The movie Noah by Darren Aronofsky debuts today. There are a wide range of opinions among evangelicals. Eric Hovind of Creation Today offers up 7 reasons NOT to go see Noah. If you follow the logic of the first 6 reasons he gives then you will probably stop seeing movies all together. Living Waters which is a ministry I really like and support most of the time has a real dilemma. They have released their own Noah documentary. They clearly want to capitalize on the movie. So they have a conflict of interest because they want you to watch their movie (Which I would encourage you to take the time to watch). But they have taken a strong stance against Aronofsky's Noah as well. In their most recent post about it they cite Glenn Beck. Glenn Beck is a Mormon. That does not mean that he cannot speak truth but there are good solid Christians who hold a radically different view of this movie then Glenn Beck does.
Answers in Genesis has taken a don't go see it position but they have moderated that with information about how to talk to people who have gone to see it. I think that if you are not going to see it that this is a good position to hold. Perhaps go to their site and learn what you can about the movie so you are equipped to engage people in the culture. Another place to go if you want info to share with friends who have watched the movie is MovieBibleStudy.com they have a Bible study posted for Noah. Perhaps you could get some friends to go through it with you. If you really want to boycott the movie I think Movie Guides suggestion of Othercotting is a good idea. After all the reason Hollywood makes movies is to make money. What you spend your money on is what you are voting for. If the thought of Noah offends you go see God's Not Dead or Son of God. You actually have options this time around unless you are boycotting those as well.
Now all of that being said perhaps the other side of this issue should be considered. Grace Hill Media is a Christian Marketing company that has worked really hard to get Hollywood to open its eyes to the Christian Marketplace. Here is a link to an e-mail they sent me today. It is particularly interesting how many Christians have viewed the movie and endorse it as a worthwhile effort. There is an endorsement video link at the bottom of the e-mail. It is worth watching because you will actually hear from people involved in making the movie. They claimed that the Noah story arc is about judgment and grace.
Movie Guide which I almost always consult when it comes to movie content has 9 articles related to this movie. They point out in one of the articles that Paramount has listened to Christian criticism of the movie. They have added a disclaimer stating that some “artistic license” has been taken with regard to the story, but that the movie is “true to the essence, values, and integrity of a story that is a cornerstone of faith for millions of people worldwide.” The disclaimer also adds, “The biblical story of Noah can be found in the book of Genesis.” Here is a pagan company pointing people to the Bible. Of course Hollywood invest in projects like this in order to make money. Their goal is not to offend everyone. If movies based on the Bible do not make money they simply will not make them.
I am personally not sure that I will see this movie. So why write this article? It seems to me that often there is an unrealistic demand placed on the unsaved world to do Bible things or Christian things in a Christian way. Yet how many of you went to see either of the Thor movies or the Avengers which had Thor in it? Christians will go see Thor, which is a pagan god, but they won't go see Noah? It seems odd that we hold such double standards.
Aronofsky is a Jewish atheist. For some that is enough to not see Noah. But in 2 Chronicles 36:22-23 we see God moving in Cyrus the king of Persia. He was a pagan idol worshipping king. God used Cyrus to send the people of Israel back to the land to rebuild the temple. You could say that Cyrus ignited a new conversation with God and about God. I think that there are many people we come into contact with every day who would be interested in having a conversation about God. Noah could be an opportunity to have that conversation. If we turn our backs on a movie like this and only have negative things to say that conversation is never going to happen. Maybe Aronofsky is a type of Cyrus. He could be a man that God is using to open up opportunities for real and important conversations about Jesus our ark of salvation. Perhaps it would be better if we focused less on man and more on our God who moves men - even atheist men - to bring glory to His name in spite of their own plans.
