Our family hosts movie nights at our house. We look for an inspiring movie that will challenge our friends in their spiritual journey with the love of Christ. When a movie has a powerful message of God’s grace and God’s love it can change lives. A powerful drama can speak into our lives in a way nothing else can.
Here is a list of the best Christian movies about God’s love that will inspire your family and friends to stand strong in their Christian values. There is a reason we enjoy watching movies.
Soul Surfer
This is a movie that inspired my whole family. After watching the movie my daughters became fans of Bethany Hamilton watching her compete live online. We bought her books, and we have continued to follow her on social media.
This is the true story of Bethan Hamilton played by AnnaSophia Robb. Bethany survived a shark attack when she and her best friend were having a relaxing time in the water. Her near-death experience impacted her whole family.
But it was a mission trip that gave hope back to Bethany and then to her family. This is a popular movie you can not miss. Your life will not be the same after watching this movie. When we went to see it at the theater my youngest daughter was nine years old. I was a little worried the shark attack would be too harsh for her, but it was done in a way that is family-friendly.
We saw the movie with a group of girls, my daughters and their friends and their friend’s mothers. Each of them was inspired. My youngest daughter was the youngest in the group, and one of the mothers was the oldest. Everyone loved it.
War Room
This is a movie we watched as a whole family. The message of prayer and strength is one we all took to heart. This is a movie that shows that a family is headed for divorce and jail and can be saved by God’s love.
The little girl in this movie is an incredible actress that stole our hearts. This heartwarming story is appropriate for young children even though the topic of adultery is talked about. Everything is done in a way that is family-friendly. This movie shows a family that has fallen apart coming back together.
A father turns his attention back to his family, a little girl has her parents back in her life, and a mother sees that her enemy is not the home she is trying to build, but the demon forces trying to tear the family down. The power of prayer is a great weapon that is far more powerful than we could ever imagine.
The Resurrection of Gavin Stone
I love to read the “Where are they now” blogs about actors from my favorite TV shows. This feel-good movie tells the story of a washed-up actor who was a child star named Gavin Stone played by Brett Dalton. His pride leads him to action that lands him in trouble with the court. His community service has him cleaning a church.
But Gavin puts his acting into practice when he pretends to be a Christian to play the role of Jesus in the church production. I was raised in a pastor’s home, and I directed many Easter and Christmas plays, so I related very much to this story.
Anjelah Johnson-Reyes plays the pastor’s daughter Kelly and possible love interest. This is a heartwarming story for Christian families.
Christian Mingle
I am a huge fan of Lacey Chabert. She is part of the star cast in the film Christian Mingle. You might remember her from the TV series Party of Five in the 90s, or you might have seen her in the many Hallmark movies she has starred in.
In this movie, we see the story of a Christian dating website called Christian Mingle. Lacy plays a marketing executive who searches for Mr. Right. When her attempt to impress her dream guy fails, Gwyneth reconnects with her spiritual side. And then she has to decide what is more important for her, integrity or love.
This is a story of a young couple trying to figure out what is true and what is worth fighting for. This is a movie you can see on Pure Flix. This is a movie about the power of God and the love of Christ. I found this movie to be funny and light-hearted.
I found the story of a girl trying to pretend to be Christian and understand all the church language to be humorous. I also enjoyed the story of a young lady learning about Christianity.
Blue Miracle
A few years ago, our family was getting ready for a family movie night, and I was scrolling through Netflix looking for a good movie to watch. I came across the movie Blue Miracle with Dennis Quaid. I didn’t even realize at the time it was a Christian movie or based on a true story.
This is a great life-changing movie that your family will enjoy. This is the story of an elderly man who is suffering from the downs of life. The story of a young boy looking for a new life in a group home for street kids. The children join a competition in hopes of winning money to save their home.
If you are looking for great family movies, you have to put this on your list.
Unconditional Love
When I worked for an organization that ran camps for at-risk youth, we watched this movie with our older kids. The story was very impactful for them. This is the story of two small children who were best friends and then grew up and grew apart. As adults, they lost the innocence of a childhood friendship they had once had. Joe ends up in jail, Samantha is a married woman and a talented author and illustrator.
But when Samantha’s husband is killed, she falls into despair. Until she meets Joe. Joe has left prison and is serving in his community. This is a story about hope, love, and trusting God’s plan.
This inspirational movie is one of the best faith-based films with the Christian themes of redemption and forgiveness. We see the ultimate hope found in a personal relationship that encourages us to trust God’s plan.
I saw firsthand the effects this movie had on the children at camp. They were moved to think about their own lives and the people they needed to forgive. I want to make sure I never reach a point in my life where I have given up hope.
No matter how hard life gets we can always remember that God is always in control. We can trust in the unconditional love of Jesus Christ.
Week Away
I found this movie a few years ago and picked it for a family movie night. It is a Christian version of Camp Rock. I thought my kids would love it, and my husband and I would just sit through and smile. But the opposite happened. This is a musical and all the music is the Christian hits my husband and I loved as teens. It was so much fun to watch this movie.
The story is about a foster child who agrees to go to camp but didn’t know it was a Christian camp. He falls in love with the Camp director’s daughter and tries to look like the rest of the Christian campers to make her fall in love. What he learns is that the Christian faith is not something that can be faked. Jesus Christ loves us and he wants to change our lives.
This God movie is very fun to watch as a family. If you are looking for good times together with your family, laughing, singing, and worshiping together is the best way. And that is what this movie will do for you.
A Long Way Off
This is a cinematic retelling of the parable of the prodigal son. This parable found in Luke 15:11-32 is one of my favorite bible stories. There are many Bible Stories that teach God’s forgiveness. This biblical story of the prodigal son is told in modern times.
In this movie we see Jacob who abandons the family farm, rejecting his father’s religious and business standards, to strike out on his own in the big city, poised to conquer the world in his own way. He uses his father’s money to invest and make millions. But a wrong investment leaves him alone and running for his life.
Christian films are becoming better at the narrative storytelling that we normally find only in big box-office hits. But today we have movies that share the message that God loves us. These movies are getting better with each year that passes. This is a great movie to watch with your youth group. Especially after studying the prodigal son from Luke chapter 15.
I’m Not Ashamed
I remember exactly where I was when I heard about the Columbine massacre of April 20th, 1999. The hour from 11:19- 12:08 was an hour that changed a nation. I heard the story that day when I was working in the newsroom at my university radio station.
I was the person reading the news that day during our news break. When I had to say, breaking news there has been a shooting at a public high school… those were words I will never forget. But it was years later when I heard the story of Rachel Joy Scott, one of the victims of the shooting.
This movie, I’m not ashamed tells her story. We see the days leading up to the shooting through the words written in her journal. This is a powerful story of a young girl who wants to be used by God. Her journal entries tell the great message of trusting God.
Like the martyrs that went before her in church history, Rachel died refusing to denounce the name of Jesus Christ. This is a movie that will inspire your family to defend their faith with courage.