Last October at the Catalyst Conference, our staff and 13,000 other leaders had the privilege of seeing the director of the upcoming Noah movie being interviewed. He shared his heart, some of the things he’s learned about the Bible, and his hopes for believers and the conversations people will have because of the film.
As I’ve waited for its arrival, social media has erupted in recent weeks over this post, warning people of faith about the film. Some of the quotes via Twitter & Facebook from Christians:
I cannot believe this trash. BOYCOTT!!!!!
Who in their right mind would watch this garbage? ugh
This is antibible, antigod, antifaith. I will not be watching.
This movie is not accurate. Dear Christians please don’t watch this.
They won’t be getting my money #disgraceful
Now, I haven’t seen the movie. It isn’t out yet. But it pains me to see believers get up in arms like this without first considering how it can open up doors. It happened with History Channel’s The Bible Mini Series. People were outraged at little nuances concerning the narrative that weren’t as they believed it, or they took poetic license in certain areas where the Bible doesn’t say one way or the other. I loved one person’s tweet, “Why British? They should be speaking ENGLISH!” Ha. Well, probably not either of them if we’re on the topic. But I digress…
Believer or not, I encourage you to see this film. Why? Well, I’ve got a few different reasons…
1. People Are Going To See It And Will Want To Talk About It
You could ignore it, but that won’t change anything. You could boycott it, and I guess that will make you feel good. But, people are going see it (many of which don’t claim faith in God). For crying out loud it has Anthony Hopkins, Russell Crowe, and that Harry Potter girl (Emma Watson). When they see it, and they most likely will – you will have probably closed the door on a conversation. Why would they come to the boycotting, social network posting, angry because it does or doesn’t have an agenda in the film – believer? Most won’t. And your hope to share with them the Biblical account will more than likely be squashed because in their eyes you’ve turned into “that Christian.”
2. When God Gets Highlighted In The Public Square, It’s A Win
Even if the film has an environmentalist agenda, and it may (I haven’t seen it yet), God is still being discussed. It’s a chance for people to contemplate faith, God, our existence, and eternity. You have the opportunity to have open discussion about faith. That isn’t going to stem from Fast & Furious 28 or Transformers with Mark Wahlberg (which looks great by the way).
3. If You Boycott This, You Need To Boycott Everything (And That’s Not Going To Happen)
Everything you buy, see, eat, consume, etc – someone behind it has a belief. Your coffee shop, department store, personal computer, cellular phone, food in your pantry, and more. All of these come from someone with a belief in something. I’m willing to bet that 90% of the things you interact with come from people with very different beliefs than you. No more sports. No more media. No more internet. No more coffee stops. No more girl scout cookies (Mmmm, cookies). If this line of thinking is carried out the same as the Noah movie, you need to sell everything, move, and live in a van down by the river. And even then, the van is probably built by someone you differ with and the land owner will kick you out when he finds you there. I’m not saying don’t take a stand on anything. I do, our church does, my family does. I’m saying pick your battles. In my opinion, his doesn’t seem like a battle worth fighting.
4. It Pushes You To Know The Bible
You could take the author of the Christian’s be cautious post’s word for it. Or, you could take your friends who don’t know God to see it, spend some time studying the Biblical account on your own, and be able to have a healthy dialogue about some of the things that were great and not so great in comparison to the Bible’s account.
5. Seeing This Movie Doesn’t Mean You Believe This Interpretation Is 100% Accurate
You can watch something and disagree. Your spending a few bucks on a ticket doesn’t mean you have negated the Bible and now follow some man’s new faith/belief system. It’s a movie. You can watch, enjoy, and be a respectful adult who knows what the Bible says and still enjoy the cinematic interpretation of an amazing story.
6. This Film Won’t End Christianity – Relax
This movie will come and it will eventually go. People will stop talking about it. Christianity has faced harsh critics, attacks, and more. God’s movement isn’t going anywhere. Take a breath and relax. Trust that He’s going to do what He continues to do in the lives of people and this world. Trust that He can take a movie talking about the very things He set in place and can use whatever context people have made it in – and redeem it for His purpose.
Who knows, you might actually like the movie.
You might get to have some great conversations about faith.
Boycotting it won’t completely kill your chances at conversations.
But, it certainly doesn’t help it.
God is big enough to stand up to all of your questions, frustrations, and doubts.
I think He can take on a little film with Hannibal, the Gladiator and Hermione Granger.