Showing posts with label creation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label creation. Show all posts
Friday, March 28, 2014
Thursday, July 22, 2010
How cereology conflicts with the Bible
There is a fun video on crop circles posted on yahoo's, Who Knew? section. The study of crop circles is called cereology. In order to be a cereologist I assume that you must take crop circles seriously or is that cereiously. Either way that means you believe that they are being done by aliens. The problem with the Bible here is found in Genesis 1:14-19. In this passage God claims to have made the sun, moon and stars for the earth on the fourth day of creation. The Bible tells us that the earth is the platform that God has created on which He has chosen to display His glory. Everything else in the universe is created to display God's glory on the earth. So what is the problem with a belief in aliens. Quite simply it assumes that the earth is not the central platform for the display of the glory of God. It sees the earth as one of many planets on which God created life for the sake of the display of His glory. This would mean potentially multiple deaths for Jesus as the Savior of multiple planets. It would also mean multiple potential fallen demons in different worlds. It starts to get ridiculous when you think about it. Cereously if you want to be a cereologist be my guest. As for me and my house we will continue to believe that God's word has been faithfully delivered and preserved by God and is accurate about what went on when He did His great work of creation.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Evolutionist depend on science which depends on God
On any given day you can do a quick search of most news websites and find a variety of articles with an evolutionary mindset. Today on FoxNews you will find the following articles
What is interesting about all of these articles is that they depend on science. As a matter of fact all evolution depends on science. You might be saying, "Yea...so what?" Think about this with me for just a moment and I think you will get the point. Science by its very nature exist because things are repeatable, observable and testable. If every time you went to flip a light switch something different happened or every time you tried to use a hammer you might hit a nail on the head or the hammer might fall apart you would soon be locked in a life of uncertainty. There would be no cars, no houses, no certain jobs to do because nothing would be certain. But everything is certain. We live in a mathematical world of absolutes where 2+2 always equals 4 in the concrete reality of life. Science by its very nature depends for its existence upon a world of order and laws. Evolution postulates that everything is in a state of change or flux. They talk about animals making evolutionary leaps, of life spontaneously appearing 60 billion years ago. Yet all of their proofs are based on observations in a real world that does not change. This world is ruled by so called laws of nature. It is orderly and filled with beauty and life. There is something within us that loves to see and observe all the amazing and miraculous things that exist. We see them and observe patterns and similarities that point to an order that point to a creator of that order. You see evolution by its nature depends on chaos. If it truly is an evolutionary model that we live in then it should be impossible for science as a practice to even exist. Science and the evolutionist that so populate it depend on our God in order to be able to make the statements they make and practice the work of science they have come to idolize. God told us through Paul to expect this kind of thing from natural man (Romans 1:18-23). Because of man's foolishness and rejection of God he will someday face God's wrath. May this cause us more than ever to turn our eyes to our Lord Jesus the creator and sustainer of all things (1 Corinthians 8:6).
What is interesting about all of these articles is that they depend on science. As a matter of fact all evolution depends on science. You might be saying, "Yea...so what?" Think about this with me for just a moment and I think you will get the point. Science by its very nature exist because things are repeatable, observable and testable. If every time you went to flip a light switch something different happened or every time you tried to use a hammer you might hit a nail on the head or the hammer might fall apart you would soon be locked in a life of uncertainty. There would be no cars, no houses, no certain jobs to do because nothing would be certain. But everything is certain. We live in a mathematical world of absolutes where 2+2 always equals 4 in the concrete reality of life. Science by its very nature depends for its existence upon a world of order and laws. Evolution postulates that everything is in a state of change or flux. They talk about animals making evolutionary leaps, of life spontaneously appearing 60 billion years ago. Yet all of their proofs are based on observations in a real world that does not change. This world is ruled by so called laws of nature. It is orderly and filled with beauty and life. There is something within us that loves to see and observe all the amazing and miraculous things that exist. We see them and observe patterns and similarities that point to an order that point to a creator of that order. You see evolution by its nature depends on chaos. If it truly is an evolutionary model that we live in then it should be impossible for science as a practice to even exist. Science and the evolutionist that so populate it depend on our God in order to be able to make the statements they make and practice the work of science they have come to idolize. God told us through Paul to expect this kind of thing from natural man (Romans 1:18-23). Because of man's foolishness and rejection of God he will someday face God's wrath. May this cause us more than ever to turn our eyes to our Lord Jesus the creator and sustainer of all things (1 Corinthians 8:6).
