Baby Enemies

One of the great joys of my life is getting to play with my two little girls, Hadi and Lailah. It is exciting to see them learning about their world and laughing with each other. When playing with them, I frequently end up on the floor as their daddy jungle gym, which is fine until Hadi decides to jump on my stomach without abandon (she's not quite as light as she used to be).

As I was playing with my girls yesterday, adoring their wonder and playfulness, the thought crossed my mind--this is how every human starts out their life. Now, I know that many children do not have  parents who play with them and love them or who are even present. Many children are neglected and abused. But, nonetheless, every person in the world begins life as a harmless child. Everyone who has ever lived was once a helpless blob of cuteness that had the same desires for love, affection, and play as the rest of us.

And so, as I stared into the beautiful eyes of my daughters, I realized that I could just as easily have been staring into the eyes of countless dictators, criminals, and terrorists when they were babies. No matter how "evil" a person is, there was a time when they were not unlike my own daughters.

Just take a look at these pictures.

Hitler as an infant

Kim Jong II

Jeffrey Dahmer

Charles Manson

Emperor Hirohito

Normal children, adorable faces made in the image of God. And yet, all of these children grew up to become murderers, maniacs, or dictators responsible for some of the worst evils in modern history.

This thought reminds me of two things. First, evil runs through each one of us. Just because we start off cute and harmless does not mean we will always be that way. Regardless of our beginning, we are each capable of horrible evils just as these above individuals were.

But second, as I looked at my daughters, in some small way it humanized these "villains" for me. This fact helps me to see past the atrocities and anger to begin feeling a true sadness for them. Something in their lives went horribly wrong for them to abandon their innocence and compassion. As evil as individuals like Hitler or Bin Laden were, perhaps it would do us good to remember that they were once children as well--children who played with balls, yearned for love, and giggled at the simplest surprises.

One of the toughest commands of Jesus is to "love your enemies" (Matt. 5:44). I don't know how to fully do this, particularly when it is MY enemies. However, perhaps offering love to our enemies begins with reframing their humanity. Instead of looking only upon their offenses, perhaps we look wider to see their full story. Yes, they have become monsters, but they began as infants. If we do this, maybe we can move past pure anger and into grief, and out of that grief we can learn to forgive and pray for their well-being and salvation.

So the next time you look into a child's eyes, offer a prayer for them and their family that they will stray far from evil and cling to righteousness. And when you look into that child's eyes, imagine for a moment that you are also looking into your enemy's eyes, for your enemy was once a child too.

The Coming Moral Test

The next few days and weeks will be a test for Americans, and particularly for those Americans who claim to follow Jesus. On Tuesday morning, the Senate Intelligence Committee released a 525 page summary of a much longer report on the abuses and interrogations of prisoners by the CIA. In short, the report illuminates the horrendous interrogation methods employed by the CIA. Furthermore, the report claims that the CIA misrepresented its actions and failed to glean any useful information from torturing its prisoners. You can read the executive summary here.

Even before the report was released there has been intense debate over the tactics and the release of the report. Three key areas of debate include whether releasing the report will endanger American lives overseas, whether or not the "enhanced interrogation techniques" should be considered "torture" and violated human rights treaties, and whether or not the "techniques" yielded any useful or accurate information in the war on terror.

The main "techniques" used in "enhanced interrogation" were water-boarding (near drownings), keeping prisoners naked and wet in cold cells for hours at a time, sleep deprivation (up to 180 hours), forcing prisoners to stand for hours on end, shaking prisoners violently, "wallings" (throwing them into a wall), and various slaps. The report also outlines how prisoners were threatened with a power drill,  sexually threatened with a broomstick, had their families threatened, forced to sit in ice baths, or forced to experience "rectal rehydration." Some results of these actions, according to the report, included convulsions, hallucinations, vomiting, and even death.

What grieves me as a Christian is how we as a nation seem so reluctant to admit that these types of actions are wrong. In all of the debate and discussion today, there was really no question that these events and interrogations took place. That much is certain. Rather, the debate heard on the airwaves and internet was over whether or not these actions were "legal" and whether or not they produced useful information that saved lives. For those of us who are Christians, this should deeply worry us, particularly if we claim to have any moral authority at all.

