Faith on the Silver Screen

Jesus can illustrate for us the power of story - He was a master storyteller, but His stories always had a purpose.   The disciples came to him in Matthew 13 with a question:
10And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"11He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.12For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.13Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
Jesus understood that telling stories was a way to help people understand truth and to make a connection to people.   There were plenty who did not understand, but if a person had a willing heart, he or she could grasp the concepts that He was illustrating.   The Bible is full of stories that can serve to challenge us in our walk with the Lord and can give us examples of God's faithfulness and provide us with direction on how we should or should not act in certain circumstances.   As we immerse ourselves in God's Word, He will teach us by His Spirit, and the stories of real people, as well as the parables that Jesus told, are all ordained by God to be used for spiritual growth and understanding.

In 2nd Timothy 2, we read about Paul's admonition to young Timothy to grow in  God's truth and to pass it on:
1You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.2And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
Later, in the same chapter, he writes:15Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Yesterday, I was talking about the 2014 Academy Awards nominations.  This included a song from a Christian movie called, "Alone Yet Not Alone", sung by Joni Eareckson Tada, which is facing off against musical heavyweights such as U2 and Broadway sensation Idina Menzel for Best Original Song.   Next year, could a film based on a Bible story be up for an Oscar? 

It could happen.   2014 is shaping up to be a good year for films based on Bible stories.   And, the media is taking note.   Andrew Romano, writing for The Daily Beast, has a comprehensive look at this phenomenon, and has some comments from one guy who could be at least partially responsible for the surge. 

First, the article poses this pop quiz:

How many of the top 15 highest-U.S.-grossing movies of all time - adjusted for inflation - star comic-book characters?

Answer: Zero.

And how many are based on the Bible?

Answer: Two.

In the late 1950s, The Ten Commandments and Ben-Hur teamed up for $1.795 billion in adjusted domestic ticket sales. That's more than Avatar, The Dark Knight, and Transformers combined.  

According to Romano, over the next 11 months, Hollywood is planning to release more big Biblical movies than it put out during the previous 11 years combined, and the trend shows no sign of slowing down in 2015 (or beyond).

This 2014 release schedule on Biblical epics begins soon.  On Feb. 28, Twentieth Century Fox is first out of the gate with Son of God, a Jesus biopic culled from the History Channel's hit 2013 miniseries The Bible. (A sequel to The Bible, titled, A.D. is set to air next year on NBC.)  Paramount is up next in March with Noah, director Darren Aronofsky's epic re-imagining of the life of the Old Testament's most famous ark-builder (played by Russell Crowe). 

Coming in December are the drama called Mary (Ben Kingsley, Julia Ormond) and Ridley Scott's Exodus (Christian Bale, Aaron Paul).   Other faith-based projects possible from Hollywood include a Cain and Abel movie directed by Will Smith and a Pontius Pilate picture starring Brad Pitt as the titular villain.

For some perspective, Romano went to ultra-successful reality show producer, Mark Burnett.  Not only has he been the producer of reality hits such as Survivor, The Apprentice, and The Voice, but he and wife Roma Downey are responsible for The Bible miniseries, which attracted some 100 million cumulative viewers over 6 weeks, making it the third most-watched cable series or miniseries of 2013.

Burnett told Romano, "A lot of people said to us, 'Nobody's going to watch The Bible in primetime TV. You guys are crazy...But Roma and I said, 'We think you're completely underestimating this faith-based, Christian audience.' And we proved that it was enormous, and that it makes sense to create something in that world."

Listen to this - according to a writer for The Daily Beast, 

The Bible, meanwhile, has chapter after chapter and verse after verse of (to put it crassly) action-packed material—Moses, David, Job, Jesus, Revelation, and so on—plus a "fanbase" that's even larger and more avid than Marvel Comics'. "When we looked at it we saw that around about 50 million Americans sit in a church each week," Burnett explains. "On a monthly basis that's almost 150 million, because not everybody goes every Sunday. And that community is tightly knit. The last thing Jesus said to his disciples was to go out and spread the word."

Burnett also feels that people are looking for hope and are drawn to spiritual messages, perhaps in the wake of the 2008 financial crash than they may have been in an earlier, more comfortable age. "Part of it has to do with hope," he says. "I feel like a lot of people, as a result of what happened in 2008, are still hurting."