Monday, July 19, 2010
There is always something there to remind me...
Last week I was away with my family for a week of camping up at Lake Tahoe. It was beautiful and we had a great time. During the week there were a couple of times that my daughters fortitude displayed in dispatching one of our chickens was mentioned (see blog, "The Scar Death Leaves"). It was during a conversation with my daughter about the pain of death that it occurred to me what a great reminder death is.
Contact with real death is often avoided in our culture. Yet for the vast majority of us we depend on protein to live, and that protein is usually in one animal form or another. I find it interesting that God made us so that we cannot live without protein, but we can live without fruit and vegetables. This points us to an important thing that we all need to remember. Our life is dependent on death. Our spiritual hope for all of eternity with God is dependent on the death of Jesus the Christ. Paul reminds us that all of creation is groaning under the curse and waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God (Romans 8:19-23). What will happen when that happens? In that day God will dwell with His people and death will be no more (Revelation 21:3-4). So next time you scarf down a burger or sit down to a chicken dinner remember that because they died you live physically. But more than that remember that this animal death is a dim shadow and focus instead on our Lord Jesus. Because of His death we will live for all eternity.
Contact with real death is often avoided in our culture. Yet for the vast majority of us we depend on protein to live, and that protein is usually in one animal form or another. I find it interesting that God made us so that we cannot live without protein, but we can live without fruit and vegetables. This points us to an important thing that we all need to remember. Our life is dependent on death. Our spiritual hope for all of eternity with God is dependent on the death of Jesus the Christ. Paul reminds us that all of creation is groaning under the curse and waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God (Romans 8:19-23). What will happen when that happens? In that day God will dwell with His people and death will be no more (Revelation 21:3-4). So next time you scarf down a burger or sit down to a chicken dinner remember that because they died you live physically. But more than that remember that this animal death is a dim shadow and focus instead on our Lord Jesus. Because of His death we will live for all eternity.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Environmentalism or god complex
Today is the 30th anniversary of the Mt. St. Helens eruption. A few weeks ago an Icelandic volcano shut down all air travel over Europe with predictions of long term environmental repercussions. On Foxnews.com an article titled, "Scientist Disputes EPA Finding that Carbon Dioxide Poses Threat to Humans" appeared today. I am amazed at how many of my Christian brothers and sisters are pulled in to the orbit of these issues. Now do not get me wrong I am all for conservation efforts, but that being said I think of several passages from the Bible that put the whole issue in perspective. I think that Hebrews 11:1-3 is a good starting place. Here we see that faith is the assurance of things hoped for the conviction of things not seen. I hope for God's word to be fulfilled. I am convicted of the truth of God's word by the Holy Spirit living in me. What does God's word say about the world. Genesis 1:1 tells us that God is its creator. Psalm 24:1 tells us that the Earth and everyone that dwells in it is the property of God. Basically it follows that if He is the creator then the Earth belongs to Him. All of these things point to the fact that the world is God's. Any perceived ability of man to destroy or alter the earth is simply a vain imagination. God has proven time and again that the earth is incredibly resilient. God can open a few volcanoes up and in a very short time pump more particulate and bad stuff into the air than all the people on the earth combined can produce in a year or even 100 years. Man is a created being that likes to think more highly of himself than he ought. This is Jesus' world and no man can destroy it and no man can save it if God has set out to destroy it. In Psalm 33:8 the Psalmist called us to, "...fear the Lord...(and)...stand in awe of him!" If you are tempted to become an environmentalist and join the forces that think of man as god-like and able to save the planet remember 1 Chronicles 16:3. In this passage we are reminded to, "tremble before Him...the world is established; it shall never be moved." If that doesn't cause you to pause and consider then go on and pursue your god-complex. For me and my house we will continue to fight our god-complex by living lives focused on our great God and creator of all Jesus Christ.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)