Thursday, April 17, 2014

John Tyler: Stories From the Bible on a Screen


In recent years and definitely within the past 2 years, there has been a tremendous increase of both Christian undertones and explicit connections produced in films.  There seems to be a fascination and interest in the Bible, not to read it but to see it.  The stories we are so accustomed to reading and hearing are now being thrown up on massive screens in movie theaters across the world.  To me, this is an amazing concept that has certainly made the Bible more than just a book but a living Word.  As long as the depictions fall in line with Scripture in that they do not contradict the accounts but complement them, this can be a meaningful way to experience the Word of God.  This idea of filling in the white spaces, the unknown facts of biblical stories with beautiful and creative imagery is appealing to me yet controversial to other people.  I would argue that they are primarily against the idea because it is different from what they are used to experiencing.  Secondly, people say that the way in which the films go about spinning stories from the Bible are offensive.  Sometimes, the films don’t contain every piece of the recorded story or they might add elements that are not found in the pages of Scripture.  To the first issue, I would propose that sometimes change can be very good, only if it is unto a positive cause.  To me, seeing the Bible come to life on screen and watched by millions is an awesome change.  As for the second complaint, I will respond by saying that even mythical language applied to a short story in the Bible can contain and reveal truth.  The God of the Bible is not confined to the words in the Bible.  For in Christ are hidden all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 

No comments:

Post a Comment