At the point where there is no longer a question over whether these interrogations took place or not, we should not even be asking whether they produced useful information in fighting terrorism. That is an irrelevant point. The ends cannot justify the means. To try and minimize the evil of what took place by saying that we gleaned information that saved lives is to walk down an immoral path blinded by pragmatism. Once we open that box, we invite in all kinds of other evils. As the people of God, we must firmly stand behind the Biblical (and, in this case, Constitutional) affirmation that all human life is valuable and carries at least a glimmer of the image of God. Therefore, all such cruelty done to others, even to our enemies in the name of "national security" is unethical and immoral.

Some might say that this is a necessary compromise in times of war (like killing innocent civilians in drone strikes), but to admit it is "compromise" or a "necessary evil" is still to admit that the action is evil and falls short of the vision for the Kingdom of God.

And so I hope that in the coming days Christians in America will rise up, denounce the torture, and say "never again!" But honestly, I'm not holding my breath. I'm not expecting that response because I also know that most American Christians are also blinded by American culture. I know that many American Christians obey the narratives and values of the empire of the USA rather than the Good News and ethics of the Kingdom of God ,to which they should be swearing their primary allegiance.

And since this is true, most American Christians will continue to value American lives as more important than the lives of others around the world. We will resist releasing all the details of the report because it might endanger "American lives." We will find nonsensical ways to justify the abuse and torture because destroying the lives of those prisoners doesn't really matter as long as we can maybe save some American lives. We will not only reject the claim of the Founding Fathers that "all men are created equal" and are "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights," but we will also reject our Scriptures and our Savior which declare that God created humanity in His image and call us to "love our enemy."

Are we really so morally blind and bankrupt as to dance around the truth of what actually happened?

Yes, a moral test is coming, but I fear the American church will fail. Kyrie Eleison.

Demons in America

No, this is not a blog post about a new horror movie. If that's what you were expecting, I'm sorry to disappoint you (although I feel like "Demons in America" would make a good title for a horror-comedy film.)

No, I'm talking about real demons in real life. In our "enlightened" culture this topic does not come up too often, at least not in meaningful ways. On the one hand, with the overall decline of organized religion and the growth of science and modern empiricism, one would expect Americans to completely discount the concept of demons as beings that truly exist. However, interestingly enough, a nationally representative study done by the Baylor Department of Sociology found a couple years ago that 67% of Americans either "absolutely" or "probably" believe in demons. Another survey found that 57% of Americans believe a person can become "possessed by demons."

Now, much of this belief is probably more influenced by modern horror films than by any biblical understanding. Such a belief is likely comparable to how many people also believe in ghosts or other evil powers. However, the stats get even more interesting when we look at American Christians in particular.

According to a study done by the Barna Group nearly 60% of American Christians do not really believe that Satan is a "living being," but merely believe that Satan is just a "symbol of evil." Confusingly, though, 64% of American Christians stated they believe a person can come "under the influence" of spiritual forces such as demons.

This apparent inconsistency seems to speak of the particular social situation of American Christians. We follow a book that plainly declares demons are real and claims demons oppress and possess people and interfere with human affairs. However, to actually believe there are real spiritual creatures out there causing havoc in the world does not seem to line up with our scientific, modern worldview. Therefore, most Christians probably opt for agreeing that there are "spiritual" forces out there, but stop short of admitting these forces are actual creatures. Maybe they're just symbolic.

Overall, I find that most people I encounter don't operate with a sense that demons are real and active in the world, at least not on a daily basis. As one of my former professors used to joke, "We don't believe in demons in America because they can't get past customs." For most Americans, even those who claim to believe in spiritual forces, we don't go around expecting to encounter demons around us.

I suspect again that this is largely due to Hollywood. We've been tricked into thinking that demons are grotesque creatures who manifest themselves in horrendous, obvious ways. If a person is possessed, we expect them to have their head twist in a circle or their mouth to elongate into a gaping maw filled with razor sharp teeth. Those are our images of demon possession. And if that is what we expect, of course we will never encounter demons in America.

At the same time, there are many Americans who simply dismiss the concept of demons as "superstitious." Satan and demons are merely symbols for evil, mental illness, human temptations, etc. After all, we are a scientific society. We know there is no such thing as supernatural beings. Everything in the universe has a rational explanation.

But I do believe there are demons out there. I do believe that unseen forces seek to destroy humans and create chaos. Why do I believe this? Because it seems Jesus did. Even if we chalk up many of the "demon possessed" whom Jesus healed to people afflicted by mental illness or epilepsy, I still can't discount how Jesus operated His ministry with the belief that Satan was real and that He was in fact battling unseen forces. Furthermore, my wife and I have had too many experiences in our lives that demonstrate to us that there is more to the world than what I can see with my eyes or that I can study with scientific equipment.

