On "Preachiness" in Christian Movies

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Critics of Christian movies often deride them as “preachy.” This common criticism motivates me to 1) define "preaching" Biblically, 2) explain what "preachy" therefore means, and 3) reflect on “preachiness" in Christian movies.

First, I will Biblically define the term "preaching." To do that, I'll examine the Greek word translated "preaching" in 1 Corinthians 1:21, where the Holy Spirit, through Paul, says that it pleased God, through the "foolishness" of preaching Christ, to save those who believe Christ. The original Greek word, translated as "preaching" in this passage, means "proclamation."[1]

Second, I will explain what "preachy" means. "Preachy," of course, is a cognate of "preaching," so we'll learn what the former means by remembering what the latter means. When a person says that someone or something is "preachy," that person is using "preachy" as an adjective, or a word that describes a noun. As we've just learned, "preaching," as a noun, means "proclamation." So, if we turn "preaching" into an adjective (i.e. preachy), we get a word that describes a noun as something that is proclaiming something. So, to sum this paragraph up, something that is "preachy" is something that is proclaiming (regardless of that proclamation's content).

Third, is it a bad thing for Christian movies to be preachy? That is, is it bad for Christian movies to be proclaiming? If they're proclaiming Christ, as the Bible reveals Him[2], then they're truly Christian movies, and therefore they are good movies. If they're proclaiming anything other than Christ (or alongside Christ), then yes, it's a horrible thing for "Christian" movies to be preachy.

[1] https://biblehub.com/greek/2782.htm

[2] The Bible is the Word of God, in written form, consisting of no more and no less than the 66 Books of the Old and New Testaments.