The Noah movie was #1 worldwide last weekend, and I think that could be in part to the controversy surrounding its deviation from the biblical narrative. I had the opportunity to take my three boys last weekend, and I’d like to share why I think it’s an important movie for Christians to see and to suggest some ways you could see it with your family as well.
I saw the Noah movie with my 3 boys, ages 15, 13, and 6. We listened to the Noah story from the Bible on the way to the theater just to clarify what the story of Noah is about. I told them to watch and listen for what is the same and what is different between the movie and the Bible. I wanted to make sure they understood the biblical story before I showed them anything that was different.
Right now, there are a lot of people who take the Bible seriously who seem very upset by this film because it contains all kinds of things that aren’t in the story. It’s true. I can think of a number of things that aren’t found in Genesis 5:32-10:1–
- No fallen angels helping Noah build the ark. (I thought it kind of had a Lord of the Rings feel there!)
- All of Noah’s sons were married when they entered the ark.
- Methuselah didn’t heal his grandson’s wife of infertility.
- There were no stowaways on the ark.
- Noah wasn’t struggling with whether or not to kill his grandchildren.
Not to mention MANY, MANY other deviations from scripture. Beyond that, there was a clear worldview that was being advanced that is not biblical. For example–
1. Vegetarianism is not something associated with godliness in the Bible.
2. Cities are not envisioned as wicked because they are cities in the Bible.
3. Sinfulness is rarely squarely related to environmental abuse in the Bible.
Again, plenty of other things appeared in the movie that weren’t in keeping with a Christian worldview, but the filmmaker, Aronofsky is Jewish and was more interested, it seems, in asking important questions that the story raises. What are some of these questions?
1. Are people worth saving?
2. Does God have good reason for being angry with sinful people today?
3. In what ways did God express love and faithfulness after the story of the ark?
4. How can families find spiritual unity and strength by having a common focus on God?
These questions, and countless others, reveal the thoughtfulness of the story we see in the movie and deserve serious discussion and consideration. The artistic treatment of these questions is something that Christians should embrace and seek to exploit. Too many believers have run from the film or said it was blasphemous or complained that they didn’t appreciate it because it didn’t simply relate precisely what Genesis says. Too many Christians have disdain when unbelievers wish to discuss the stories of the Bible, but I think it is a starting point we can all work with.
The questions above are the ones I used to wrap up our family experience of the movie. It is a great way to talk about the movie with colleagues and friends who see the film also. I spent time talking to my children about how the movie was not 100% true, but the content of the Bible is.
It seems to me we need to figure out a better way of engaging with our culture when it picks up the Bible and wants to talk about it. These are doors I believe God opens, and believers are uniquely equipped to walk through them. A movie on the Exodus is due out later this year and a movie on Mary, the mother of Jesus in December, along with a host of other faith-based movies.
I want to be the kind of Christian who takes advantage of the opportunities the Noah film presents, and I want to teach my children to figure out how to do the same.