I took the family to see the movie "Exodus: Gods and Kings" last weekend. The production quality was excellent. The special effects were amazing. Some of the scenes were simply epic! But much like the movie "Noah", it was inaccurate in sevearl places. But that is exactly why I recommend these movies to you!
You see, story telling is a tricky thing. The problem is our tendency to "enhance" the story, or "fill in the gaps" in order for the story to make better sense or increase the excitment. The result is usually a published version that deviates from the original story in many ways. If you have ever read a book and then gone to see the movie, you know what I am talking about. I constantly hear people say "well you know... that's not the way it is in the book!"
So why go see these movies? Because they are the perfect opportunity to discuss with your friends, co-workers, and neighbors how "the book" is different from the movie. You might even get people interested enough in the book that they will want to read some of the Biblical account with you.
I have had many conversations with people who know little or nothing about Jesus and I have often wondered how to steer the conversation around to some spiritual topic without sounding lame or fake or disingenuous. Since Hollywood seems to have discovered that there is a "Christian market" for movies today, why not take advantage of the situation and use these movies to start a conversation. Then at the appropriate time, shift the focus to spiritual things by saying something like, "You know. That's not the way it is in the book...." It's one of the most natural, culturally accepted ways to refocus a conversation today and the best part is that your audience is already interested in the storyline!
In fact, I think the worst thing we can do is dismiss these movies out of hand and leave people wondering why you won't even discuss a story that they know very well is based on the Bible.
What do you think?
Doug
