells (2009), the Left Behindseries, among other masterpieces. Amazingly, they only get better as the sun rises and sets.
Beyond the entertainment part of these films, the producers are amazingly committed to providing viewers with high-quality films that not only pay homage to God, but also inspire their audience to follow Him and serve others.
Here we have compiled what we believe to be the top 10 Christian films produced in the last 10 years. This list is not necessarily meant to be definitive, but more of a conversation starter. From God’s Not Dead to War Room, take a look at other movies that made the cut.
10 best Christian films produced in the last 10 years
1. The Grace Card
The Grace Card is a heartfelt and inspiring drama about the healing power of grace, reconciliation and forgiveness. Released in 2011, it reveals how everything can change in a split second and can take a lifetime to unravel. The 5-year-old son of police officer Bill “Mac” McDonald’s has been killed in a tragic car accident by a fugitive African-American trafficker. For the next 17 years, Mac was filled with pain and bitterness that erodes his love for his family, hurts his career, and makes him angry with God for his seemingly broken life.
However, events escalated when Sam Wright joined the force as Mac’s new patrol partner. Sam happens to be everything Mac isn’t; African American, part-time pastor with a loving and supportive family. Despite their differences and the many obstacles to overcome, the men gradually strive to overcome them and help each other.
The film exposes us to the many opportunities we have every day to love our neighbour, rebuild our relationships, and heal wounds by extending and receiving God’s grace. Drawing inspiration from the Bible verse Hebrews 4:16 “We will find grace to help us when we need it”, provides this simple prescription: always offer The Grace Card and never underestimate the power of God’s love .
The film stars Louis Gossett, Jr., Michael Higgenbottom, Rob Ericksen and Michael Joiner and was directed by David G. Evans.
2. Unconditional
When sorrows like sea waves roll, where will the waves of life find your faith? That was the question Samantha Crawford (Lynn Collins) faced in the 2012 biopic, Unconditional. The film, inspired by a true story, is centered on love and contains a message of love and faith deeply rooted in its scenes.
Sam’s storybook life: Happily married to a ranch where she keeps her beloved horse, storybooks she’s told and illustrated since childhood were shattered when her husband, Billy, was tragically kill. As a result, she loses her faith and her will to live.
Meanwhile, his closest childhood friend, JoeBradford (Michael Ealy), who has kidney failure, loves and loves the children in his neighborhood with insufficient resources, along with his wife Denise. After a provocative encounter with two children, Sam reunites with Joe. As she watched him serve God and humanity by keeping children engaged and positive, she began to understand that God’s love always touched her and you. Eventually, what she thought was a dead end led her where she needed to go.
3. The meeting
Have you ever thought about what you would do, say or ask Jesus if you met him face to face? Well, you can take an idea from The Meeting (2011).
Five strangers: former NFL player and arrogant businessman Nick (Steve “Sting” Borden), single Christian woman Melissa (Jaci Velazquez) on her way to visit her (atheist) boyfriend, a couple on the verge of divorce, Hank (Jamie Nieto) and Catherine (Danah Davis) and a young runaway (Madison Gibney) were all trapped in the middle of nowhere and found themselves stranded in a deserted restaurant on the edge of the road. They came face to face with the owner, a certain Nazarene (Bruce Marchiano) who serves them more than a temporal meal.
He discreetly reveals himself to Jesus. Knowing all their secrets and having the answers to all their problems, he tries to help each of them face the truth in their lives, especially the dark side. If only they would trust the host, seek repentance, and seek reconciliation, The Meeting would leave them all miraculously changed. Eventually, their lives were completely transformed, except for Nick, who left with Officer Deville (the devil) to either be born again or brought to a life-altering decision.
The 2011 film became the first installment in The Encounter franchise, including the 2012 sequel film, The Encounter: Paradise Lost
4. Grace Unplugged
Teenagers and young people can relate to this 2013 film. Grace Unplugged, inspired by the story of the prodigal son, is a family film and one of those Christian films that reflects the beginnings of life and the challenges that come with it. connect, in particular that of fleeing God, rebellion and the quest for freedom. It’s also been described as very similar to Miley Cyrus’ story, but with an ending that’s more redeeming than what we’ve seen in real life so far.
It centers on a teenage girl, Grace Trey (AJMichalka) who felt like her father was stopping her from achieving her dream of a life of glory, she questioned God and struggled with life. She learned long term that God and her family are truly more important than fame.