But, if demons are real, what do they look like in America? For one, I guarantee they are not parading around in the clothes of Hollywood. As CS Lewis pointed out in The Screwtape Letters, a lack of belief in demons can be just as unhealthy as an unwarranted fear of demons. We as Americans tend to fall into the trap of ignorance and lack of belief. And, if this is unhealthy, then why would demons try to make themselves known? If they can keep their work hidden from our blind eyes, then it makes sense they would keep a low profile.

Which brings me to my main point. What does "demon possession" look like in modern America? I don't think it can be seen by heads twisting or fangs growing. I don't even think it can often be noticed by a person's voice becoming deep and gravelly. Rather, I think one of the key markers of demonic activity in America is irrational self-destruction. When a person or group seems to march toward their own demise and does so against all sense of reason and logic, I think many times there is probably demonic influence.

For instance, a former professor of mine once told the story of a woman seeking counseling from him while he was a pastor. She had done some horrible things in her past, things that people should regret. At this stage of the counseling, he wanted her to move on past describing her sins. However, she kept insisting on telling every grisly detail and almost seemed to delight in the retelling. Even when he kept telling her to stop she kept persisting. Finally, when he stood up to walk away, she grabbed his arm as if she wanted to force him to stay and listen to her boast about her evil.

It is that kind of irrational behavior that seems to be indicative of demonic activity here in the US. Now, let me be clear, I DO NOT want to ignore mental illness or modern medicinal science. These are both necessary fields of study. Those diagnosed with mental illnesses should be treated or medicated as needed. However, when a person with a mental illness engages in a mass shooting, I can't help but think that demons were present as well. After all, just the mental illness itself does not seem to be a full explanation. Many people with the same mental illness don't turn violent or commit murderous atrocities.

When people choose the path of self-destruction, this is anti-creational activity, and is likely the work of those who oppose the Creator. Furthermore, pursuing this path while ignoring any rational thought also seems to be indicative. When people take an action that is clearly absurd and leaves us scratching our heads when we step back from the situation, it should be a clue to us.

Demons may be at work when an institution continues to oppress a minority group, even though every sign indicates it does so to its detriment. Or when a man makes up ridiculous rumors to oust a faithful pastor, even though he knows it will cause a church split or church death. Or when a woman persists in her drug use and even brags about the addiction, even though she knows it is wrong and it will kill her. When a person finds themselves hating or being envious of a friend with no clear reason; the feelings just seem to appear "out of nowhere."

The longer I live, the more situations I see that go beyond rational explanation. We can try to offer as many scientific or psychological reasonings as we want, but in the end, there is too much I see that cannot be explained away. There are many cases when it appears there is an unseen force gently prodding individuals and institutions toward their own demise.

Again, let me reiterate, it is foolish for us to go on witch-hunts or to see Satan hiding behind every bush and corner! There are many things that CAN be explained by science and psychology. Furthermore, identifying evil is rarely an easy task. As NT Wright has stated, "evil is nameless, and slimy, and formless and seeps in other places [we do not expect.]" The moment we try to label something as "demonic" or the work of Satan is often the moment that evil jumps out from a different direction completely or even rears its head in us.

In conclusion, I don't advocate forming exorcism teams to seek out and destroy demons in your community. Evil is slippery and such efforts often further the cause of evil by attacking the innocent. However, we should not be naive and think that we live in a demon-free world. Demons are real and present, and they are at work. And, having seen the effect of these forces in my own life, in my community, and in my church, this realization prompts me to turn all the more to God in prayer. As I find in the example of Jesus, the only way to push back the darkness in lives and institutions around us is to "bind the strong man" (Mk. 3:27) through prayer and reliance on the power of the Holy Spirit. If evil does exist, and if it seeks to undo God's creation, then the people of God must join together in unity to pray for God to show up as our warrior and King who has defeated evil on the cross and who is the rightful King of this world.

"This is My Father's world
oh let me ne'er forget
that though the wrong seems oft so strong
God is the Ruler yet!"

A Reflection for Lent: Evil

We stand less than two weeks from Easter and anticipation of the resurrection is growing. However, we mustn't lose sight of the fact that Lent still continues until then. In my own reflections and readings during Lent I have been thinking recently about evil.

Evil is something that we often attach to others. Hitler was evil. Osama was evil. Big government is evil. Etc. This is so easy and natural for us to do. It is like breathing.

