Part of what makes being involved in Christian retailing both exacting and exciting at the same time, these days, is that there is no one easy fix out there. The changing times and market require awareness and action across a wide range of challenges and opportunities.

But one area that's worth highlighting right now for some special thought and attention is movies.

We've reported in recent times how DVD sales have exploded in Christian retail stores in the past year or so. Fireproof was largely responsible for that, but not exclusively—we have also seen growth in the study group and "Nooma"-style shorts.

But not since Mel Gibson surprised Hollywood with the success of The Passion of The Christ —and let's remember that was six years ago, before we had really begun to notice that Christian retail's traditional foundation was starting to crumble—has there been such secular media buzz about Christianity at the multiplex.

The recent huge success of The Blind Side, based on the true story of an unabashedly Christian white family's adoption of a homeless African-American teen who becomes a football star, appropriately enough caught everyone off guard.

Critics couldn't ignore the central faith shades to the story—nor could they overlook the strong biblical themes and elements in other general releases The Book of Eli, which found Denzel Washington violently curating the last known copy of the Bible in a journey across post-apocaylptic America, or Legion, which saw angels sent to wipe out mankind.

While all three films have prompted water cooler conversations about faith, chances are you will only ever find The Blind Side at Christian retail stores in the days ahead.

That's because although Christians may be happy that there are movies out there in the marketplace that are asking hard questions, they mostly want easier answers in their local Christian bookstore.

This is not a criticism, merely an observation of the tension that exists for everyone trying to follow in the footsteps of Fireproof. With its explicit faith content, that film pretty much had everyone in the secular media scratching their heads when it became one of the top indie box office films of 2008.

Others have since tried to replicate the way local Christians were encouraged to support theater runs of Fireproof in their communities—notable among them the recent teen drama release, To Save a Life. It won surprisingly positive reviews from some in secular media that praised the film for being less preachy than most other Christian productions.

But here is the rub: Christian films are for the most part unlikely to make money at the box office. The best hope for revenue is in DVD sales—and that means that they have to be acceptable for a largely conservative constituency at the local Christian bookstore. Push the envelope too far and it will be marked "return to sender."

At a strategic level, meanwhile, the trend of local churches sponsoring theater engagements for Christian films offers Christian stores a great opportunity to connect with congregations in their area.

There is a new recognition among independents that strong ties with churches will be a key to their survival, and partnering in screening campaigns is one way to develop them by helping to meet a clear need.

Some retailers have already gotten involved with such efforts, but more should be looking to—thereby both supporting local ministry efforts and building their own brand awareness.

In-store, retailers need to exercise discernment on two levels.

First, some general market releases have been pitched to the Christian retail community with "spiritual application" marketing that stretches credulity. There is nothing wrong with carrying plain, wholesome family entertainment, but let's not try to spiritualize everything with some lame Bible study.

Sometimes a movie is just a movie about three chipmunks, and not a new way of looking at the Trinity, no matter how much you scrunch up your eyes and talk about "symbolism."

Then there's the fact that, let's be honest, while some of the new raft of Christian movies are really quite good, some of them are still pretty bad. Seems like every church with more than ten members and access to a digital camera is making its own film. Some need to stick to sermons.

I am not knocking big ideas and low budgets. There's probably no better recent example of what can be achieved with determination and dedication than Burns Family Studios' Pendragon: Sword of His Father. It's hard to believe that the admirable Dark Ages drama is, essentially, the work of two homeschooling families with a big back yard.

But let's just remember that while technology may level the playing field, there are some teams that need to do a bit more practice first. Let's not lose the potential in this area, by exercising some quality control.

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