Christian movies often get a bad reputation for being cheesy or downright cringy. This is often argued because of the quality of the film, the quality of the acting, and a lower budget than what mainstream films have to work with.

However, what if I told you there are plenty of Christian movies available to watch right now that are better than a lot of the new mainstream movie releases? This week, I’m sharing my favorite Christian movies that will prove many Christian movies are not cringy.

Grace Unplugged

If you’re an avid visitor of this blog, you may be a fan of reading contemporary young adult Christian fiction. And if that’s the case, then I think you’ll love Grace Unplugged. The movie centers around a teen girl named Grace who wants to escape the confines of performing music for her church, and instead pursue a career in pop music like her father once did. Instead of portraying Grace as if she’s a goody-two-shoes who never does anything wrong, this movie portrays the harsh realities of a life in the secular spotlight without sugarcoating anything. If you’re a fan of The Ballad of Emery Brooks trilogy, I especially think you’ll like this movie.

Want to learn more? Check out my full review here!

The Resurrection of Gavin Stone

This movie and Grace Unplugged are tied as my favorite Christian movies of all-time. My husband and I randomly came across this movie on Netflix a year or two ago, and the only reason we chose to watch it was because Neil Flynn (who played Mike Heck on my favorite TV show, The Middle) was in the film. Similar to Grace Unplugged, The Resurrection of Gavin Stone follows a troubled former child star who is in trouble with the law. To make up for his actions, Gavin is assigned to clean a church, and ends up being cast in a play the church is putting on about the life of Jesus. Pretending to be a devout Christian while participating in the play results in hilarious banter and mishaps on Gavin’s part (the communion plate scene had me laughing so hard XD). This is by far the funniest Christian movie I’ve ever watched, and not in a roasting the movie way.

Family Camp

We recently watched this film at my parents’ house, and I knew I had to add it to this list. Family Camp is about two very different families sharing a cabin for a week at a Christian camp. If you love the slapstick humor of movies like the National Lampoon’s Vacation series and but would like a cleaner alternative, I think you would enjoy this film.

I Can Only Imagine and I Still Believe

Though these films, as well as the one I’ll mention after, are among the most popular Christian movies right now, they are all still worth mentioning if you haven’t seen them. If you’re looking for emotional films based on true stories that will both encourage you and lead to a good cry… definitely check out I Can Only Imagine and I Still Believe based on the lives of Christian musicians Bart Millard and Jeremy Camp respectively.

Jesus Revolution

For my birthday earlier this year, some friends, my husband, and I went to see this movie in theaters. Jesus Revolution tells the true story of Greg Laurie, a pastor, who came to know Christ during a time when he was exploring hippie culture and drugs in the 1960 and 1970s. This film is a great example of how the church continually needs to strive to witness to each upcoming generation in ways that relate to them, and how Jesus can save us from the trenches of sin and change us from the inside out.

Small Group

Small Group is one of the most unique Christian movies to me, as it follows an unbeliever who infiltrates a small group at a church to expose the “dark side” of Christianity. As he and his wife spend time in the small group, they make friends with the people within the group, and come to know Jesus through these friendships. What I like most about this movie is how well it balances both humor and tough topics.

Andy’s Rainbow

Andy’s Rainbow is an indie Christian film about a rebellious teen girl who makes friends with a mentally handicapped young man she meets while doing community service at a special needs home. The film tackles tough topics such as remaining abstinent until marriage, family abuse, and sexual harassment, which I feel needs to be discussed more in Christian media. If you’d like to support indie Christian filmmakers, this is one you need to add to your watch-list!

Want to learn more? Check out my full review here!

Talk to Me, Arrowheads!

There are plenty of other Christian movies out there that I didn’t add, that aren’t cringy as well. These are just the top few I could think of. What are your recommendations for quality Christian movies? Drop your recs in the comments below!

Aim high, stay strong, and always hit your mark.

-Allyson 😀