But as I journey through Lent, I am reminded that evil is not found primarily in others. Evil is also not far off. Evil lives in me. As N.T. Wright has said, "[T]he line between good and evil is never simply between 'us' and 'them.' The line between good and evil runs through each of us" (Evil and the Justice of God, 38.) Yes it is true that I have been forgiven and redeemed by Christ. Yes it is true that the Holy Spirit lives within me. But it is also true that until Christ returns, I am marred by sin and evil.

In watching the "Noah" movie this past weekend, one line from a conversation between Noah and his wife stuck in my mind. His wife was attempting to convince Noah that he and their family were basically good people. He responds by saying, "And yet, wouldn't we readily kill others to protect our children?" The fact is, when things are stripped away from us, when we feel our lives threatened, we too easily revert to those basic sinful tendencies--greed, selfishness, pride, lust, violence.

One of the things that saddens and frustrates me is the culture of anger and blame-setting I see on Facebook among other places. We as a culture are so quick to place and accuse others. Don't get me wrong, I think it is good to stand against injustice. But what I see people posting so often is inflammatory, accusatory, prideful, and (quite honestly) impulsive and ignorant. We seem to think that those who shout the loudest will be found in the right.

But what if we learned from this season and took a lesson from the cross? What if we recognized that the problem was not always in the others whom we quickly blame, but is often within ourselves? If we recognized that we don't really have much claim to the moral high ground, maybe our speech and actions would be marked with more humility.

The message of the cross is that sin and evil are real. And, it is not just a reality for "bad" people, it is a reality for ALL people. Jesus had to die for me as well as for "them." Furthermore, I am called to "take up the cross." This is not some nice metaphor for enduring hardships or sickness. It is a call to self-denial. On the cross I choose to crucify my selfish desires. I choose to sacrifice my rights for the sake of others. I choose to admit that I have sin in need of crucifying as well. May we take this message to heart during these final weeks of Lent so that when Easter comes, we can be all the more thankful that the Resurrection can overcome even an evil heart like mine.

Noah movie review blog (or novel...)

I finally saw “Noah” in theaters this weekend. I know there have been countless articles and blog posts about the movie already, but here are a few my thoughts. [Spoiler alert]

First, one of my hopes going into this movie was that seeing an interpretation of the story that relies heavily on extra-biblical sources might “break open” our own interpretation of the Noah story and help us see new aspects of it we may have missed before. Here are some ways in which I felt the movie succeeded.

1. I was reminded of the theme in Genesis 1-11 that cities are bad.

In the movie, the line of Cain develops industrialized cities and civilizations. This is portrayed negatively in the film as these cities end up destroying God’s good creation. Interestingly enough, in Gen. 1-11 we also find cities portrayed negatively. In the genealogies of Cain and Seth (Gen. 4-5) the only cities mentioned are in the fallen line of Cain. In fact, the first comment about Cain besides the fact that he gained a son is that he “built a city” (4:17). Likewise, in the post-flood world, the only cities mentioned are in connection with the fallen line of Ham. Eventually, the evil city-building finds its climax in the story of the Tower of Babel (“Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower” in 11:4). God deals with this sin by “scattering” the people.

This common theme should force us to look closer at the biblical text. Why does Gen. 1-11 depict cities as a challenge to God? The movie claims that such industrialization destroys the good earth. While this may be true today, it probably was not the main issue for the writer of Genesis. This is a import from our modern culture. Rather, in Genesis the problem is that God twice commands humans to “multiply” and “fill the earth”—once after Creation and once after the flood. Gathering in cities rather than scattering across the earth is direct disobedience of this command. In Genesis, cities are not inherently evil, but only evil in so far as they are built in opposition to the decrees of God.

2. Which brings us to the matter of ecology

Many Christians have critiqued the movie because the director depicts Noah as an ancient environmentalist. I agree insofar as saying that the strong emphasis on environmental issues has been imported into the text from our modern world. However, at least the writers and director are conscious of this imposition. Many Christian movies about the Bible have been made with little knowledge or awareness that their storytelling is also an interpretation influenced by their cultural biases.

That being said, perhaps we need an ecological reading of Genesis 1-11. American Christians have been far too dualistic in the past when it comes to thinking about the earth. Faulty thinking about the afterlife has taught many of us that we simply go to heaven when we die, so ecological endeavors are pointless. This world is going to burn after all, right? But if we remember that the Bible teaches resurrection—an affirmation of God’s good creation—then suddenly we must be more conscious of our earthly actions. God created the world and called it “good.” Why would he throw His masterpiece into the trash in the end?

