Answers in Genesis Partners with PureFlix.com

Being really, really close to canceling my Netflix subscription, I empathize with the desire to find suitable entertainment. But PureFlix is dangerous.

About two years ago, I wrote an article about the site. For research, I availed myself of the free trial period and spent my evenings over a couple of weeks watching movies on the site. The majority of the content teaches and reinforces some of the worst theological instincts of American evangelicals - easy believism, overly emphasizing the sign gifts (for the record, I’m a cessationist), and the testing of God a la “putting out a fleece,” to list three. Worse, much of the content promotes and teaches heresies like the prosperity gospel, modalism, and manichaeism, not to mention gnosticism. Much of the financing for the content comes from groups solidly within the Pentecostal movement, specifically Oneness Pentecostalism.

If we believe, as we should, that Hollywood is dangerous even apart from the “objectionable elements” because Hollywood promotes and teaches contra-Biblical worldviews, then we should be skeptical of “family friendly” movies that promote and teach aberrant theologies. People sitting in our pews are being taught things by movies on PureFlix that we would never allow to be taught in our pulpits.

…..but I’d bet a fair amount of content comes from the descendants of the folks my ancestors chased out of Nauvoo, Illinois, back in 1846. We could have a good argument about whose theological errors are greater.

Nothing against pure entertainment, and I’d love to see a revival of the theater among fundagelicals doing good work. That noted, I regrettably don’t see much worth watching these days.

AIG primary doctrine (Young Earth 6 Day Creationism-which I hold to BTW) seems to cause their discernment to disappear sometimes.

You’re correct. The Mormons have multiple fingers in the pie, too.

One of the difficulties that I faced when writing the article I mentioned in my previous comment was finding movies to comment on that weren’t connected somehow to friends, acquaintances, and past co-workers of mine. I didn’t want to hurt their feelings (maybe displaying cowardice on my part, I don’t know). For a brief time in my life, my acting career overlapped with the Christian film industry. I’m familiar with many of the people involved in the creative process of many of the movies featured on PureFlix.

The majority of the content teaches and reinforces some of the worst theological instincts of American evangelicals - easy believism, overly emphasizing the sign gifts (for the record, I’m a cessationist), and the testing of God a la “putting out a fleece,” to list three. Worse, much of the content promotes and teaches heresies like the prosperity gospel, modalism, and manichaeism, not to mention gnosticism. Much of the financing for the content comes from groups solidly within the Pentecostal movement, specifically Oneness Pentecostalism.

It’s been my experience that most ‘Christian’ movies are filled with this stuff, which is why I usually don’t get excited about the newest Christian Blockbuster; I stayed away from War Room for that very reason.

But is this the fault of PureFlix or the movie houses themselves? I would think it’s the latter.

Both. PureFlix is also a production company. They produce many of the popular Christian movies.

I don’t watch Christian movies. Like most Christian music, I find they’re often cheesy and badly done. I still remember Pamela’s Prayer (shudder). But, I confess I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Time Changer.

I reviewed War Room and had strangers emailing me for months to let me know that I was going to burn in hell for criticizing the movie. I wish some people would take the Bible as seriously as they take their “Christian” movies.

I reviewed War Room and had strangers emailing me for months to let me know that I was going to burn in hell for criticizing the movie.

That…seems a little over the top. :)

I’ve learned the hard way that when people, including some of my family members, ask my opinion about a Christian movie, they frequently don’t want my actual opinion. They want me to affirm their love for the movie. I’ve had people, including some of my family members, become irate after I made the mistake of providing my actual opinion.

As a general rule, I now politely decline to answer if it’s a movie I’ve watched.

People have asked me what I thought of films like Mill Town Pride and I have made the mistake of telling them. Now I just decline to answer. I’d rather keep a friend. Christian cinema is keeping deus ex machina alive and well.