Why a Christian Revival Is Taking Place in Hollywood

Published: February 25, 2026

By Gavin Boyle

Melissa Ortiz Berry shared her take on why Christian content is exploding across the entertainment industry as millions of Americans flock to faith-based content.

“People want truth. People wanna know what’s happening in the world,” Ortiz Berry, a professor at Bushnell University, told Movieguide® while supporting MEARS at the Movieguide® Awards Gala. “People wanna know that there were strong Christian women representing the faith in culture in Hollywood [and] around the country. People wanna know what’s happening. And I think documentaries are a way for people to find out what was happening in history and then to also emulate that in their own lives — to say, hey, this woman made a difference. I can make a difference.”

MEARS: HOW ONE WOMAN CHANGED CHRISTIANITY is up for Movieguide®’s Aletheia: Best Documentary Prize and tells the true story of Henrietta Mears.

Watch the Movieguide Awards March 5 on Great American Family. Find your channel and more information here.

Mears changed the course of Christianity’s role in American history, helping it become imbedded in the culture through means like Sunday schools. Her work impacted some of America’s greatest Christian heroes including Billy Graham. Mears, however, is not a well known figure, which is why documentaries like MEARS: HOW ONE WOMAN CHANGED CHRISTIANITY are so important. A portion of Movieguide®’s review reads:

MEARS: HOW ONE WOMAN CHANGED CHRISTIANITY tells the fascinating story of how a special instrument of God, Henrietta Mears, changed the landscape of Hollywood and the whole world with her simple but unshakeable faith and trust in Jesus. The documentary will inspire Christians to “trust God more,” even in times of heartbreaking devastation and tragedy. The movie extols the life-saving, joyful, creative, and innovative nature of true Christian faith.

Thankfully, there has been an incredible interest in telling these unknown stories as of late as faith-based content continues to prove its worth in the entertainment industry. Since the pandemic, Americans have increasingly sought purpose through faith, causing not only an increase in Christian content, but an increase in genuine believers as well – even in places that have traditionally been hostile to Christians.

“I think Christianity and values are just making their comeback [in Hollywood],” said director Jon Erwin. “There’s a lot of executives in the entertainment industry that are just titans…that for a long they they were content…sort of keeping at day some of the more damaging trends in the industry, but I think there’s been a shift in content in the industry where it’s like, enough is enough. I have to align my values with my career.”

Erwin has capitalized on this turn towards faith in Hollywood by launching his studio Wonder Project which partnered with Prime Video to not only host a full streaming service but also create original content. The studio’s first show, HOUSE OF DAVID, has been extremely successful, and Movieguide® nominated it for several Teddy Bear Awards®.

For now, however, content like MEARS continues to inspired audiences around the world. Those who want to know if MEARS won its category and view the rest of the awards can do so on March 5 when it airs on Great American Family.

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