And, in Burnett's opinion, The Bible succeeded in large part because it was faithful to its source material. "What's critical when you're dealing with the Bible is that you're accurate," he says. "The first thing we did was to get a group of 40 church leaders and run scripts by them. There is an enormous audience, but it is very serious. This is not a subject like doing a western or sci-fi. You can't just make it and hope for the best. There's a way to get a massive audience if you're faithful, and there's also a potential backlash if you're not. And the backlash would be pretty enormous."

Seems like someone at Paramount agrees. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the studio recently demanded changes to Aronofsky's Noah after screenings for religious groups in New York and Arizona generated "troubling" responses.  And, word has it that Russell Crowe's Noah character is being portrayed as some sort of environmentalist - so, buyer beware - you may not see a faithful retelling of some of these epics from God's Word.   

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Just for fun, Eric Corpus of The Christian Post highlights five Biblical biopics Hollywood should make next. All of these figures have been featured in a movie before, but again, that fact should deter no one. The star power needed to lead the flick has also been included.

1. JACOB.  He suggests that the patriarch would be played well by James Franco, who played Harry in the initial Spider-Man series.

2. JOSHUA.  He said that the story of Joshua could serve as a sequel to the upcoming "Exodus" film, starring Christian Bale as Moses. "Exodus" stars Aaron Paul ("Breaking Bad") as Joshua, but for this war epic, Hollywood should go with an action star. Suggestions: Channing Tatum ("White House Down") or Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson ("Fast & Furious 6").  (By the way, there is talk of Johnson playing Goliath to Taylor Lautner's David in a future release.)

3. ELIJAH.  He says that, "This prophet could be presented as introspective, short-tempered and probably gaunt. Give it to Sherlock Holmes himself, Benedict Cumberbatch."

4. ESTHER.  Suggestions:  Zoe Saldana ("Star Trek Into Darkness") or Natalie Portman of "Star Wars" and "Thor" fame would make a perfect Esther.

5. SOLOMON.  This impossibly rich king - split between serving his God and his carnal lusts - could be played by Leonardo DiCaprio ("The Wolf of Wall Street").

You know, we've been talking about growing in God's Word here at the beginning of the year, and it is clear that the pages of the Bible are full of stories that can inspire us.   But, God's purpose in including these narratives is not to merely entertain us, but to make us think and to teach us.     When we consider these stories and characters, we can ask ourselves some questions about the application of what we see - what qualities does this person possess and do I want to model those (or not)?   Sometimes, the characters can provide a cautionary tale for us.  And, they can remind us that God redeems and uses flawed individuals to carry out His mission.

Think about how Jesus used the power of story.  He spoke in parables and He gave wonderful examples in order to challenge and engage the listeners, but there was always a lesson in mind.   And, telling stories of God's faithfulness in our own lives, relating how we have experienced Him personally, can be powerful in connecting with another person.   

And, practically speaking about these theatrical releases, not all depictions of Bible characters are going to square with the Scriptures themselves.  You may even encounter a mischaracterization or two or more. But, this can still bring an awareness of these stories, giving moviegoers the chance to be exposed to the glorious narrative of the Bible, and for us to engage people with respect to the true Biblical account and its meaning for them.   Perhaps people will be encouraged to study the Word for themselves and discover more about God's truth.

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Briefly, there are other films that are being made by Christian filmmakers that will be released in 2014. 

In March, the long-awaited film inspired by a Newsboys song and featuring a cameo by the band, God's Not Dead, will make its debut - Kevin Sorbo plays the part of a skeptical college professor who squares off against a Christian student, played by Shane Harper.   There's also an appearance by Willie and Korie Robertson from Duck Dynasty.

Romano, in fact, mentioned the adaptation of the huge Christian best-seller, Heaven is for Real, starring Greg Kinnear as the father of a boy who claims to have passed through the pearly gates during a near-death experience. Successful director Randall Wallace is directing that one.   He's a Christian who has been involved with Braveheart, We Were Soldiers, and Secretariat.    

May brings us Moms' Night Out, the latest from the Erwin Brothers, who brought you October Baby.  Patricia Heaton is executive producer and stars in the film, along with Sean Astin, Sarah Drew, and Trace Adkins.   Alex Kendrick, Robert Amaya, and Kevin Downes from Courageous also appear.   Kevin is also co-producer.

In June, it's the wider theatrical release of Alone Yet Not Alone, which has the Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.  It's the story of Barbara and Regina Leininger, two young sisters whose family had fled a tumultuous Germany to start a new life in Pennsylvania.  It's set in 1755, against the backdrop of the French and Indian War.

These are some of the films that will be making it to the big screen this year that are based on the Bible or reflect a message consistent with a Christian worldview perspective.