Typically, when someone asks about Christian values in film, lists or ramblings about the obligatory movies of the Bible come up for recommendations. Ben-Hur, The Ten Commandments, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Passion of the Christ, God’s Not Dead, The Prince of Egypt, and Heaven Is for Real are often cited.
And after seeing those a few dozen times, it feels like it’s not the greatest story ever told in film.
Those are remarkable stories done with passion and divine guidance. Still, you’d think Hollywood doesn’t make a “Christian movie” that isn’t someone’s testimony or a biblical parable. Usually, these films are some low-budget phenom (outside of Hollywood’s Golden Era) that is released directly to Hallmark TV.
However, there are other notable Blockbuster movies with Christian values, and some devout Christian actors who reflect that bright light on screen. And not only in the 1930s through 1950s, when it was commonplace and welcomed. Although Hollywood has frowned upon biblical values, some of the most evocative movies created by top-tier talent have Christian themes.
As people develop resolutions and ideas to improve their lives in 2026, entertainment can have a profound effect. What are some dynamic movies featuring headlining talent and direction that convey overt or underlying faith-based values, biblical truth and scriptural morals?
Before we go to the movies and eat popcorn with Jesus, stay aware of other faith-based issues that hit “close to home.” Subscribe to our free newsletter and stay informed about what’s happening in the Church, as well as the ways real Christians can contribute to defending the love and work of Christ.
20. The Chronicles of Narnia (2005-2010)
The ageless book, which began with “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe,” was written by the revered C.S. Lewis. His seven books of fantastical journeys are rich in biblical truth and Christian values. Four English children find a passage through a wardrobe (an old English word for an Armoire) and meet Aslan, the lion.
He is the only son of the “Emperor Beyond the Sea” living in Narnia. Together, they work to free humanity from the evil White Witch. A son, who is a lion. A witch, who represents all the evil in Narnia. And a passage where children become new creatures in a new kingdom. If you read the Bible at all, there’s your sign.
Now pray that the maker of Barbie uphold the Christian values. Greta Gerwig is a gifted storyteller, but Hollywood’s woke culture may affect C.S. Lewis’s work. Maybe Aslan can prevent that from happening on Netflix, too.
19. The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003)
Speaking of C.S. Lewis, meet one of his best friends, J.R.R. Tolkien, the celebrated visionary of Middle Earth. Both were literary icons, wrote the most significant fantasy universes in history, and both involved Christian values in their tales of make-believe and invention.
The Lord of the Rings never mentions God or Jesus, but Tolkien leaves crumbs about his influence and faith throughout the sprawling tale. Servants of light (Gandalf) versus a power from hell (Balrog) take center stage. Aragorn was a king who was exiled and hated, but later came back to reclaim his throne. And then that Ring of Power that was created in pride and then…Sauron falls.
It’s superb storytelling, and even better if you catch all the references to Jesus Christ.
18. Gravity (2013)
A movie with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney in outer space doesn’t sound like a film teeming with Christian values, but it is throughout its cosmic story. Alfonso Cuarón is an auteur in Hollywood known for relying on his Catholic upbringing and faith.
While their characters aren’t espousing belief in God or His glory as they look at Earth from outer space, the allegories hit you like meteors colliding with satellites. Cuarón waves references to water baptism (Dr. Ryan Stone [Bullock] in the Russian pod), sacrifice for the lost (Matt Kowalski [Clooney] chooses Stone’s life over his own), death and rebirth (Bullock’s entire character arc), prayer (Stone has never prayed and finally does with a glimmer of hope) and God’s creation (it’s space).
Keep those in mind and watch the splendor in this film.
17. Sergeant York (1941)
Gary Cooper was one of Hollywood’s elite, but when he took the lead role for this biopic, fans were uncertain what to expect. They received an Oscar-winning role for Cooper’s portrayal of Sergeant Alvin York, arguably the most decorated soldier of World War I (he captured 132 Germans).
The movie is based on York’s diary, and its central focus is York’s struggle with the war. His ethics and values conflict greatly with his duties during war. Then he has a special on-screen moment, converting to Christianity.
