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If Christians Are Going to Complain About The Movie Noah, Then Create Something Better
Townhall.com ^ | March 30, 2014 | Doug Giles

Posted on 03/30/2014 7:51:53 AM PDT by Kaslin

The movie Noah has ironically spawned a flood of hullabaloo, eh? Personally, heretofore, I haven’t seen the flick, but I plan on watching it this Sunday.

Yes, I said it. I’m going to check it out even though I’ve been warned by the brethren not to because it isn’t "biblical". I guess I’ll have to wear a disguise so my more persnickety readers won’t recognize me. I think I’ll go as Carrot Top. That’ll toss them off my scent trail.

Now, when the anti-biblical criticisms began to fly against this pic in its ramp-up for release, I was like, “You … you … you mean a film about a biblical narrative that Hollywood has churned out sports an inaccurate exegesis?” Well, slap my mama. Here’s my shocked face.

I guess the next thing you’re going to tell me is that the X-Men never really happened either. Ruin my life now, why don’t you?

Look, folks, I expect nada that Tinseltown turns out to be true to the Verbum Dei. I was surprised they even kept Noah’s given name and didn’t rechristen him Tanya the Cross-dresser.

All cheekiness aside, I do appreciate the many cultural watchdogs looking out for us. That said, what are we, the church, doing about it? Are we content just to sit back and blather about how much the movie Noah is all wet?

If Christians are going to rail against Hollywood, I suggest getting into the fray and besting ‘em at their own game; or don’t bitch when they put out gay cowboy movies or when they morph Moses into some ganja smoking Rastafarian or something.

Is the church’s answer to LA’s lunacy the Left Behind movies? Or the ubiquitous and underfunded Jesus flicks that always have him looking like an angst-addled Jared Leto? Nothing like trying to beat something with nothing, Church.

Which leads me to dig the knife further and ask the church the tough question of why haven’t we championed serious involvement in the arts by our congregants, versus just hissing from the lattices of our stained glass windows? I have actually heard pastors condemn those who wanted to pursue a career in Hollywood and yet, I can’t think of a more needy place for serious and excellent Christian involvement than the arts.

At this moment in American history, I’m hard pressed to find a focal point more in need of our missionary budget than the entertainment industry because, as the culture goes, so goes the nation; and after seeing pics from Miley’s Bangerz concert in Atlanta, I think we’re doomed.

America is ripe for intelligent and creative Christian artists to effectively infiltrate it. Given the huge influence pop culture has on all of us, the internal rot our nation is undergoing in its character, virtue and faith and the dicey 21st century environment we have thanks to our external and internal enemies, we must try to influence the realm that has the maximum impact on this nation.

The call to impact the entertainment industry is just as legit as the call to go to the mission field or to be a pastor, and any minister who tells you artists any different is straight up goofy.

Look, Church, impacting our nation doesn’t just entail passing out gospel tracts, throwing up a pre-fab metal building, buying 16 tambourines, preaching outdated, boring sermons to a self-marginalized people group while picketing and protesting things we hate. There is greatness to Christ’s great commission that takes the Christian, motivated by love, out of the four walls of our churches to the institutions and industries that influence our nation – and the entertainment industry figures in big time to that call.

Historically, Christianity had a huge impact on Western society. Not just in a ministerial sense through the Church or politically through our government, but artistically upon our culture. Believe it or not, the Church communicated a Christian worldview; it mainstreamed character, faith and virtue, and not just through preaching or through legislation but via the artist’s brush, the writer’s pen, and the poet’s verse.

So, my Christian reader: picket, protest and boycott whatever and whomever in Hollywood you think needs an economical smoke signal alerting them to the fact that you think they suck. However, at the same time, get on the offense. Sharpen your skills, you artists. Put down your E-cigarette and your frappachino. Get off your butt, quit playing with and preaching to the converted, and go get dirty in the real world where there is a real impact to be made and true rewards to be had.

And with that, I’ll climb down off my soapbox.

Now, here are the three real reasons I’m going to watch Noah.

1. I like Russell Crowe. I think he’s a damn good, or a blessed, actor.

2. I like massive, epic flicks where nature convulses, lightening strikes and bad people die. That’s why I’m such a die-hard Brady Bunch fan.

3. Lastly, and most importantly, as a hunter I have to go see it. Why you ask? Well, it’s at this stage of the biblical game that God gathered all those critters on the ark, not just to save them for an elaborate menagerie, but for the express purpose for them to be hunted, killed and eaten on this newly washed and baptized terra firma. Yum. Yum.

Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.' – Genesis 9:1-3

Oh, BTW. If you wanna see something biblical watch House of Cards. That’ll scare you straight.

