20 Best Christian Movies Of All Time Ranked

The best Christian movies include everything from adaptations of the best-known biblical stories to modern tales that subtly weave in Christian characters and themes to movies that are explicitly by Christians, for Christian markets. "Christian movies" is a bit of a vague genre, particularly considering how widely encompassing the term "Christian" is itself. One of three Abrahamic religions alongside Judaism and Islam, Christianity includes everything from Catholicism to Protestantism to Mormonism. Though, on the surface, these denominations may appear similar, they are different enough that bloody wars have frequently been fought between the groups.

Many movies could be considered Christian, considering how influential the Bible has been on everything from The Lord of the Ringsto A Serious Man. But to put stricter parameters on the genre and ensure more unknown films are included, a good list of the best Christian movies should strictly include movies that adapt Christian texts and stories, are made by explicitly Christian studios and directors, or are so linked with Christianity that the themes and terminology can't be removed without totally changing the story. The best Christian films explore the religion and stay engaging all the while.

20 Preachers Kid (2010)

A Young Woman Pursues Stardom Only To Find Her Way Back Home

Preacher's Kid is a 2010 Christian drama movie based on the Parable of the Prodigal Son, a popular story in the bible. The film stars LeToya Luckett as Angie, the daughter of a preacher in Augusta, Georgia, who leaves her home to pursue a career as a famous singer. Her journey takes her through trials and tribulations that eventually lead her back home and into the welcoming arms of her family. Preacher's Kid sticks to many of the tropes found in Christian movies but avoids being completely wooden thanks to strong performances and some tough-edged sequences.

19 Home Run (2013)

A Baseball Pro Finds Redemption In His Hometown

Home Run

PG-13

Drama

Documentary

Sport

Release Date: April 19, 2013
Runtime: 114 minutes
Director: David Boyd

Cast

See All

Scott Elrod
Dorian Brown
Charles Henry Wyson
Jim Devoti

A troubled pro baseball player enters rehab in his hometown, confronting his past and finding redemption by coaching a misfit Little League team, fostering growth for himself and the team.

In Home Run, a pro baseball player named Cory Brand (Scot Elrod) goes into a rehabilitation program in his Oklahoma hometown. While in recovery, Cory attempts to make amends with his older brother Clay (James Devoti), his estranged girlfriend Emma (Dorian Brown), and their son Tyler (Charles Henry Wilson). The small-town aspects of Home Run feel authentic thanks to the small setting and intelligent use of lighting that makes for a comforting watch. Home Run also doesn't beat the audience over the head with its religious messaging, preferring to leave it under the surface.

18 Joseph: King Of Dreams (2000)

A Retelling Of The Biblical Book Of Joseph

Joseph looking pleased with his coat of many colors in Jospeh King of Dreams.

Joseph: King of Dreams attempted to recreate the success of The Prince of Egypt but falls short of that Academy Award-winning film in nearly every respect. That's not to say Joseph: King of Dreams is a bad movie, however, the animation and drama of the biblical story of Joseph from the Book of Genesis is still excellent. The story depicts Joseph and his technicolor dream coat and his time in slavery before rising to a high position in Egypt. There is darkness and death in Joseph: King of Dreams, which is appropriate considering the biblical story.

17 Jesus (1979)

A Recreation Of Jesus' Life

There have been plenty of Jesus movies over the decades but not every one of them is concerned with Christianity, however, with many films interested in investigating the man on a human level rather than on a spiritual level. Jesus uses the Gospel of Luke as its primary text and follows Jesus' (Brian Deacon) life from birth in the Nativity to his death on the cross and resurrection. It's a meticulous recreation of the first part of the New Testament, but as far as a film goes, it can lose some momentum and drama with its adherence to Christian scripture.

16 If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horses Do? (1971)

A Movie That Shows How Christianity Is Weaponized By Politics

An example of a Christian exploitation movie, If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horses Do? is based on a sermon by Estus W. Pirkle held at Camp Zion in Myrtle, Mississippi in 1968. The film (and sermon) warn of the dangers of Communist infiltrators in the United States. The movie depicts a future where Christians are persecuted under a totalitarian Communist regime and lays out a charge for youths to abandon vices like violent media, dancing, and sexuality. It is a true relic of its time, but a fantastic look at a Christian viewpoint not often depicted in film.

15 I Can Only Imagine (2018)

A Raw Retelling Of MercyMe's Formation

A close-up of Arthur (Dennis Quaid) looking angry in I Can Only Imagine

I Can Only Imagine is a biographical drama based on the Christian band, MercyMe, whose song, "I Can Only Imagine" is the best-selling Christian single of all time. The movie stars J. Michael Finley as Bart Millard, the lead singer of the band, tracing his childhood to his band's mainstream success with the release of the titular song. I Can Only Imagine combines some standard music biopic tropes with a Christianity-based story for a charitable and unusually raw tale from a Christian movie with some great acting, particularly from Dennis Quaid as Bart's abusive father, Arthur.

14 Dante's Inferno (1911)

A Disturbing Retelling Of Dante's Divine Comedy

Salvatore Papa as Dante Alighieri surrounded by demons in Dante's Inferno.

The 1911 silent Italian movie, Dante's Inferno, or L'Inferno, is a black-and-white retelling of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, or the first canticle at least. Salvatore Papa stars as Dante Alighieri and the film is directed by three directors: Francesco Bertolini, Adolfo Padovan, and Giuseppe De Liguoro. It's the first full-length Italian feature film. Dante's Inferno resembles the engravings made by Gustave Doré in the 1800s and is filled with disturbing imagery as Dante makes his way through the circles of hell. The grimmer aspects of Christianity are depicted in frightening detail in the early Christian epic.

13 Amazing Grace (2006)

One Man's Christianity-Inspired Fight Against The Slave Trade

William Pitt the Younger (Benedict Cumberbatch) looking concerned in Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace is a 2006 drama based on the abolitionist campaign against the British slave trade in the late 18th century. William Wilberforce (Ioan Gruffudd) leads the campaign after experiencing a moment of religious enlightenment and decides to take on the dangerous issue of the slave trade. Benedict Cumberbatch, Romola Garai, Albery Finney, Michael Gambon, and more acting legends make up the impressive cast in Michael Apted's film. Wilberforce's conversion to Christianity is the motivating factor in his fight for abolition and the movie never forgets it.

12 Noah (2014)

A Frightening Visual Feast About Noah's Arc

An Old Testament story being adapted by someone like director Darren Aronofsky may not seem like it would work, but the director's visual style and ability to weave the fantastical and the unnerving works quite well for a movie about the destruction of an early human civilization. Noah stars Russel Crowe as the titular biblical figure and recounts the story of the arc in detail. The visuals and storytelling are almost psychedelic and make for an absorbing and increasingly uncomfortable watch as the director refuses to shy away from the brutal implications of the story.

11 The Two Popes (2019)

Anthony Hopkins And Jonathan Pryce Spar About Catholicism

The Two Popes is a dramatization of the meeting between Pope Benedict XVI (Anthony Hopkins) and Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce), who would go on to become Pope Francis. When Cardinal Bergoglio arrives at the Vatican to ask to resign as archbishop, the pope confides in Bergoglio his own thoughts about abdicating the papacy. A slow-moving portrait of the changing world of modern organized religion, Pryce and Hopkins are well-matched so that even long scenes of them chatting in courtyards are riveting.

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