The Ten Commandments, Ben Hur, & The Passion of the Christ were not "christian films". They were movies that happened to be about God and Godly things. That is one of my biggest pet peeves in the whole "christian film" (or music, tv, books, etc...) conversation. Why not just make a great film worthy of attention and give God his rightful place in it.

And another point for your post, Jon....

All Christian films are dramas or cartoons/kids shows.

I'm sure that is not true in the 100% sense of all, but probably 90-95%. I happen to like (good) dramas, but the average American (and certainly the average guy) isn't watching them. Where are the Christian action flicks and Comedies? What about a little Romance or even a Romantic comedy. Is the Christian life limited to heavy drama?

This is a frustrating topic for me. I just wrote a six point open letter to the makers of Facing the Giants, Kirk Cameron, and anyone out there making "christian films", (but I deleted it because it got way too long). I get what they are trying to do. I love that they are trying to do it. I wish they would do it better (and not just the quality, but the whole experience). I am a movie lover. Really, I am a story lover. I love an artist who can capture characters and story and emotion and paint it on to the screen in a compelling way.

What I find is that most, if not all, "christian films" are like fat blind date. "So what does she look like?" you ask. "She has a great personality." Whenever I meet a fan of a "christian film", they tell me about the message it is trying to convey, the lives the movie changed, or how the guys who made it are doing a great thing. They never tell me about the memorable characters, the compelling story, the amazing camera work, or anything else that makes a great film. Yes I know I am overgeneralizing.

Tell a great story, stick to the story, trust that the Holy Spirit will translate it into the lives of the viewers, and don't beg me to watch it or tell me it is as good as Hollywood - just make it worthy of your viewer's attention so you don't have to market it as a "christian film", begging every church member in the country to see it and making them feel guilty if they don't.

I love the Ez. 33 thought. My job to warn, not to control.

I am a father of 3 little girls. Swimsuits are not my concern unless they are wearing them. But these questions are real and will only get more important as they grow.

The problem I have always had is where to draw the line. I went to a bible college where they didn't have cable hookups because of all the negative content on cable, so instead of being able to watch the Discovery Channel or ESPN, most of my roomates watched Jerry Springer. There was a no rated R rule, so Passion of the Christ was out along with Saving Private Ryan and a ton of incredible films, but you were fully allowed to watch as much PG & PG13 trash as you wanted.

Books and art bring in another aspect where this becomes a problem. Somehow art is above criticism for most people. I had a girl in my Youth group who watched, listened to, and read Les Miserables which among other things, contains mild profanity, inappropriate sexual relationships, and violence but she wasn't allowed to watch PG movies without her Mom present or read modern histories that had too much violence or sexual content.

I struggle to find the line between being a rules guy who tells my kids what is right and wrong and being a guide who shows the dangers and helps them stay on the path. It becomes especially complicated when it is OK for some people in some situations but not in others. Back to the Swimsuit issue, how is that so wrong its not worthy to come in the house while the same models are in ads inside the other 51 editions of SI?

Still just wondering how this lives out in real non-dictator controlled life.

I struggle with this (not the swimsuits so much as the idea of censorship). I totally get that we shouldn't put the obvious temptations in the hands of our kids. But how does blatant censorship teach kids the ability to discern what is right and wrong later. I don't have the answer, and throwing up your hands and telling little Johnny to do whatever they want is fine isn't the answer either. But did your dad taking away the swimsuit edition somehow stop you from making similar mistakes in life? (and no, I don't think him letting you have the swimsuit edition would have prevented later mistakes either. It would have, in fact, probably accelerated that path). How do we protect our kids AND teach them the lessons that lead to them making wise choices on their own?

Hey Jon... So I am launching a new blog (relaunching my old blog) called Everyday Ordinary. The whole idea is based around the fact that God uses everyday ordinary people to do crazy extraordinary things. I wasn't born rich, don't have amazing athletic skills, and am certainly not the greatest thing since sliced bread... And yet... God keeps putting me in these situations where I get to do really cool things. This everyday ordinary guy gets to be a player on some amazing teams. I think your story fits well and I would love to have you write a guest post.

Check out everyday-ordinary.com. Thanks.

Now that I've had my first cup of coffee I totally recant my previous musings. Seriously. What was I thinking lumping coffee in with cigarettes. Something this good just can't be wrong.

And what about the "on special occasions" clause. It's why Thanksgiving gluttony is OK but competitive eating is a sin. A glass of bubbly at a wedding or New Years...OK. A glass of anything at 4PM on a Thursday...sin. A cigar to celebrate a new baby...Hooray. A cigar to celebrate life just because... well... I'm not sure about that.

Its about the same as the redeeming value in watching TV. Which also probably fits under the category "everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial" category.