Hopefully this movie refocuses our attention on Gen. 2:15 where God commands the man to “cultivate and protect” the garden. Creation does not exist simply for our own benefit. We are co-creators tasked with overseeing and being good stewards of God’s created world.

Maybe Noah will also help us expand our vision of salvation. God’s salvation through Jesus is not just about “saving souls.” It is about redeeming all of God’s good creation. Paul says in Romans that all creation “groans” and “waits for the sons of God to be revealed” (Rom 8:18-25). Paul says all the earth (animals and plants included) has been cursed because of our sin. Therefore, God’s ultimate plan for salvation includes redeeming and restoring that good creation. In that light, Russell Crowe’s Noah doesn’t sound all that unbiblical.

3. This is a dark story

Perhaps another reason many Christians got up in arms about the film was that this is not a “safe for the whole family” story. We sometimes have a bad knack of taming down the rough patches in the Bible. I remember watching an atheist rant on a YouTube video about a baby’s bible. He pointed out that key biblical stories, like Noah, David/Goliath, and the Crucifixion, completely omitted the ugly parts. For example, few children’s Bibles talk about (or illustrate) why Noah got to go on a fun wooden cruise with zoo animals.

Now, I’m not for destroying the innocence of children too quickly (another theme of the movie ironically), but I do think this same thinking affects us as adults. Have we as adult Christians truly pondered the dark places of the Bible? Or, are we still stuck in Kindergarten Sunday School mode? Do we think of rainbows and zoo animals when we hear Noah’s name, or do we think of the devastation of the world and the massive loss of human life that was the result of sin?

This new movie forces us to come face to face with the ugliness of sin and the tragedy it causes in the biblical story. One of the most haunting images of the film was a picture of the final surviving humans clinging to the last dry land of a mountain. Noah’s family hears the victims crying out, and then we see them, futilely clawing past each other like zombies to escape their fate. It reminded me that this too is in the story of Noah. While the text may not spell it out, have we seriously considered the line “All flesh that moved on the earth perished, birds and cattle and beasts and every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth, and all mankind” (7:21)?

4. Christians critiqued Noah’s character for the wrong reason

In reading the critical reviews of the film, one thing that kept coming up over and over again was Noah’s “homicidal” character. How could any film-maker portray Noah as a person ready to kill his own granddaughter? More on this in the next point. However, by the end of the film, Noah shows mercy and chooses love. With that in mind, I think Christian critics completely missed another way they could have attacked the movie’s depiction of Noah (probably because many critics hadn’t even seen the movie when they started throwing accusations).

Toward the end of the film we get an interpretation of Noah’s drunken nakedness (which is in the Bible by the way). In the biblical text, Ham sees Noah’s nakedness, but does not cover his father. Instead, he tells his brothers who in turn cover Noah (just as in the movie). It is at this point that the film diverges from the text. In the movie Noah is grieved over Ham’s actions, but still offers a blessing for Ham in the final scene. This has the effect of us ending with a “good” Noah in the film. No longer is Noah a homicidal maniac, but a good patriarch. Meanwhile, in the Bible there is a total break between Ham and Noah. In the Bible, Noah curses Ham and his descendants. There is no ooey-gooey family love here. If the movie’s portrayal of the biblical Noah is to be critiqued, we should really critique it on its sugar-coating of the family dynamics at the end. But, like us Christians, we can easily turn family into an idol that comes before faithfulness.

5. IS humanity worth saving?

One final area many Christians were dissatisfied with was the cinematic Noah’s willingness to let humanity die out. Some Christian critics pointed to Gen. 1 to remind us that humans were made in God’s image. We are more valuable than animals, so of course the ark was to save humans, not creation. As above, perhaps we do think a little too highly of ourselves when it comes to salvation. Nonetheless, this question—Is humanity worth saving?—is a central theme of the movie. And, I think it is a good (and perhaps biblical) theme.

One of my friends pointed out to me that Noah’s “offering” to God and the rainbow scene are misplaced in the film. The order of Noah’s drunkenness and the offering/rainbow scene are reversed in the movie from its biblical order. In the Bible, the last major detail we hear about Noah is his wine debacle. This scene serves almost as a second Fall for the second creation. If you thought humans had escaped sin, you were wrong. And very quickly, sin once again escalates as we read genealogies of Israel’s enemies and hear the story of Babel. Even restarting humanity was not enough to get humans on the right track. By the time we arrive at Genesis 11, the reader should be asking, “Is there any hope? How can the cycle of sin and death ever be broken?”

