10 Worst Faith-Based Movies, Ranked

Faith-based films have a unique niche in cinema, aiming to inspire and connect with audiences through stories of belief, perseverance, and redemption. This subgenre seems to be rising in popularity, given the success of films like The Sound of Freedom and The Blind. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with telling religious stories in film, the subgenre is notorious for being preachy and amateurish, as well as subordinating its narrative to its message. For this reason, there are many awful faith-based movies out there.

With this in mind, this list considers some of the most egregious offenders. From overly simplistic narratives to questionable creative decisions, these movies fail to do justice to the themes they aim to explore. While the intention behind them may be genuine, their lack of nuance and quality will alienate all but the most devout viewers.

10 ‘Christian Mingle: The Movie’ (2014)

Directed by Corbin Bernsen

“I’m looking for someone who loves me for me—and maybe also loves the Lord.” One wouldn’t expect much from a movie based on a dating app, but even by that low standard Christian Mingle: The Movie is lame. It centers on Gwyneth Hayden (Lacey Chabert), who signs up for the Christian Mingle dating website despite not being religious. There, she meets and falls for Paul (Jonathan Patrick Moore), a kind and faithful man. However, as their relationship develops, Gwyneth’s lack of genuine faith becomes a source of conflict.

Despite wholesome intentions, this movie is an exercise in tonal confusion, teetering precariously between earnest romantic comedy and inadvertent satire. Chabert’s charm is one of the few highlights, but even her performance can’t salvage a story that lacks depth or authenticity. Ultimately, it comes across like exactly what it is: a soulless extended commercial, designed to reel in more users rather than entertain viewers.

9 ‘Last Ounce of Courage’ (2012)

Directed by Darrel Campbell and Kevin McAfee

“Freedom isn’t free—it’s paid for by the brave.” Last Ounce of Courage centers on Bob Revere (Marshall Teague), a small-town mayor and Vietnam veteran who fights to restore public expressions of Christianity in the face of perceived government suppression. The film positions itself as a patriotic call to action but is hampered by a heavy-handed script and one-dimensional characters.

The film relies on sentimentality and melodrama, with dialogue that feels more suited to a political rally than a feature film. It struggles to rise above amateur levels, laden with stiff performances, ham-fisted dialogue, and unintentional comedy. Worst of all, the rhetoric in Last Ounce of Courage is frequently divisive, pandering to a specific audience while alienating others. It plays less like a celebration of cherished ideals than a parade of self-congratulatory platitudes. The movie also winded up mired in legal troubles, with its robocall marketing campaign sparking a class action lawsuit.

8 ‘God’s Not Dead’ (2014)

Directed by Harold Cronk

“God’s not dead—He’s surely alive!” One of the more famous faith-based movies of the last decade, God’s Not Dead follows Josh Wheaton (Shane Harper), a college freshman who takes a stand for his faith when his philosophy professor, Radisson (Kevin Sorbo), demands that students declare “God is dead” to pass the class. Refusing to compromise his beliefs, Josh debates the existence of God in front of his peers, challenging Radisson’s atheism.

Simply put, this movie has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Despite its earnest performances, particularly from Harper, God’s Not Dead annoys with its black-and-white moral outlook. Also tiresome is its tone – aggrieved, defensive, self-righteous. Even on an academic level, its arguments in favor of theism are much weaker and less interesting than they could have been. The filmmaking is competent, but the lame narrative and obvious propaganda mean it’s unlikely to appeal to anyone other than those who already agree with its premises.

7 ‘Jerusalem Countdown’ (2011)

Directed by Harold Cronk

“The clock is ticking toward the ultimate battle.” Jerusalem Countdown is an apocalyptic thriller about FBI agent Shane Daughtry (David A.R. White), who uncovers a nuclear plot tied to biblical prophecy. The film combines elements of action, espionage, and scripture, aiming to deliver a high-stakes narrative about faith and global conflict. However, its low-budget production and convoluted plot (the writing is particularly weak) result in a disjointed and unconvincing story.

This disaster feels like an attempt to jump on the ‘end of the world’ trend in the years leading up to 2012, but it lacks the special effects needed to be entertaining. Plus, it plays the “America: the guardians of world peace” trope with such simplicity and conviction that it borders on Team America-esque parody. What’s perhaps most disappointing is seeing someone as talented as Stacy Keach wasted in this mess. Keach, known for his gravitas, is burdened with material so woefully inadequate that not even his skill can elevate it.

6 ‘Faith of Our Fathers’ (2015)

Directed by Carey Scott

“Faith is the greatest gift a father can give.” Faith of Our Fathers follows John Paul George (Kevin Downes), his name making up 75% of The Beatles, and Wayne Adams (David A.R. White), two men who embark on a road trip to uncover the legacy of their fathers, who both served in the Vietnam War. The story alternates between their journey in the present and flashbacks to their fathers’ wartime experiences, emphasizing themes of sacrifice, faith, and forgiveness.

