NOAH the movie...The real question.

Let me start by saying this I am not writing this to sway you in one way or the other about the movie NOAH. If you choose to see it, great. If not, great. The choice is yours.Yes, we have seen it and yes we loved the movie. And I've had a lot of questions about the movie. There is so much controversy surrounding it that I thought I'd give my two cents. I'm not movie critic, philosopher, or bible expert.

I am simply a christian girl, who believes in the bible and went to see a movie.Now I'm sharing my thoughts with you. You can agree or disagree.

 The biggest question I hear Christians asking is "Is it accurate to the story in the bible?" A valid question for sure. A question I found myself asking before we went to see it.

But while filing out of the crowded theater the other night I found myself wondering if that was what was really important.

Noah, the film, is definitely inspired by the biblical character and events but it is not a completely accurate, straightforward retelling of that story. The main events from the Noah story are definitely depicted in a powerful way. The actors did an incredible job and the visuals were UHmazing in my opinion.

But here's what I took most from it. A movie about Noah created by a self proclaimed atheist challenged me to decide what I believe. I left there wanting to dive into my bible. Reread the story of Noah and the Ark that I've heard a million times since I was little but never seen the story brought to life in front of me. Does this movie do a good job of accurately portraying the bible to people? I can't answer that. People will take their own interpretation from the movie regardless. Are there fact and fiction dispersed throughout? Yes. Are there strange aspects in the movie that aren't from the bible? Yes, there are. But what are we relying on here with this movie?

In my opinion, I was happy to see the way he talks about the creator and creation. The way he shows mercy and hope in the movie is the main message I took from it.The main message of the bible, I think. Isn't that what we should be concerned about? We should always go back to the bible for the truth and to clarify details anyways shouldn't we?

The amazing thing about us as humans can be both a blessing and a curse at times, but it's that we have free will. God gave that to us. We have the free will to decide what we believe. I believe the bible 100%. That's just me. But is it always easy to believe every aspect of it? Of course not. The bible has some pretty cray cray stuff in it y'all. But the way I see it, if this movie even puts the tiniest thread of curiosity into an unbeliever to want to know more or to challenge them to decide what it is they believe, to me that's not a bad thing. If it sparks conversations about the bible, again... not a bad thing.

Listen, God has been using whatever he wants to speak to people since the beginning of time. That's the amazing thing about Him. He makes things possible through what seems impossible. Who are we to say what and how he uses what he does?

Does Hollywood have a responsibility to portray the bible to people? No. They're not claiming to. That's obvious sometimes isn't it? Did the maker of this movie claim for this movie to be 100% Biblically accurate? No, in fact the self proclaimed atheist who created the movie NOAH said in an interview it would be "the least biblical film ever made" I can understand why Christians may be upset about that. Taking any sort of dramatic license is akin to tampering with the text and especially with the bible that can lead people to the wrong idea of what the bible says.

But in all honestly don't many Christians do the same thing?  To me, which is worse? A man who doesn't believe in God making a movie that adds things to a story from the bible to entertain through a movie or a person who claims to be a Christian and believe in God and stands out on the street holding a sign that says "God hates Gays?" To me, more importantly is for people to know God's love. The truth that he loves ALL people the same and so should we.


So here's the real question I think maybe we should ask ourselves... How well do our own lives depict the gospel rather than how well does Hollywood depict the gospel? I'm speaking to myself here. That hit me like a slap across the face let me tell you. I think sometimes we focus on the wrong things. The details of what's acceptable or not instead of the big picture of what really matters.

You see at the end of the day, if you're a Christian, it's your job to portray to the world who God is. HIS love. Not a movie. People will go in and watch this 139 minute movie once, maybe twice. But they are watching us everyday. Seeing how we live our lives, how we treat other people, how we treat them. Are we showing that while we're not perfect people, we do our best to point to the perfect one who saved us by grace. They may get satisfying entertainment from a movie for a little while but what people are really in search of is lasting satisfaction. They want real love and grace. To be accepted. Are we showing them that they are? Are we portraying the hope and grace of God without limitations? Are we loving without judgement?

I'm glad the movie NOAH will spark some conversations. I'm not going to over-hype the movie's flaws and miss the bigger opportunity neither am I going to rely on it as the most promising method of spreading God's word. I enjoyed the film, I'll probably see it again and then move on from there focusing on how I'm shining God's light through my own life.