And if you’d like to see a great pic on dating from a biblical perspective check out, Think Like a Man.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: christians; douggiles; faithandfamily; hollywood; moviereview; noah; noahthemovie
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To: fidelis
Mel would not put rock monsters in his Noah movie. And, yes, I think he would do a good job with it.

Peter Jackson would be a good choice.

61 posted on 03/30/2014 9:53:12 AM PDT by pbear8 (the Lord is my light and my salvation)
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To: Ruy Dias de Bivar

Wow. Can they do a remake? With the same title, and the same description?

“Lot, leader of the Hebrews, believes his people can co-exist with the Sodomites, a disastrous decision.”


62 posted on 03/30/2014 10:00:18 AM PDT by ForYourChildren (Christian Education [ RomanRoadsMedia.com - a classical Christian approach to homeschool])
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To: AllAmericanGirl44

To me it would have been too traumatic to see how our Savior endured the treatment He suffered. I still can’t get myself to see it.


63 posted on 03/30/2014 10:00:55 AM PDT by SkyDancer (I Believe In The Law Until It Intereferes With Justice. And Pay Your Liberty Tax Citizen.)
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To: RansomOttawa
There is another article about the movie in Townhall.com, the article is by Kevin McCullogh and is titled "Why NOAH Matters" Why NOAH Matters

Reader Andy544 had an excellent reply. Here is an excerpt:

This fairy tale/fable movie twists Scripture, by adding sequences and changing facts that never occurred in the Bible's actual account. For instance, in the Bible, EIGHT people entered the Ark- Noah and his wife, and Noah's 3 sons and their wives. The movie completely 'botches' that concept by making 2 of the sons bachelors, and adds a 'stowaway' from the people outside the Ark, thus depicting a false composition and number of people onboard the Ark- a key element in the Biblical account of Noah, thereby creating a total fabrication and LIE about the four ACTUAL COUPLES who re-populated planet earth after the Flood. Also, the fairy tale/fable "Noah" makes HEROES out of the Nephilim, the Giant offspring of fallen angels and women that Genesis 6:1-4 speaks of.

64 posted on 03/30/2014 10:05:57 AM PDT by Kaslin (He needed the ignorant to reelect him, and he got them. Now we all have to pay the consequenses)
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To: Huskrrrr
How about a Biblical recounting of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah?

I'd like to see Hollywood do a movie about the life (and times) of Mohammed, with someone actually portraying Mohammed, and not just his words and voice.
65 posted on 03/30/2014 10:06:52 AM PDT by adorno (Y)
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To: bert

“Why must Christians take the movie personally when flood stories permeate almost all cultures?”

Simple: Because they regard The Bible as more than a collection of stories. It is the Word of God and the Literal Truth.


66 posted on 03/30/2014 10:23:32 AM PDT by TalBlack (Evil doesn't have a day job.)
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To: Kaslin

THE JESUS FILM - 35th anniversary

...because Seeing
is Believing

http://jesusfilm.org/

Every eight seconds, somewhere in the world, another person indicates a decision to follow Christ after watching the “JESUS” film.

Every eight seconds... that’s 10,800 people per day, 324,000 per month and more than 3.8 million per year! That’s like the population of the entire city of Pittsburgh, PA coming to Christ every 28 ¼ days. And yet, if you are like many people, you may have never even heard of it.

Called by some “one of the best-kept secrets in Christian missions,” a number of mission experts have acclaimed the film as one of the greatest evangelistic tools of all time. Since 1979 more than 200 million men, women and children worldwide have indicated decisions to follow Jesus after viewing the film. In addition, through hundreds of partners an estimated 10+ million decisions have been made as the film “JESUS” is used extensively by the Body of Christ worldwide.

“But how can any single film reach so many people and touch so many lives?”

It is the power of the Word of God in their heart language.


67 posted on 03/30/2014 10:35:30 AM PDT by stars & stripes forever (Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.)
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To: ifinnegan
I’m not familiar with Doug Giles, but thus was an unimpressive smarmy and empty essay. Not often one gets to use smarmy, but this fits it to a tee.

That's his style. I rarely come away from reading him feeling "informed" or at least learning something new. Sort of like listening to Sean Hannity although Hannity's not smarmy just vacuous.

68 posted on 03/30/2014 10:44:51 AM PDT by raybbr (Obamacare needs a death panel.)
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To: Don Corleone
Its only a freakin’ movie. Just go or don’t go. How hard is that ?

It is the most effective propaganda ever created, what kind of thinking person could see movies as having no importance, or effect?

