Controversy is about to hit the conservative film market with the comedy “Blue Like Jazz.” The film, based on the best selling book by the same name, explores “non-religious thoughts on Christian spirituality.” The film’s vantage point is through the eyes of a Southern Baptist boy, Don Miller, who attends the “most godless campus in America.” This film holds none of the stigmas associated with “Christian films” and will shock those who assume it’s a family film – It is not.

I chatted with Don Miller (Author), Steve Taylor (Director), and Marshall Allman (Actor plays Donald Miller) last night while the film was premiering in Nashville. The conversation was cut short when the three had to get back into the theater for a Q&A session.

Unlike the “Courageous” team who only hires people who are “right before God” to work on their productions, this film had hundreds of non-Christians in the cast. Don says, “It is not a Christian cast except for two people.” When asked how the non-Christians might have been impacted during the shoot, Marshall shared how in awe they were because “the atmosphere on the set was very different with a lot of people encouraging each other. It wasn’t like any other film I’ve been on in the past ten years.”

Steve Taylor was recently a part of some controversy relating to other Christian film producers stating online that they will never hire anyone who worked on this film. When asked more about it, Steve had nothing but positive things to say about other Christian filmmakers. He held tremendous respect for those who have made a difference through film and built the Christian film industry. Steve directed Michael W. Smith’s film “The Second Chance” and numerous music videos like the Newsboys.

Steve made it very clear that while Christian filmmakers were putting the film together, it was not going to be a family film. “The reason was simple,” says Steve. “How do you tell the story of a college kid who flees his Southern Baptist upbringing in suburban Houston to attend the ‘most godless campus in America’ without showing what that environment is like? And how can that environment be portrayed realistically in the context of a ‘family’ movie?”

During the film, Don meets all kinds of people including: gay, straight, bi, agnostic, drug-addicts, and abused. It was the Steve’s goal to show real people with real issues. However, Christians will be glad to know that everything that happens in the film leads to a scene where the true heart of the story is revealed – What some are calling the “most powerful scenes to appear in a ‘Christian film’ to date.” Spoiler alert — Don discovers through an epiphany what it really means to believe in and follow Jesus. It is a moment that most people can take to heart.

The most significant movie of the decade is “The Hunger Games.” At the time of this writing, it’s about to surpass $400MM worldwide with its third weekend approaching. The film takes place in the powerful world of Panem, which forces children to kill children for its entertainment.

The parallel to the Roman Empire and its gladiators was purposeful. And, the parallel to the United States and its reality television shows was also purposeful. In all three worlds people have gotten to the point where they take pleasure in watching people being humiliated, brought to tears, or suffering physically.

This voyeuristic thrill came upon the Roman Empire when the wealthy came into power and the common people became apathetic. Once apathy reigned in the United States and the wealthy were in control of society, reality television dominated the people’s pass time. In Panem, the same is true, giving rise to their hunger games.

The film’s messages go beyond the political statements and into the area of moral character. Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is a teenager who cares for her family and always makes appropriate decisions. She even refuses to kill any of her peers except in self-defense. When under the pressure of survival, she’ll put her toes over the line by setting up circumstances that cause others to die, but never chooses to kill directly.

The semblance of respect that the character gains through these “noble” acts provides viewers plenty of ammunition to develop likeminded morals. Unfortunately, the film also teaches that lying is a prudent survival skill and appropriate when circumstances dictate.

With America no longer teaching morals and ethics in school and many churches focusing on growing their congregations rather than teaching godly morals, the film industry is left with the job of instilling their morals into the youth of America who are mesmerized by “The Hunger Games.”

When asked, “What do you hope the readers will come away with when they read the book?” Author Suzanne Collins says, “Questions about how elements of the book might be relevant in their own lives. And, if they’re disturbing, what they might do about them.”

The film makes it very clear that America is perfectly in sync with Panem and the Roman Empire. We know what happened to the Roman Empire and the film allows us to contemplate if we will do anything before the fall of America. Of course, previous societies have given rise to the phrase, “History repeats itself.”