Imagine a friend has invited you over to watch a newly released movie. "It's a Christian movie," he says, "but it's actually really good."

Maybe he's talking about “ Nefarious .” Maybe “ Jesus Revolution .” Maybe he's recently discovered “ God's Not Dead 2 ” or “ Heaven Is for Real .” Whatever the film, it speaks volumes that your friend feels the need to explain that, although this is a Christian movie, it's "actually really good."

In the world of Hollywood studio executives, Christian movies belong in a category called "faith-based films." These executives know that people watch these movies because they convey a certain message, and that they will forgive any amount of bad dialogue, uneven plotting, and unrealistic acting if the story ends with a conversion or, at

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