Noah

So I went to see Noah.  I felt like as a spiritual leader I needed to see what everyone was talking about.  Also, as a Christian, I felt like I ought to see it.  The story of Noah is near and dear to my heart.  I worked at a Summer Youth Ministry called Noah's Ark for four summers in college.  My son's nurseries were decorated in Noah's Ark themed gear, and I have a huge picture of the animals piling into the ark in my office.

For the first 3/4 of the movie, I was enthralled.  The imagery and effects were amazing.  The story was different, but I didn't mind the poetic license.  It was kind of like watching a movie with Biblical themes rather than a Biblical movie.  I didn't mind that.  I like movies.

The last 30 minutes got weird, so be prepared for that to happen when you watch it.  Noah and the story take a very divergent route from the Biblical narrative.  Noah's heart is not the heart of Noah in the Bible.  God's heart, at least interpreted by Noah, is nowhere near the heart of the God in the Noah story in Genesis.  I've read several reviews by theologians and seminary professors with different theories.  I believe the director's picked and chose from a lot of religious thought, and not all of it was from the Old Testament.

But, and this is the point that's so crucial for Christians, isn't it good that the world is talking about the Bible?  Isn't a conversation open to God's true heart?  The movie is well made.  It's got some Biblical themes.  It takes one of our stories and adds it's own spin.  It's an open door to say, "You know, that was really interesting, but I think X or Y really represents how a lot of the world misunderstands or misinterprets who God really claims to be in the Bible."  When we Christians immediately poo-poo a movie like Noah, we lose credibility in the marketplace.  We need to be able to engage the world, have open conversation, hear questions, live with doubts, and listen to fears.  We need to be able to be transparent about what we don't know and clear about the things that we absolutely know.  But we've got to be able to talk.  And we can't talk, we can't have a conversation if we don't know what the world is thinking.  And we don't need to be afraid.  Darren Aronofsky didn't change the Bible.  He made a movie.  And he dipped into our story to make one.  How can we use it to listen to what the world is saying?

The people I know who don't go to church or aren't really down with God want to be heard.  They want to be able to ask their questions.  Noah is like the world asking a question.  Let's use it.  Let's know what the Bible actually says.  Let's listen to God.  Let's listen to others.  And let's show the world in word and deed who God really is.  What his heart is really like.  And what he really did for us...and does in us...and through us.  But let's not put our hands over our ears and not listen.