Faith in Film 3, Week 4

Here's a look at the worksheet for tomorrow night's discussion of "Evan Almighty."

Film: “Evan Almighty” (2007)

Staring: Steve Carell, Lauren Graham, John Goodman, and Morgan Freeman

Synopsis: This is a sequel to the 2003 film “Bruce Almighty,” which we looked at in the last round of Faith in Film. The film is not as well regarded as “Bruce Almighty,” didn’t make as much money, and isn’t quite as laugh-out-loud funny. But it might be a little more theologically correct. While “Bruce Almighty” deals with the idea of a regular guy becoming God, offering some paradoxical explorations of theology, “Evan Almighty” is a parody of the Biblical account of Noah.

The film deals with the idea of being given a special call, and how one would respond to that call. God doesn’t always call us to do things that are easy or in a time frame that is comfortable for us. This film deals with the idea of being faithful to that call despite the circumstances and what a faithful response might be. The film’s director, Tom Shadyac, is a self-professed Christian who intended for this film to be an entertaining exploration of Biblical themes. The film accomplishes that in a unique way, paying homage to the Biblical account of Noah and exploring what that experience would have been like in the context of our 21st Century world.

Questions to Consider:

1. What would you do if you had a “Noah” moment from God? How would you respond?

2. How does the world’s response to Christianity make it difficult to remain faithful?

3. What lessons can we apply to our own spiritual walk from the way that Evan handles his situation in the film?