“I believe in the bible, and I’m a-believin’ that this here life we’re a-livin’ is something the lord done give us and we got to be a-livin’ it the best we can, and I’m a-figurin’ that killing other folks ain’t no part of what he was intendin’ for us to be a-doin’ here.” Preach, Sarge!
16. Places in the Heart (1984)
If you’re a Sally Field fan and want to see the love of God subtly portrayed in a gripping movie, “Places in the Heart” is everything you need. The film is set in a small Depression-era Texas town. Edna Spalding (Field) is torn between politics and ethics in this gripping story.
This inebriated teenager shot her husband. There’s still a bounty of cotton to harvest from her farm, but she needs help. So, she hires a blind misanthrope and a Black nomad looking for work to help her two kids. Again, this is Texas, in the Depression. Then, there’s the KKK. While she is grieving among strangers, her faith in God pulls her through.
The dramatic role Sally Field champions deserves applause. The faith that resonates throughout the film is commendable.
15. Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
This biopic features a World War II hero whom many had not recalled until this movie premiered, and was directed by Mel Gibson. It’s about a man of sterling faith named Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield). He is a Seventh-day Adventist combat medic who rescued 75 soldiers during the Battle of Okinawa without using a gun. That bravery awarded him the Congressional Medal of Honor. But his faith in Christ earned him crowns in heaven.
The film isn’t shy about extolling God’s grace and the dedication required of a walk with Jesus. During the throes of war, he kept the Sabbath, read the Bible, and prayed for everyone in the platoon. He was the tool God used in that skirmish to free captives, rescue the innocent and revive hope in humanity. He evangelized the troops while protecting them, loved his brothers-in-arms while ensuring their safety.
A majestic film to watch if you have the chance.
14. Silence (2017)
One of the more overt tales on this Biblist is an often-overlooked Martin Scorsese gem, Silence. Based on a book by Shūsaku Endō, a widely respected Catholic Japanese novelist, Silence follows two Jesuit priests from Portugal on their missiological journey to Japan (in the 17th century). Their goal is to reach a former teacher and fight for his soul as he questions his faith and flees from persecution.
Captors don’t want to make their teacher a martyr; they want to make him a fraud and force him to deny Christ publicly. The plot sounds simple, but when a project takes close to 25 years to create—and from that guy—the faith placed on display is going to be gripping and more striking than you’re prepared to confront.
13. The Mission (1986)
Never mind the illustrious cast of Robert De Niro, Aidan Quinn, Liam Neeson and Jeremy Irons. The mesmerizing film score by the maestro Ennio Morricone is enough to send you to church. (Listen to “Gabriel’s Oboe.”) The film is set in 18th-century South America where Father Gabriel (Jeremy Irons) is called to build a Jesuit mission. The conflicts among the natives are expected, but the rest of the movie is a gripping story that involves both Father Gabriel and a slaver named Rodrigo Mendoza (Robert De Niro), who is traveling and seeking God’s forgiveness.
As Father Gabriel struggles with his personal mission of faith and doing God’s work despite some of his superiors’ crooked motives, we’re caught in the middle of another personal mission. Mendoza killed a man, so he is seeking a physical penance to try to earn back the grace of God. It’s a grueling task of carrying a huge net of armor through the Andes mountains and Iguazu Falls. Faith and works. War or peace. Love and hate. It’s a beautiful movie with Christian values throughout.
12. Tender Mercies (1983)
Robert Duvall is an incomparable actor who has no problem sharing his personal faith publicly on screen. (He’s on this Biblist more than once.) “Tender Mercies” is an Oscar-winning performance as a down-on-his-luck country-music singer that will catch anyone in their feels.
While he is trying to strike gold in Country music from his modest surroundings in rural Texas, he struggles with hopelessness and drowning his sorrows with alcohol. Yet, his wife (Tess Harper) leads her husband on a quiet redemptive story of faith through her walk with God and love for Gospel music.
The brilliant script, written by Horton Foote, sparks profound theological discussions about grace and suffering. That lens shows a brutally honest portrayal of Christian life in an endearing light.