It’s a heartfelt premise predictably undermined by clichéd dialogue, flat characters, and a plodding narrative that fails to connect emotionally. Director Carey Scott lacks the mastery of pacing needed to balance the dual timelines, with the wartime scenes feeling melodrama and the modern-day storyline struggling to build genuine chemistry between the leads. Finally, the climactic monologue in front of an American flag, imploring the characters (and the audience) to accept Jesus as their savior, goes beyond dramatic to manipulative.

5 ‘The Reliant’ (2019)

Directed by Paul Munger

“In a world without law, faith is the only thing that survives.” This action thriller takes place in a dystopian America where an economic collapse leads to widespread violence and chaos. At the center of the narrative is a devout Christian family attempting to survive while grappling with questions of morality, faith, and self-defense. The ‘problem of evil’ musings about how a loving God would allow this to happen are mildly interesting, but the movie ultimately uses them as an argument in favor of gun rights.

On the storytelling side, Paul Munger’s direction prioritizes action sequences over character development, resulting in a film that feels more like a low-budget survival flick than a heartfelt exploration of spirituality. This approach might have worked had the action scenes been entertaining, but they’re laughably bad, with martial arts choreography that looks like it was staged five minutes before shooting. Most viewers will probably also lose patience with the heroine who insists that trusting Jesus is the solution to every immediate, life-threatening problem.

4 ‘Assassin 33 A.D.’ (2020)

Directed by Jim Carroll

“What if you could change history… and stop a miracle?” The zaniest movie on this list is Assassin 33 A.D., an ambitious mix of time travel, sci-fi, and religious themes. It’s about a group of scientists who invent a time machine, only to have their project hijacked by terrorists who plan to travel back to the time of Christ and assassinate him before the Resurrection. The narrative quickly descends into chaos, with an absurd plot, poorly executed effects, and over-the-top performances.

This madcap outing manages to turn one of history’s most sacred narratives into a fever-dream escapade of sci-fi tropes and campy action. So much of it is just jaw-dropping levels of absurd, from scientists fighting Roman legionaries with sticks to supposed time travel “science” that makes Back to the Future look like Interstellar. It may not quite rise to the levels of ‘so bad it’s good’ cinema, but Assassin 33 A.D. is definitely more memorable than most of its peers.

3 ‘Left Behind’ (2014)

Directed by Vic Armstrong

“This is the beginning of the end.” Nicolas Cage proves his ‘hit or miss’ credentials with his scenery-chewing lead performance in this adaptation of the bestselling book series. He plays Rayford Steele, an airline pilot caught in the chaos of the Rapture, where millions of people suddenly vanish, leaving the world in turmoil. The lackluster dialogue and terrible special effects somehow make the apocalypse boring.

Cage’s performance, while entertaining in its own way, does little to ground the story, and the supporting cast struggles to make their characters compelling. The performances range from wooden to excessively melodramatic, making it difficult to care about anyone’s fate. Even the moments meant to tug at the heartstrings are undermined by the sheer absurdity of the scenarios they’re in. Unsurprisingly, critics panned Left Behind; it currently holds a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is often ranked among the worst disaster movies of the 2010s.

2 ‘Sunday School Musical’ (2008)

Directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg

“Praise Him with song and dance!” Sunday School Musical is a faith-based twist on the High School Musical formula, following a group of teenagers who must band together to save their church’s community center through a singing competition. This film is intended partly as a parody, so some of its silliness is ostensibly by design, but it fails both as an earnest movie and as a spoof.

The script is riddled with cheesiness, with dialogue that alternates between eye-roll-inducing and painfully banal. The music, usually the saving grave in this kind of project, is equally underwhelming. The songs lack memorable melodies or meaningful lyrics, feeling generic and uninspired. The lifeless choreography and half-hearted vocal performances only exacerbate the problem. Then there’s the distractingly bad cinematography, more like something out of a low-budget horror. While it’s perhaps not irredeemably awful, Sunday School Musical ultimately struggles to rise above mediocrity, which is almost worse. It’s simply boring.

1 ‘Saving Christmas’ (2014)

Directed by Darren Doane

“Christmas isn’t under attack—it’s underappreciated.” When it comes to the very worst faith-based movie ever made, it’s hard to top the abysmal Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas. Cameron stars a fictionalized version of himself, attempting to defend the holiday against modern criticisms and secularization. Framed as a dialogue between Cameron and his fictional brother-in-law, (Darren Doane, who also directs) the film mixes monologues about the history of Christmas with melodramatic family scenes and cringe-inducing hip-hop dance numbers.

The movie is super preachy, shockingly unfunny, and boasts some of the worst acting of this century so far. For good reason, reviews were overwhelmingly negative, sending Saving Christmas to the depths of the IMDb bottom 100 and earning it several Razzies. Cameron was angered by this reception, blaming the poor reviews on “haters and atheists” and posting on Facebook, “Help me storm the gates of Rotten Tomatoes.” Not exactly a shining example of Christmas spirit.

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