Mark Sorensen [Warning. Some spoilers to the Noah movie may be mentioned below. Proceed with cautionary raincoat, waders and umbrella.]
Ok. I finally did it. I watched the movie “Noah” and, I must admit, It didn’t disappoint.
I had heard a LOT of chatter about the liberties the director took with expanding the story from the Genesis text. My initial thought was, “Really. Can it be THAT different?”
Enter onto the scene the giant talking, casted out, angel filled rock people (“Ok. I can work through this”). Cue the renegade, post flood, “Shhh, don’t tell Noah I am on the boat” stowaway, Tubal-Cain (“Wait, what?”) Then there’s that injured pine cone dog (“Why did those have to go extinct, again?”), the snack sized, “I picked the wrong place to hibernate” lizard (“Really, Tubal-Cain? Can you at least chew that with your mouth closed?”), and the magical, fun loving wizard, Radagast the Brown from the Hobbit movie series (“Wait. That was Methuselah!?”).
Fine. I will say it. Clearly, there are some pretty bold differences between what the Genesis account gives to the story of Noah and what the director of “Noah”, Darren Aronofsky comes up with (It took about 12 minutes into the movie to figure that one out). Some of it I was OK with, other pieces I really found a stretch.
Since the movie has been released, I have seen a lot of feedback and opinions in regards to the differences of the text and choices made by the director. I may be off here, but it seems that what most are challenged by boils down to a single issue: “As a Christian who holds to the validity of scripture and the Noah story found in the Genesis text, how do I really deal with something that is so different from what I believe?” Allow me to offer a thought.
It’s really OK to have our beliefs and what we know challenged from time to time. What I have found is that faith, if rooted deep enough, is big enough to withstand some wind. It seems that many are pushing away from the table of discussion because Aronofsky’s perspectives and plot choices on the Noah story are unbiblical. Though I certainly don’t intend to validate that what he did is founded and grounded in scripture, I do think it’s important to ask the question that, if we push away from the table and refuse to see the perspective he presents, how can we enter into a dialogue with others about what scripture does say about God’s purpose and plan as told in the Genesis account? The important piece for us all here? Let’s sit at the table and have a discussion. The, “We’re right and you’re wrong” approach will not bring anyone into the Kingdom. A discussion about what we believe with guidance from the Holy Spirit in the midst of it all is key.
Sure, we can argue over the rock people, pine cone dog, and the crunchy creme filled iguana (sorry, that was the hardest part of the movie for me, hands down). Honestly? Let’s talk about the challenge of being obedient to God’s calling in our own lives. I found myself sympathizing with Noah and, as a result, the discussions I have had with those who have seen the movie have focused more on the challenge of following God’s will in the midst of the storms we face. Have you ever been there? Let me tell you, I have been in some storms. Here’s the thing. Obeying the call is not easy. Discerning the path? Difficult. But, God never said it would be easy. What He did promise is that we would not have to do this on our own and that is a theme that holds throughout the movie “Noah”. Even when Noah second guesses, questions, and has the post flood, “too much wine” pity party.
Praise God that, even amidst the storms we face today, He still speaks, still leads, still guides. And praise God that we don’t have to weather these storms alone.
I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them. (Isaiah 42:16)
So, pull up a chair. This is a conversation worth having and good news that is worthy of sharing!