11. Chariots of Fire (1981)
Countless millions know the movie for its iconic theme. Without thinking, once Vangelis’ theme starts with the “Ch-ch-ch-ch-chhh,” people begin running in slow motion. That is a remarkable facet of film’s power. However, the story behind this Best Picture was well-deserving of the honor.
Eric Liddell is a Scottish Christian who ran for the glory of Jesus at the 1924 Olympic Games. His trials, gritty training, and personal journey led him to believe that Christ was his trainer. The man’s faith and zeal for missionary work in China were placed high above his ambition for a medal. He truly ran for God’s glory throughout the movie, which highlighted his own Christian values and love for Jesus Christ.
10. Les Misérables (2012)
This is the lauded Broadway production from the 150-year-old story brought to life in film, featuring Hugh Jackman as the embattled former prisoner Jean Valjean, Russell Crowe as the prison guard Captain Javert, and Anne Hathaway as Cosette’s (the pretty girl on the famous Playbill) slain mother. The play and the movie are rich in Christian values, with themes present throughout the Bible.
From someone who spent 19 years in prison, released to a life of penance, breaks free and becomes the guardian of an innocent girl, you can imagine the glowing light placed on redemption through God’s grace and mercy. The story has been an inspiring masterpiece for decades, but it wasn’t until it was made for theaters that millions of believers realized how much of the Lord was in this film. It engages the heart in ways an inspirational sermon would, and still preaches today.
9. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Any kid (or parent) of the ’80s still remembers watching this whimsical, beloved movie for the first time. The journey of Elliot and E.T. (and all those Reese’s Pieces) was nothing short of magic. However, did you notice any Christian values and spiritual overtones along the way?
The movie is full of notes about friendship and family, loyalty and love. Yet, some Jesus is riding on those bicycles, too. Think about E.T.’s body. His heart is the most significant part of him, full of love and promise. And whether he lives, dies, or comes back to life, he heals everyone he’s around. Even Spielberg has admitted the story of E.T. had some Christ-like overtones, so there’s that.
8. The Apostle (1997)
Robert Duvall plays a conflicted man, Pentecostal preacher Euliss F. “Sonny” Dewey. He discovered the youth minister of his church was sleeping with his wife. In a fit of rage, Sonny put the guy in the hospital and was on the lam for aggravated assault. Driving through Louisiana, he drowns his car and baptizes himself for a conversion to a dedicated life.
He happens upon a rundown church, finds a place where God can be praised and helps drown out the sins of his recent past. In most movies, it’s easy to fill in the cynical blank about how pastors are portrayed. That’s not the case with “The Apostle.” Here, he’s vulnerable, exposed and genuinely human. It’s what is inside of him that shines so bright, which is how Jesus wants us to be always.
7. Lilies of the Field (1963)
Sidney Poitier is one of Hollywood’s most prolific actors, and many consider this film his Magnum Opus. He won the Oscar and proclaimed the Gospel on film.
A group of German nuns travels to the southwest U.S. to build a local church. They find a young man of faith (Poitier) who helps them build the church, but primarily draws out their faith. His Christian values illustrate to them the meaning of worship and a relationship with Jesus Christ, rather than merely enduring ritual in church. The movie’s promise is in its title.
God’s provision, beauty in simplicity, and reliance on faith are illustrated by God’s care for fleeting wildflowers (i.e., the actual lilies of the field). The title is literally taken from Matthew 6:26, so watching this film is enriching to the soul and the spirit.
6. Ikiru (1952)
Akira Kurosawa is widely regarded as one of the finest directors of any decade, from any country. Ikiru (meaning “to live” in Japanese) explores many Christian values and biblical themes that most fans would not expect to find in a Japanese film. The parallels to the Bible in this movie are among the most spiritual in any film.
If a movie is about life, you can imagine how much the star of the film, Kanji Watanabe (Takashi Shimura), struggles to overcome death. His story focuses on a quest to breathe “new life” into a children’s park, all while he’s battling a terminal diagnosis. Though Ikiru ultimately offers a worldly, rather than explicitly divine, answer to suffering, it resonates with universal calls for authentic living. The film’s core question is “What does it mean to live,” and the rest of the movie shows you ways through a spiritual lens to answer.
