Oh no its Noah!

There is a new movie that’s causing quite a stir among Christians, a Hollywood film about the life of the biblical Noah. I haven’t seen the movie yet and the copy on the internet is still unwatchable but, being a Christian, a preacher once, and a former Sunday school teacher, I’m familiar with the story.

The reaction was quite predictable. Like I said I’m a Christian and I know when it comes to Bible stories, it is very important to be accurate to the scripture especially when teaching about the spiritual and moral implications of the stories. 

The Bible does not describe Noah's looks 

and for most Christian (well at least for many), 

we have this picture of Noah as a bearded and

with soft features middle age man. This is what 

our Sunday illustrations pictured Noah to  be.

But he could look like Russel Crowe or my neighbor 

for that matter. 

But Noah the movie is not about the Bible. It does not pretend to be. Even the director admitted that he does not care about the religion of the movie, it’s all about entertainment. Isn’t it obvious from fact and experience that anything that Hollywood made whether it is fiction or factual is primarily focused on the box office performance. Yes there are Hollywood biblical movies especially old ones before globalization and internet that seemed to stick to the Bible but we all knew for a fact that it was made not out of Christian conviction; it was made out of sensitivity to the audience and the market that was mostly the (American) Christians.

Of course what offends the Christian, like me (well, I’m not offended), is the idea of relegating Biblical stories as source material for big budgeted movies along with the likes of Greek Mythologies, the Nordic Sagas, DC and Marvel universe, etc. It’s the thought of relegating bible narratives and its message to profane (secular) wisdom literature retaining the moral but removing the spiritual or turning the spiritual into the mythical. I think, this is what scares (and offends) Christians. It’s the thought of Samson being likened to Hercules, God the father to Zeus, the sacrifice of Jephthah with that of Agamemnon’s etc. 

But they did built the ark based on biblical
specifications.

My advice, watch it for what it is, pure entertainment. Hollywood is not a good source of Christian Edification.