Faith in Film 3, Evan Almighty

Tonight we're going to take a look at the film "Evan Almighty." The film, from director Tom Shadyac, is meant to be a modern day parable, this time looking at the Biblical account of Noah. While I was somewhat critical of some aspects of this approach with Shadyac's "Bruce Almighty," I like the work in this film better.

That wasn't a universally held opinion among Christians. Dr. James Dobson, of "Focus on the Family," was actually critical of the film's theology. He said, "God,” played charmingly by Morgan Freeman, told the new Noah character that the first flood occurred because the people hadn’t done enough “acts of random kindness" (as in A.R.K. Get it?). God destroyed the world and its inhabitants, the contemporary god said, not to punish a wicked and perverse generation as we read in Genesis 6, but as a benign object lesson to encourage people to be nicer to each other. It was bad theology and a radical distortion of Scripture." While I can kind of understand his point, I don't think he's really being fair to the film.

The film doesn't really say that God destroyed the world during the time of Noah to encourage people to be nicer. In fact, the film isn't really so much interested with the details of the Biblical account as much as it is with how someone would respond today in Noah's shoes.

At the outset, Evan prays to God to help him change the world. He has a specific idea of how he plans to accomplish that, so his prayer to God isn't so much for guidance as it is to help him accomplish his plan. God's timing is perfect, ours isn't. God's plan for the world is perfect, ours isn't. That's something Evan learns through this film as God answers his original prayer in a unique way.

So let's look at the message God offers again. He tells Evan that changing the world begins with one act of random kindness. In other words, if we want to change the world, we need to model that change. I really don't see how that's much different than the way that Jesus talked about how we will be judged at the end of days. In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus says, "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

This movie is really concerned with the idea of our faithful response to God's call in our lives, despite what the world thinks of that call. Evan's wife prayed that her family would be closer, and God answered that prayer in a way she didn't expect. But he answered that prayer and it was up to her to respond faithfully.

Evan prayed to change the world, and God answered that prayer in a way he didn't expect. But God answered the prayer and it was up to Evan to faithfully respond to God's call in his life, despite the way that call was perceived by others.

The aspect of the Noah story that "Evan Almighty" seeks to really draw out is Noah's faithful response to God's call in his life. Consider, that is what Noah is commended for in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11:7 says, "By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.”

By faith, Evan and his family lived out God's call for his life. By faith, we must answer the calls God places in our own lives.