This is essentially the question Noah wrestles with in the movie. He understands very correctly that evil runs through all of us. Too often we want to say with Noah’s wife that we are good people. The evil ones are “them.” But as Crowe’s Noah points out in the film, all of us are tainted by sin. None of us is good. (Isn’t this the starting point of our understanding of the Gospel.) Therefore, I can sympathize with Noah as he contemplates cutting off humanity’s future. If humans can’t escape sin and evil, maybe they should just die off to fulfill God’s command to “protect” creation (Gen. 2:15).

Yet, the film pushes us between alternate extremes. While Noah stresses human sinfulness (which is true), others including Tubal-Cain emphasize humanity as the valued “image of God” (which is also true). And both are in Genesis. Genesis 1 stresses that humans are the pinnacle of creation and are to “rule over” creation. But, then Genesis 2 places humans alongside the rest of the created order and also calls us to “protect” the garden of God. The beauty of the film is that is forces us to consider both sides and struggle to find the healthy middle ground between mercy and justice and between creation abuse and creation worship.

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I know this is a very long post and that I probably should have made at least two posts, but I need to type this while it is still fresh in my mind. So, if you’ve read this far, bear with me for two more quick points.

Another theme I loved concerned the silence of God. In one provocative scene, the villain Tubal-Cain cries out to the Creator asking him to speak. He desires God to end the silence, but there is no answer. A little later in the film, Noah pleads to God to help him decide what to do about his pregnant daughter-in-law. But instead of an answer, the sky clouds up more and Noah is met with silence.

This theme resonated with me because I have often had to deal with the silence of God. There have been times in my life when, like Tubal-Cain, I have shouted out, “Why don’t you answer?!” The film makes me ask about how to respond when it seems like God does not. This is a tough question worthy of another post, but I think a good question we Christians should take more seriously.

Second, at the end of the movie I couldn’t help but think how our current evangelical obsession with biblical literalism has caused us to miss some amazing opportunities. Once the credits began to roll, I heard one man in front of me (presumably a Christian) remark to his wife, “Well that was funny wasn’t it?” My first reaction was to wonder if we had even watched the same movie. Yes, a movie filled with violence, slavery, murder, contemplated infanticide, strained parent-child relations, and the death of thousands is “funny.” While I shed a few tears, all he could say at the end was that it was “funny.”

Of course, I knew what he was implying—the movie was not “biblically accurate.” It was “funny” to him because this Noah was nothing like the Noah he envisions when he reads Genesis. This is the attitude I think that drove almost all of the negative Christian reviews. My reply to that is simply, “Yes, it is ‘biblically inaccurate,’ but let’s get over it.”

Does a story have to be exactly what is contained in the Bible for it to carry truth? Even then, when it comes to the extra-biblical material, how do we really even know it couldn’t have been similar to the Bible’s contention? While the movie did contain some really off-the-wall moments (rock giants, anyone?) I have also heard some pretty off-the-wall ideas from conservative Christians when it comes to Genesis (such as a “firmament” of water surrounding the earth and peculiar views of the Nephilim that go way beyond anything the Bible says). The bottom line is there is much about the world of Gen. 1-11 we simply don’t know and never will.

With that being said, we need to view this movie as a work of art, not an attempt to recreate a historical account of how the Noah story actually might have happened. If we can get beyond the biblical “inaccuracies” (while not ignoring them) and really dig into the themes, we may find that this movie contains some powerful truths and questions for us to ponder as Bible-believing Christians.

Along that line, maybe we need to view the movie as a Midrash of the flood narrative. In ancient Judaism, rabbis would often take familiar Old Testament stories and add new twists or details in order to deliver a new theological point. (For an interesting look at how this movie employs some actual Jewish Midrash, check out this article.) What do these new (and yes, extra-biblical) details in the movie reveal about us as people and about our culture? What truths and questions do the themes push us toward? Does the movie allow us to rediscover truths in Genesis that we have overlooked for too long?

In the end, I don’t believe this movie is an attack on Christians or even on the Bible. There will certainly biblically illiterate people who will think this is all in the Bible, and we should gently point them to the actual story. But for the rest of us, maybe we can step back and learn something from a movie that was very intentionally and artfully constructed. Or, if you can’t do that, at least go see it to make fun of some rock giants.

*If you aren’t sick of reading yet, you may also check out this article containing an interview with one of the writers.