A recent spate of God-related movies led to surprising success at the box office. Reviews, however, were decidedly mixed.
Noah is one such film. The writer-director is an atheist who calls his project “the least biblical film ever made,” causing many Christians to revile the movie. Others said, “An atheist is getting people to talk about God. How cool is that!”
We could surmise any number of reasons why Jesus revealed Himself as the Word instead of the video. He could have visited our planet in say, the 1940s, or divinely arranged for the Romans to invent celluloid by the first century. But He didn’t.
When Jesus arrived in the flesh, He met mixed reviews. Sinners loved Him. The religious leaders? Not so much. They hated the way He painted outside their clearly drawn lines, hanging out with the untouchables, redefining the Sabbath, and claiming equality with God.
But Jesus didn’t care about His ratings. Rather, He told the religious leaders: “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!” (John 5:39). Then He added, “Your approval means nothing to me” (John 5:41).
Jesus still gets mixed reviews. Regardless, God is being discussed in our popular culture, which affords us a chance to engage in healthy dialogue with our acquaintances. So how do we do that? We don’t have to praise or pan movies or win arguments. We simply need to tell our story and the way it intersects with Jesus’ story.
There’s a line in another recent movie about faith, God’s Not Dead, that applies here: “Don’t try to be clever. Be content to tell the truth.” You may not get great reviews, but you’ll be in good company!
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Joshua 5:13–6:27
More:
Read John 1:5,10-11 and consider how it relates to John 5:37-40.
Next:
How can you use popular religious-themed books, music, and movies to tell others about God? What has He done in your life that you can share with unbelievers today?
Gary Shultz on March 2, 2015 at 5:53 am
You said it well, if Jesus is being discussed today we should be there, we should be showing and representing Jesus.
tgustafs on March 2, 2015 at 7:29 am
Thanks, Gary. I constantly struggle with the urge to argue with people. Arguing is rarely helpful, but neither is silence. The truth will always make enemies, but we don’t need to alienate those who are truly hungry for truth.
Roxanne Robbins on March 2, 2015 at 9:19 am
When I was a senior in high school my youth pastor and his wife invited me over for dinner to discourage me from pursuing a career in sports broadcasting, the direction I was heading. “No place for a Christian woman,” they said. I regret letting their counsel influence me because I believe Christians should be in the fold, working hard to make quality films of substance. It’s easier to demand Hollywood produce films that we want to show our children than it is to do the hard work of making movies. My observation is that many Christians expect people that don’t necessarily share their views or know Scripture to make movies that reflect their faith and moral stances anyway. My youth pastor and his wife played a positive role in my life on many levels but in terms of saying the secular media is no place for a Christian to work, I think they missed the mark.
tgustafs on March 2, 2015 at 9:37 am
Roxanne, I strongly agree with your observations. The more that Christians extract themselves from the public square, the less Christ is seen in the public square. Paul would have been there. So would Jesus.
Tom Felten on March 2, 2015 at 9:44 am
Tim, as I think about the arts, it’s vital that believers in Jesus produce works of art in film, paintings, music—you name it—that reveal true beauty. Creativity and beauty are gifts from God, and as we use these gifts well we point others to Him.
Marlena Graves on March 2, 2015 at 5:43 pm
Tim, it’s so true; perfect Jesus got mixed reviews. Roxanne’s story makes me sad too. In addition to what you said, I’ve found, as I am sure you know, a lovely and gracious life (and good work) often makes those who oppose us willing to listen. We earn the right to be heard.