While Academy Award nominees and presenters Sunday may receive swag bags filled with five-star hotel stays, jewelry, and the latest technological gadgets, presenters and guests at an event that has been called the “Christian Oscars” this week scooped up goody bags filled with a DVD on the 23rd psalm, a pocket-size copy of the U.S. Constitution, and a leather-bound, gold-edged bible.

The New York-based American Bible Society donated about 800 of the bibles to the Christian Film & Television Commission. The commission hosted Movieguide’s 15th Annual Faith & Values Awards Gala, which honors family-friendly Christian-themed or otherwise inspirational films released during the previous year.

This year’s black-tie Faith & Values awards ceremony, held Tuesday at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., brought together about 450 filmmakers, studio executives, and actors — albeit few A-list stars.

The Faith & Values Awards Gala is the brainchild of the New York-reared chairman of Christian Television & Film Commission ministry, Ted Baehr — a former director of the Television Center at Brooklyn College. Mr. Baehr, who now lives outside of Los Angeles, said he’s determined to “help the entertainment industry understand” the box office power of the tens of millions of observant Americans.

Mr. Baehr, the New York-reared son of a Broadway actor, also publishes Movieguide, which rates and reviews features films according to their wholesomeness. This week, on its Web site, Movieguide recommended the PG-rated drama “Bridge to Terabithia” thanks to its “strong Christian worldview” and “positive references to Jesus.” Meanwhile, site reviewers cautioned against the PG-13-rated romantic comedy “Music and Lyrics,” for its “mixed pagan worldview with some pagan sexual content.”

Taking home Movieguide’s top honors — the John Templeton Foundation Epiphany Prizes, worth $50,000 — were “The Nativity Story,” a feature film about the events leading up to Jesus’ birth, and “The Ten Commandments,” a made-for-television movie about the biblical prophet Moses. Films garnering Crystal Teddy Bear statuettes included “Charlotte’s Web” and “The Pursuit of Happyness” in the Films for Families category; and “Superman Returns” and “Rocky Balboa” in the Films for Mature Audiences category.

God, Jesus, and the Bible were often cited and thanked during acceptance speeches.

Among the boldface names in attendance were actors Andy Garcia and John Ratzenberger, and the “Pursuit of Happyness” author, Christopher Gardner.

The executive director of the American Bible Society, the Reverend Lamar Vest, also flew to California for the occasion. He said the Bible Society, headquartered near Manhattan’s Columbus Circle, shares Movieguide’s goal of promoting movies that “in some way reflect the redemptive moral values that have shaped this nation.”

Rev. Vest said he planned to tune in to the Oscars Sunday. He said he wants to gauge the differences between the tastes of members of the Academy of Arts & Sciences and those of Movieguide’s board — the latter, the Church of God minister said, has its finger on the pulse of more Americans.

There’s some overlap, though. Movieguide also honored “Cars,” “The Pursuit of Happyness,” “The Queen” and “Dreamgirls” — all of which have received one or more Oscar nominations.