The existentialism and journey this man takes throughout the movie are an eye-opening portrayal of how believers should approach each day with vigor, faith, and hope for humanity.
5. The Matrix (1999)
If you haven’t seen this genre-changing science fiction classic, you wouldn’t know it’s much more than Keanu Reeves saying “Whoa.” There are so many Christian values and thematic elements in this anti-world. Reeves plays a hacker who goes by the name “Neo” (an anagram of “The ONE”). In a quest to free mankind from the Matrix, he meets “Trinity” (Carrie-Anne Moss) and the god of dreams, “Morpheus” (Laurence Fishburne).
Together, they protect the real promised land of ZION in what appears to be a battle in spiritual warfare against the nefarious forces that seek to blind everyone to reality. The movie changed science fiction forever, but beneath the incomparable special effects lie conflicts of choice and free will, real over fake, sacrifice and redemption, knowledge over faith, and even Neo is resurrected by the power of undying love.
No way this is a “Christian movie,” but it addresses more biblical themes than in many Hallmark Channel titles.
4. A Hidden Life (2019)
The polarizing and talented Terrence Malick, the mind behind “Days of Heaven,” “The Thin Red Line,” and “The Tree of Life,” created this biopic of Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian farmer who refused to serve in the Nazi war effort because of his Christian faith and values.
The synopsis doesn’t stand out, and the film is a chore in some areas, but Christian values are on full display through Jägerstätter’s eyes. One of the memorable quotes of the movie is his stating why he fights, becoming a part of Hitler’s army. “If God gives us free will, we’re responsible for what we do, what we fail to do, aren’t we?”
It’s a slow burn, but the fire of God resonates throughout the story, and it’s worth watching and being inspired by.
3. The Shack (2017)
Taken from William P. Young’s accomplished novel (that sold 10 million copies), The Shack features Mack Phillips (Sam Worthington), who is riddled with grief, guilt and misery after his baby girl is abducted during a family trip in the deep forest. He spends years wallowing in despair when a mysterious note appears inviting him back to “the Shack” in the woods.
What he discovers there is a tale that has never been approached in this novel way. He meets “Papa” (his daughter’s nickname for God, played by Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer), a carpenter of Middle Eastern descent (Avraham Aviv Alush), and a lovely Asian woman named Sarayu (Sumire Matsubara), who turns out to be the Holy Spirit.
Mack’s conversations with each person of the Trinity are unlike most conceptions of what it would be like to have that opportunity. And it’s liberating and marvelous.
2. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
A box-office flop that is now considered one of the greatest cinematic stories of all time, The Shawshank Redemption involves Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), who is sent to prison for a crime of passion he didn’t commit. From there, the Christian allegory begins. An innocent man condemned and sometimes beaten to remain the man he genuinely is in a world that shuns him for a moment. Who does that sound like?
There are “miracles” (Andy creates many somethings out of nothing in prison for his friends). There are “disciples,” particularly his best friend, Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding, played by the amazing Morgan Freeman. They learn what it means to have hope in the face of death and to carry a light in the darkness. Andy and Red experience redemption and salvation in different ways, but the bewildering story shows how “hope is (not) a dangerous thing.”
It’s nothing short of a film full of Christian values, even if that wasn’t the intent. I mean, a rockhammer hidden in the Bible that provides Andy with his freedom? C’mon Jesus.
1. Superman (1978)
There have been many movies about Kal-el, the last son of Krypton, but it all began here. Most superheroes, primarily this one, curate the idea of a Messianic figure. The concept of Christian values starts there. But consider the rest of Clark Kent’s story.
A child is sent through the heavens to save the world. Although he possesses these life-changing powers, no one discovers who he is and what he is capable of doing until he becomes an adult. More importantly, those powers don’t become a part of him until he embraces his own identity. Then, look where he lands: Kansas. In Biblical terms, we call that the “wilderness.” That’s where his mission is clear: the salvation of humanity is his focus.
Without being sacrilegious, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster wrote Superman from a Jewish perspective. Superman was God among us Earthlings. The story still rings true today.
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