Why do I show Christian movies to my daughters about female empowerment? Well, not the way you think. I show my beautiful daughter inspiring movies with female characters.
The Bible teaches women to be strong, not intimidated by the world, and to show God’s love to the world. I also show them how to use the Bible to help them become their best version.
These inspiring films show that God can use women to change their families, their communities, and even the world.
When we allow Jesus Christ to have control of our lives, he will give us the power we need to be leaders.
If you have a daughter, here are nine movies that you can watch with your girl that will help her to become a strong woman of faith.
War Room
Young girls need to know that their strength is found in Jesus Christ and in the power of prayer. I showed this good movie to my family, and it was an instant hit with them.
At the time we had a foster daughter who was 16 years old, and she was inspired by the female characters in the Christian film to start her own prayer closet.
When she moved out on her own a few years later she took the idea of the prayer closet with her. This is one of the best Christian-inspiring films to watch as a family. There are three female characters that show strength.
Elizabeth played by Priscilla Shirer, Miss Clara played by Karen Abercrombie, and Elizabeth’s beautiful daughter played by Aleena Pitts To everyone watching, the Jordan family seemed to have a great home, a gorgeous daughter, and fantastic careers.
However, things are not as they appear. Elizabeth’s husband Tony is flirting with temptation and Elizabeth grows angry as the marriage falls apart.
Elizabeth encourages the couple to discover happiness via prayer when she meets Miss Clara, her newest client, and their lives unexpectedly turn around.
This is a great movie for young girls to see. Your girls will learn about prayer, forgiveness, grace, and compassion.
Eve in Exile
Last year I was invited to a showing of Eve in Exile. This is a documentary that shows the history of feminism in the United States. I went to the show with two of my best friends.
The auditorium was full of both younger women and older women. After the showing of the movie, we all had coffee together. If you entered the room, you would find women talking together about God’s view of womanhood.
As much as I loved the movie, the conversations that it inspired were even better. The movie tells the story of protests planned by First-Wave feminists.
The women wanted prohibition and women's voting rights. The second-wave feminists demonstrated support for women in the workplace and abortion.
Modern-day Third-Wave feminists seem to be against everything that Christianity stands for.
This documentary follows the strong woman, author Rebekah Merkle, as she explains the role of Christian women in today’s culture.
This movie is a powerful reminder of where feminism has brought women.
Breakthrough
The strongest women are mothers. I had no idea what kind of strength was needed when I became a mother. And when I became an adoptive mother that took even more strength.
In the movie Breakthrough, we see the strength of the adoptive mother Joyce Smith. Joyce’s adopted son John falls through the ice of a frozen lake and is trapped underwater for 15 minutes before he is rescued.
Joyce sits at his bedside in the hospital praying for him and waiting for a miracle. Her strength is shown through her faith.
Soul Surfer
I took my girls to see this movie when it came out. They were instant fans of Bethany Hamilton. We bought her a devotional for them the Christmas after the movie came out.
This true story of a strong woman who showed courage to continue with her sport after surviving a shark attack. This movie does a great job showing the shark attack without becoming a horror film.
I see this as a story of love between a daughter and her parents, and a young woman and her God. The turning point in the life of Bethany comes during a mission trip with her youth group.
This is a great movie to watch with your youth group and inspire them to do great things for God.
Unplanned
I am a pro-life advocate and I remember the day I received the email with the news that a Planned Parenthood director had walked out of the clinic and joined the protestors.
Later I learned more about her story, and a few years ago when the movie Unplanned came to the box office I took my teenage daughters to see it.
Abby Johnson started out as the type of woman the world would see as an example of an empowered woman. Fighting for abortion.
But her true strength is shown when she walks away from the clinic and then stands up to Planned Parenthood.
This is a story of the true events of a young woman who experienced the true love of Jesus Christ and is a powerful reminder of his amazing grace.
We see the real-life story of Abby as she journeys through moving from working in the abortion industry to becoming a pro-life advocate.
The best thing about this movie is the great performance of the actors. This is a very moving story you do not want to miss.
Good Sam
A few months ago, I was looking for a movie to watch while I tackled a mountain of laundry. I stumbled onto this powerful drama about a reporter searching New York City looking for a person leaving money to help random people.
I loved watching this movie and was drawn into the story. It was inspiring to see the story of people being impacted by the generosity of a stranger.
I want to raise my children to be the type of person who is generous with strangers.
If I can raise my daughters to be the type of women who help others, and don’t need recognition then I know that I will have raised strong women.
Magdalene Mary
The story of Mary Magdalene is one that has many people wondering what her life was like. I love to read stories that are based on biblical characters.
However, it is important when watching with your family to remind them of where the true biblical story ends, and the fiction begins.
In this movie, we see the story of Jesus from a different point of view than it is normally told. In this film, we see Mary running away from the wedding her family has planned for her.
She is looking for stability and satisfaction and finds it in a radical movement founded by Jesus.
Mary finds a great spiritual awakening and finds herself at the center of a crucial historical event. This is a great historical drama that you will enjoy watching.
God’s Not Dead 2
I have three close friends who are teachers in the public school system. There are times when we get together, and I hear their frustrations that I am reminded of how hard it is to be a Christian in the public school system.
The God’s Not Dead series has done well at the box office. These movies are about defending your faith. I enjoyed all of them, but my favorite one was part 2.
In God’s Not Dead 2 Melissa Joan Hart plays a history teacher named Grace Wesley. As a young lady who follows Jesus Christ, she tries her best to stand for what is right in her public school.
When a student asks her about Jesus she answers honestly about her beliefs. The school board is angry and suspends Grace.
She then finds out she might have her teaching license revoked. At the end of the day Grace has to choose between her faith and her career.
Grace stands and refuses to bend under pressure. She hires a young attorney named Tom, played by Jesse Metcalfe, and goes to court to fight for her rights.
The Good Lie
I watched this great film a few years ago when I was a guest speaker at a Christian camp. On the first day of camp, they had a movie night, and this was the movie they played.
The camp was for older children, and that is important because the movie shows the reality of war in Kenya. This is not a movie for young children.
The movie shows a sibling group surviving a raid on their tribe, living in a refugee camp, and then finding a way to relocate to the US.
This is where they meet Carrie Davis, played by Reese Witherspoon. She is given the job of helping them find work and learn how to live in America.
But there is still a hurdle they have to face, and they might have to tell a good lie to survive.
Discarded Things
I spent a year in college working with an organization that bussed children from Detroit and Chicago to a camp. At the camp, they learned swimming, archery, and how to run and play without the threat of violence.
Years later I worked for an organization that bused children from Toronto to a camp. Once again I saw children come to life as they were able to run and play outside without worry about what might be happening around them.
This movie shows the reality of what it is like to grow up in a harsh environment.
In this movie, we see Grace Wyatt, a music professor who is forced to leave the academic world and finds herself teaching at-risk children.