"You must remember that of all the arts, for us, the most important is cinema.” - Lenin

69 posted on 03/30/2014 11:05:10 AM PDT by ansel12 ((Libertarianism offers the transitory concepts and dialogue to move from conservatism, to liberalism)
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To: Kaslin
the reason why Christians are against the movie is because it does not mention God, even though he is mentioned 15 times and Lord is mentioned 7 times

That isn't the only reason. The movie also claims the reason the "creator" destroyed the earth was because mankind abused the environment and promotes the evolution fairy tale.

70 posted on 03/30/2014 11:37:43 AM PDT by Kazan
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To: RIghtwardHo
It is a movie. No more. No less. It’s just there for entertainment. Not sure why some don’t get that.

I don't know why you don't get why Christians are offended by the movie. It's a movie based on false advertising -- that the story of Noah would be the one told in the Bible -- designed to suck money out of Christians.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with telling Christians they shouldn't waste their money seeing it. If you don't like the criticism of the movie, don't read it.

71 posted on 03/30/2014 11:41:16 AM PDT by Kazan
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To: arderkrag
I think some of my fellow Christians think it’s their job to be outraged perpetually. At everything.

Maybe they think it is their job to warn Christians and their families not to waste money on a movie that isn't remotely true to the Biblical account of Noah.

I'm sick and tired of the complaining about the complaints about the movie.

72 posted on 03/30/2014 11:43:19 AM PDT by Kazan
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To: adorno
I'd like to see Hollywood do a movie about the life (and times) of Mohammed

I wouldn't hold out much hope of that happening. What filmmaker wants to be subjected to constant death threats for the rest of his or her life?

73 posted on 03/30/2014 11:45:21 AM PDT by Kazan
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To: savage woman

God’s not dead is a great movie. Very well done and the professor plays a great part.


74 posted on 03/30/2014 11:51:19 AM PDT by bray (The Republic of Texas 2022 order here: http://braylog.com/id47.html)
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To: Kaslin

The sea change in Hollywood is already underway. “Son Of God” & “God’s Not Dead” flicks are in the vanguard of change!!! Even “Noah” helps a bit!!! Look....the Obamabot Hollywood is passe’!!! No one with half a brain cares what Michael Douglas thinks or says.....ditto for DeNiro, Weinstein, DeCaprio, Spielberg, NIcholson, Streep, Clooney, etc......all of them has beens and boring to boot!!!

Have faith in our maker. He and he alone controls the destiny of the world and life, itself. Obama and all his “Hollywood: elistist Obamabot low life dregs, are just mere human beings ....and, like all of us that have been born and will die when God carries out his purpose and deems our individual life purpose has been fulfilled. Those.....like Obama, etc. that believe they are living gods will find mortality is real and cannot be changed. Dumb folks....that’s what they are!!! They need to prayed for and brought back to salvation from evil and Satan.

Remember this great experiment called America is God’s will!!! How come???
Why, simple....the Almighty gave us the great leaders we needed....when we really needed them!!! George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan!!! And...he will lead us to a new leader that will sustain and grow the great American nation into the future. God is good!!! Have Faith!!!


75 posted on 03/30/2014 12:29:11 PM PDT by JLAGRAYFOX ( My only objective is to defeat and destroy Obama & his Democrat Party, politically!!!.)
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To: fabian

Doug Giles is talking about the movie Noah, which opened Friday, not Son of Man which was based on the miniseries “The Bible”


76 posted on 03/30/2014 12:48:03 PM PDT by Kaslin (He needed the ignorant to reelect him, and he got them. Now we all have to pay the consequenses)
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To: dfwgator

Well actually if you think about it, he has to see it, so he can write an opinion about it.


77 posted on 03/30/2014 12:50:58 PM PDT by Kaslin (He needed the ignorant to reelect him, and he got them. Now we all have to pay the consequenses)
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To: Kazan

Yeah that too, but you have to expect that from atheist


78 posted on 03/30/2014 12:55:27 PM PDT by Kaslin (He needed the ignorant to reelect him, and he got them. Now we all have to pay the consequenses)
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To: Kazan
Been done: Mohammad, Messenger of God
79 posted on 03/30/2014 1:14:00 PM PDT by arderkrag (An Unreconstructed Georgian, STANDING WITH RAND.)
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To: Kaslin

Last night a good friend took her son to see Noah. This morning he told her that he had spent the last four hours reading the first twenty five chapters of Genesis.

Perhaps God is using this director to plant seeds which we can’t recognize. The friend’s son hasn’t read the Bible before but he may be beginning to see the truth of God’s Word.


80 posted on 03/30/2014 1:14:31 PM PDT by buffaloguy
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