Sign up for our free newsletters:    Ignite Your Faith Connection Christian College Guide

Looking for God on the Big Screen

From Star Wars to The Prince of Egypt, movies send all sorts of messages about God. So what are they really saying?

by Steve Lansingh

With the new Star Wars movie, The Phantom Menace, opening in just a few weeks, we're about to see The Force in action yet again.

The Force. You know, the cosmic power that helped Luke Skywalker whip Darth Vader in the famous film trilogy. The source of Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi's magical abilities.

"The Force is what gives a Jedi his power," Obi-Wan tells Luke in the original Star Wars movie. "It is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together."

Does this statement send any questions whizzing around in your head? Maybe one side of your brain says, Hold on there just a second, Obi-Wan. The Force binds the galaxy together? Isn't that God's job?

Meanwhile, the other half of your brain is saying, But it's only a movie. It's not even trying to talk about God. What's the big deal?

Actually, it is a big deal.

Pieces of God
Let's be realistic. Movies have messages, and movies do influence what people think. That includes what people think about God.

When it comes to the movies, God might be portrayed as a mysterious power (like The Force), the vague object of someone's prayers, or the guy who's blamed for taking someone's life. It's enough to confuse anybody—and more than enough to confuse people who don't know much about God to begin with, like your non-Christian friends.

To sort out these disjointed ideas about God, you'll need your brain and your Bible. First, you've got to really think about the messages buried in the movies you watch. Second, you've got to compare those messages with the truths in the Bible. It's the only way you'll keep twisted ideas out of your head, and it could be a way you can help your friends see the ultimate Truth that's so much bigger than anything on the big screen.

Bullseye
Every once in a while, a movie hits pretty close to the mark on who God is. The Prince of Egypt, last winter's fresh telling of the Exodus, is one of these rare flicks, and it might help you and your friends expand your idea of how God works in the world. The movie puts you in the sandals of the Israelites, enslaved for generations and praying for deliverance. Then God finally reveals his tool of liberation: Moses, the coward (Exodus 2:14, 3:11), the man raised by royalty who'd never worked a day under the whip (Exodus 2:11).

Besides illustrating God's power through breathtaking scenes of his miracles, this movie has a lot to say about God's wisdom and authority. To the ancient Jews, the choice of Moses as Israel's leader must have seemed unfair and foolish—why not a tried-and-true commander or a smooth talker? The reason is that God's wisdom transcends human judgment: "‘My thoughts are not your thoughts,' declares the Lord" (Isaiah 55:8). God, who is able to see the outcome of human events, is worthy of trust even when we don't see his purpose.

So, in The Prince of Egypt, the part of God is more or less played by God himself. And the movie's message is biblically sound. But that's not always the case.

A decent shot
Consider last summer's The Truman Show, the story of a man (Jim Carrey) who discovers he's spent his life as the unwitting star of a TV show—his parents and wife are actors, his house and hometown are sets, his favorite things are props. The creator of the show, Christof (Ed Harris), could be seen as a representation of God; not only does he name Truman, design his world, choose his parents, and script the events of his life, but he even controls the wind, rain and sun.

While Christof displays compassion toward Truman at times, he manipulates him every second, and when Truman steps out of line, Christof is easily angered and vindictive. You could walk out of that movie thinking that God is controlling but emotionally distant—definitely not someone you'd want to trust your life to.

However, The Truman Show, like all works of art, can be interpreted more than one way. Say Christof doesn't represent God—he represents what happens when a human being tries to be God. He attempts to "clean up" the real world God made and make it into his own ideal world. Christof gives Truman the American dream: the white picket fence, beautiful wife, solid income and friendly community. He gives Truman everything humans often wish God would give us. And yet Truman isn't happy. There's an emptiness in him that he isn't sure how to fill. So, like a "True Man," he sets out to look for an answer, even if it means facing his fears and going beyond the limits of his world.

If you look at The Truman Show this way, which is just as legitimate an interpretation as the first one, you get a different picture of God. You see that God doesn't control people like puppets; he offers them freedom from their empty lives. He offers abundant, everlasting life beyond our wildest dreams. And that's a solid, Christian perspective you and your friends can learn from. As the apostle Peter writes, "Since everything will be destroyed … you ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. … We are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth" (2 Peter 3:11-13).

Not even close
Unfortunately, for every movie with something helpful to say about God, there are several more with totally off-base messages about him. That includes the message that he isn't really very important, which is sent by every movie where God is obviously shoved out of the picture.

For example, both Armageddon and Deep Impact depict the end of the world. And even though Armageddon takes its title from the Bible (Revelation 16:16) and Deep Impact features a spaceship named "The Messiah," neither features a noticeable Christian reaction to the catastrophe. Movies about the supernatural—whether heaven and hell (What Dreams May Come), angels (City of Angels), or death (Meet Joe Black)—barely acknowledge God's existence. Recent witchcraft movies (like Practical Magic) depict evil powers in the world but deny the existence of a supremely good, supremely powerful God. Church-going Elena in The Mask of Zorro and priest Aramis in The Man in the Iron Mask both take valiant stands against tyranny, but God isn't mentioned as a source of their courage. And for every prince of Egypt who clearly bows to the majesty of God, there's a Mulan who prays to her ancestors or a Holy Man who blends lots of religions into a mishmash of false spirituality. But just because God is absent from these films doesn't mean he has to be absent from your thinking and talking about them. So the next time you watch a movie where faith or spirituality plays a role, ask yourself some questions: • What's being said about God? • How does the film treat values that are important to Christians? • Are there things I can learn from the movie that will help me understand God or live out my Christian values? • How might this film's view of God and faith affect my own thinking? Strengthen my faith? Weaken it? No effect at all? Asking questions like these will help you and your friends get more truth and less bunk out of the movies you watch. So the next time you hit the theater (or the video store), keep your brain in gear and your Bible handy. The Force is OK for entertainment. But in real life, let the Truth guide you.

The God Squad It's easy to make a list of movies where God is absent. Here's a list of films where he's not only present, but making a difference in the lives of the main characters. We recommend: • Babette's Feast (1987) • Ben-Hur (1959) • Chariots of Fire (1981) • The Cross and the Switchblade (1972) • The Hiding Place (1975) • Les Miserables (1998) • The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe (1988) * • A Man Called Peter (1955) • Shadowlands (1993) —compiled by Mark Moring * Note: Don't get the 1979 cartoon version by the same title. The 1988 edition, which we recommend, is part of the terrific "Chronicles of Narnia series." If you can't find these films at your favorite video store or your church library, check out Vision Video online (AOL keyword: VV; www.visvid.com).

Copyright © 1999 by the author or Christianity Today International/Campus Life magazine. For reprint information call 630-260-6200 or e-mail clmag@CampusLife.net.
May/June 1999, Vol. 57, No. 9, Page 28

Read more from 'Faith & Values'

				Try an Issue of Ignite Your Faith Free! Name Street Address City/State/Zip E-mail Address No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. Click here for International orders. If you decide you want to keep Ignite Your Faith coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive eight more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The trial issue is yours to keep, regardless. Give Ignite Your Faith as a gift Buy 1 gift subscription, get 1 FREE!

FREE Newsletters Subscribe to the Ignite Your Faith Connection Newsletter: Subscribe to the Christian College Guide Newsletter:    RSS Feed   RSS Help