Although I knew that my Amazon Prime membership came with more than just the two-day shipping perk, I haven’t really explored the benefits. I totally ignored the video section as I rarely watch movies anymore. Too many times I abandon a flick before I finish watching because of the coarse language, blasphemy, and sexually explicit images. [Edit: I am no longer subscribing to Amazon Prime, but keeping this page up for those who do].
I can’t remember if it was a tweet, blog article, or podcast, but someone mentioned the Torchlighters series on Amazon Prime that included Christian content. I had a look through my Amazon account and found this description of The Torchlighters – Heroes of the Faith programs:
The Torchlighters is a series of animated programs with strong values and educational content for youth ages 8-12. Each 30-minute episode presents the story of a true-life hero from Christian history. Kids will be challenged to shine the light of Jesus while learning about the history of our faith.
I watched an episode about John Bunyan and enjoyed it. I’ll be recommending this series to parents.
After watching, I had several more recommended videos presented to me. I was pleasantly surprised to find many choices of documentaries and dramatized accounts of Christians from the past. I have enjoyed biographies of John Bunyan, Charles Spurgeon, as well as a dramatized account of the life of John Wycliff.
If you are disappointed with the offerings at your local theatre, stay at home and browse through the selections on Amazon Prime Video. (If you don’t subscribe to Amazon Prime, these videos are available to rent or purchase.)
If you don’t want to use Amazon, you can try two other sources for Christian films. The two websites I’ve used are Pureflix (pureflix.com) and ChristianCinema (christiancinema.com/digital).
I haven’t found a ton of offerings that I’d recommend. So many “Christian” films are just syrupy moral tales, but these sites offer more wholesome choices than your neighborhood movie house. Pureflix is a subscription site with a current monthly price of $10.99 [Edit June 2021: Currently listed at $9.99], discounted if you purchase an annual plan. Christian Cinema has no subscription. You purchase or rent as you see fit. If you didn’t see Gosnell in the theatre, you can rent in digital format for $4.99 [Edit June 2021: Price has dropped to $3.99 to rent ]currently on Christian Cinema or purchase (also digital format) for $9.99.
My favorite Christian fiction movie by far is The Secrets of Johnathan Sperry. I love to recommend this to church groups and families with youngsters! The Gospel is spoken, hell is mentioned, and folks are urged to evangelize. It’s touching, funny, and clean. Rent or buy, you won’t regret it! I’m not even going to give a synopsis, just watch it!
I had planned to make a list of suggested Twitter followers; however, I’m wondering how much time should be spent on social media. My time is often eaten up mindlessly scrolling through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and then I don’t often leave more encouraged or enlightened. I’ll leave off the social media recommendations for now.
What about you? What are your favorite Christian films? Any Christian entertainment resources that you recommend?
Thanks for reading!