5. What if…
In the fast-paced rush of life, we sometimes lose sight of our true calling. What if… is a wake-up call to get back to where we missed The Walk. It tells the story of a very successful leader, Ben Walker (Kevin Sorbo), who was shown what his life would have become if he had followed his true calling.
As a young man, Ben strayed from the original plan for him. He left his girlfriend, Wendy (Kristy Swanson) and his calling at a hometown church for a seemingly bigger business opportunity in the big city.
15 years later, with a well-paying job, a fiancé, and a new Mercedes, Ben is now a big businessman with no respect for himself. In all those years, he didn’t consider a family or even feel the need to attend a church service. Despite his “perfect life”, God has other plans. Mike (John Ratzenberger) visits her and pretends to be an angel. Mike gives Ben a glimpse of what his life would be like if he had followed his true calling.
After this experience, he finds himself in the hospital, coming out of his coma, he abandons his rowdy life to return to the initial plan.
The 2010 film focused on the family and their individual journeys. It would inspire anyone to cherish the priceless values of family, faith, love and compassion. It was published by Pure Flix and directed by Dallas Jenkins.
6. God is not dead
Kevin Sorbo directed another classic of this 2014 film as an atheist college professor. Considered an unforgettable film and one of the greatest religious films of all time, God Is Not Dead focuses on the simple power of focusing on the truth.
It follows a Christian student, Josh Wheaton who, when his faith was challenged, stood up against any expectation to prove his belief in the existence of God. It was a box office hit, grossing more than 30 times its $2 million budget. Additionally, it spawned two sequels: God’s Not Dead 2 (2016) and the 2018 film God’s Not Dead: A Light in Darkness.
7. Noah
The Christian film Noah is a gripping story of good overcoming evil. It launched in 2014 to critical acclaim and was also a commercial success, raising over $362 million worldwide. Noah is a biblical epic based on the story of Noah’s ark in the book of Genesis. Starring Emma Watson as her adopted daughter, Noa (Russell Crowe), Ila, the rating extractor was directed by Darren Aronofsky.
It is inspired by the epic of courage, sacrifice and hope and inspires the same viewers.
8. war room
Appearance can be deceiving. Looking at the Jordanian family from the outside, you’ll conclude that they have it all: great jobs, a beautiful daughter, and their dream home, but inside, the walls of their world are crumbling. Tony flirts with temptation as his wife, Elizabeth grows increasingly bitter, collapsing under the strain of a failing marriage. Their daughter, on the other hand, is neglected.
However, their life takes an unexpected turn for the better when Elizabeth, an estate agent, meets her new client, Miss Clara, who, sensing the stress she is under, encourages her to fight for her family in prayer. Eventually, the couple found happiness through the ageless weapon, prayer.
The 2015 Christian film was another classic from the Kendrick Brothers. Although the film was let down to negative reviews, it became a box office hit and a smash hit, grossing $74 million worldwide and was the 7th highest-grossing Christian film in the United States. .
9. Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
Mel Gibson returned from his 2016 directorial hiatus with Hacksaw Ridge after a decade since 2006 ‘s Apocalypto. The terrifying yet enduring biowarfare epic follows World War II conscientious objector Desmond Doss, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic duty as a medic in the Battle of Okinawa. Doss was raised in a rough but very religious background as a Seventh-day Adventist.
After an incident at a young age that caused him to almost kill his brother, he spoke out against violence. He instead decided to stay true to what he believed in as a Christian and swore never to take the life of another human being. When he showed interest in the military, he chose to be a doctor to save people’s lives rather than take them, vowing never to use a weapon, even in the midst of battle.
Did he stay true to his beliefs? He did, and although others saw his refusal to touch a gun as cowardice, he managed to save the lives of 75 soldiers in the middle of a firing range without firing a single gun.
British actor Andrew Garfield brought the doctor to life on screen. Her tender and nuanced performance earned her a buzz at the Oscars. The film also features actors Vince Vaughn, Sam Worthington, Hugo Weaving and Teresa Palmer.
10. Breakthrough
With a cast that includes Topher Grace, Chrissy Metz, Josh Lucas and hip-hop artist Lecrae, Breakthrough, released in 2019, centers on the power of prayer and tough mother faith. It is also based on a real life event.
After her son John falls into an icy Missouri lake, where he nearly loses his life, devastated mother Joyce refuses to accept the medical reports, but instead asks God to do something about it. Against every case history and scientific prediction, her prayers were answered and her son’s heart suddenly started beating again. A few days later, he was released from the hospital – completely cured.
The film is a gripping reminder that faith and love can create a mountain of hope, even a miracle.
