Coming Soon: Noah

When I first heard that there was a movie being made about Noah ( the guy with the big boat in Genesis) my thoughts were some what apathetic and dismissive. My past experiences with the Bible being adapted for either the big or small screen have left me unsatisfied. They seem to fall into one of two camps: really faithful but dull or thought-provoking and engaging but theologically suspect. Sure, that’s my opinion – there are some adaptations that are well loved but do nothing for me. I’m a visual guy and would love to be able to see God’s word on the screen – but it has to be worth the effort.

Then the trailer for Noah came out last week. And i moved from apathy to cautious optimism. Could this movie be worth seeing?

Here are some things to think through as we wait for the movie (as well as thinking through when we watch the movie):

• How will Noah address the issue of sin? In Genesis 6:5 it says “The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.” Will God destroy everyone because of their evil? How will the movie address Noah’s salvation? Is it because he is good or because God is merciful? The line about the vessel being for innocents has me cautious.

• How will the movie show God speaking to Noah? Will it be a voice from the sky? A cryptic dream? A conversation with Morgan Freeman? Or will Noah make his decisions based on gut feelings and attribute them to God? How God’s message to Noah is portrayed will tell us a lot about how this movie treats the existence of God.

• How will this movie fit in with the big picture of the Bible? Will this be treated as an isolated incident or part of a larger story of God’s salvation plan? There appear to be glimpses of Eden in the clip, which suggests that a context for sin is given. But will the movie end with the suggestion that the problem of sin is dealt with? Or will it point to an un solved problem looking towards a more permanent solution? I doubt this movie will point to Jesus. But I will be happy if the movie ends with the problem of sin unresolved.

I’m looking forward to seeing Noah. At the very least it will open up opportunities to talk about sin and redemption. And yes, a bit of CGI destruction would help sweeten the deal.