Like anyone, I enjoy interesting documentaries that uncover shocking conspiracies about how we only have 10 years before we’re all bankrupt and the earth explodes. 

But, aside from causing anxiety, documentaries can also be a great way to discover new ideas and helpful information. This is particularly true when it comes to our Christian faith. 

Don’t have time to read volumes of church history? Try watching a documentary.  Do you have a famous religious figure you want to know more about? Try watching a documentary? Love gospel music and wonder how it got started? Yep, there’s a documentary about that.

Admittedly, trying to find the right documentary can be daunting. Don’t worry, I have you covered with this list of 8 documentaries all Christians should watch.

1. The Drop Box

This amazing film shares the story of a Korean pastor who decided to create a “drop box” for babies after finding an abandoned infant on the steps of his church. Directed by Brian Ivie, who was a film student at the time, told Ambo TV that he was so moved by the story that it caused him to give his life to Jesus! If that isn’t motivation enough to watch, I don’t know what is. 

2. Emanuel

Emanuel is the touching story about forgiveness. It shows how family members of the victims of the shooting at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston did not let the evil actions of June 17, 2015 make them bitter. Instead, they chose to take their faith seriously by forgiving the murderer of their loved ones. It’s a challenging story to watch, but a necessary lesson for all believers.

https://youtu.be/A3V6l_LzBTs

3. Jesus His Life

This innovative documentary tells Jesus’ story through the perspective of different biblical figures who played pivotal roles in his life. Through reenactments, interviews with experts and religious leaders, the eight-part series presents the gospels in a unique way.

4. Amazing Grace

Aretha Franklin’s album “Amazing Grace” is the highest-selling gospel album of all time. This live recording was filmed by the renowned director Sydney Pollack, but due to sound issues it was not released until 46 years later. You will laugh, break out in song, and maybe even catch the spirit while watching this long-awaited film.

5.The Question of God: Sigmund Freud & C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis is one of the most well-known Christian apologists. But he was not always a man of faith.  Becoming a Christian was a journey that eventually lead him to become one of the most prolific Christian writers of the 20th Century. This six-part film contrasts his view of God with another thought-leader of that era, Sigmund Freud. Definitely a doc for the more cerebal viewer.

6.King in the Wilderness

We all know Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as this fearless social justice warrior,  but he was also very human and complex. King in the Wilderness looks at the last year in the life of the complicated public theologian.  No matter how much you think you know about King, I feel confident that you will leave this film learning something new about this baptist preacher.

7. Bonhoeffer

Like King, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a martyred preacher who died because he resisted injustice, which was being perpetuated by Nazi Germany.  This film takes an intimate look at the life of this famous theologian whose words are still impacting generations of Christians years later.

8. The Case For Christ

If you were a Christian teen in the late 90s and early 2000s, then you’ve probably read this book by Lee Strobel. At the very least you’ve heard about it.  The documentary is based off of the best selling book and tells how Strobel started as an atheist journalist who set out to disprove Christianity. In the end, the opposite happened, he found God.