I can’t figure out which I hate more: the idea held by many Christians that art’s value lies in its ideological correctness (i.e., the extent to which it “leads people to Christ”), or the idea, held by many secularists, that art’s value should be judged by the extent to which it unsettles us. Both views are apologias for kitsch.

Here’s Timothy Dalrymple on the value he sees in the (apparently not that great) Christian-produced film Courageous:

While it’s certainly true that nothing in Courageous will cause Christians to question their view about the world, art can serve a variety of purposes.  Most generically, I agree with Martin Heidegger’s view: art discloses truth.  Art cuts through our socialized, lazy, comfortable, distracted ways of seeing the world, and shows us truths that we often forget or want to forget or perhaps have never known before.  What challenges “our” views about the world may not challenge the views of, say, secularists, and conversely what confirms our views may challenge the views of a secularist.  Churches like Sherwood Baptist are honing their craft, refining their product, and putting into the marketplace of ideas a cultural artifact that can disclose certain truths and call people to love what is true and good and beautiful.

To be clear, I hope that Christian films will continue to raise their standards in screenwriting, cinematography, acting, and the like.  There is an important witness to be given the world in the commitment to excellence, to thoughtfulness, to the freedom and well, courage to penetrate the most profound and painful aspects of human experience.  How astounding it would be if Christians could be known — again — for supporting and producing the very best works of art.  Courageous explores the ways in which men fail their wives and children, the ways they find strength in friendship to do the right thing and hold one another accountable, and the ways in which men suffer and seek the strength of God in the midst of pain and loss.  These are worthy things — and it sounds a lot like art to me.

Andy Crouch adds:

First, it is better to create something worth criticizing than to criticize and create nothing.

Second, one or two Christian kids with real talent somewhere in this vast land are going to see these movies, get the sacred-secular dichotomy knocked out of them at an early age, move to LA, work their tails off, dream, fail, and try again . . . and one day make truly great movies. These movies are significant not for their own excellence but for the door they open to cultural creativity that the church never should have lost.

Excellent points, all.