I have been excited to see the Noah movie starring Russell Crowe since the first previews were shown. Action, supernatural, special effects, panoramic…all things I like in a movie.
Enter those negative Christians.
Everywhere I turn I’m reading another pastor or Christian blogger who is warning all Believers to “stay away” and “avoid” this movie. They’ve got tons of reasons to convince you to not see this movie: it’s not theologically correct, God and Noah’s relationship in the movie isn’t what they were taught in Sunday School, the ark landed on a mountain, not on a cliff, Noah is presented as an “environmentalist”, etc., etc., blah, blah.But I still can’t wait to see it.
The story of Noah is one of the coolest stories in the Bible. I dare say that nearly everyone, Believer or not, knows this story. I don’t ever remember a big screen movie being made about Noah and the Ark. I’m pumped to see their visual interpretation of the flood and the ark and the gathering of animals.
I’m excited that someone had a vision to make a movie about Noah. He was a great guy, but he was messed up too. Well, he got drunk. And he slept naked. I don’t know if that makes someone messed up, but it sure makes them, well, human. I mean, this guy “walked with God” and was considered righteous and blameless, and here he is getting drunk and going commando. I want to see this guy on the big screen!
There is a lot the Bible doesn’t tell us about Noah and his family and the ark. What were his emotions? Did he question or doubt? The Bible is clear that he obeyed God, but the guy was human and had human thoughts and struggles. What about his family and their doubts and fears? What about the people that were left to drown in the waters? Did they clamor to get on the ark once the waters started rising? What about the “sons of God and daughters of man”? The Nephilim?
There is so much theological discourse and disagreement on the scriptures in Genesis 6 that one needs to pore through several Bible commentaries just to get a general handle on all the ideas floating around out there about the days of Noah. I think it is awesome that a filmmaker somewhere decided to tackle some of these ideas and present them in a cinematic way. They may not be the ideas that the local seminary teaches, but so what? I don’t always want to have to depend on Biblical scholars for my understanding of the Scripture. I’m safe and secure enough in my beliefs to be able to see someone else’s interpretation without thinking they’re going to hell or trying to lead me to hell.
I have no idea if the movie Noah is going to be worth the time or the bucks I’ll be laying down. I may leave the theater disappointed. I may leave the theater disappointed and frustrated. I may even leave the theater and tell others, “That movie’s not worth your time!” But I’m going to see that movie. I’m really looking forward to being entertained by something that was inspired by one of the coolest stories in the Bible.
And you know what? I bet a lot of non-Believers are going to see that movie too, and then do just what a number of kids did after they saw the Harry Potter movies: go read the book. In this case, though, they’ll be reading The Book. I think that’ll make God pretty happy. And I think that’s pretty cool.
