Faith in Film — Jurassic Park

I want to thank everyone for their participation and attendance last night. I continue to be encouraged by the process of sharing ideas, and I really hope that you come to view this class as a collaborative experience by which we can all continue to grow in our faith. And now, a summation of my speaking notes.

Jurassic Park (1993)

I can still remember the first time I saw "Jurassic Park." I was in middle school and I was immediately drawn to the larger-than-life aspects of the story. I quickly snapped up the book and read it, beginning a long love affair with the popular fiction of Michael Crichton. What I love about Crichton, now more as an adult, is that his books touched on issues at the forefront of scientific and technological discovery. He was fascinated with that and wanted readers to think about it, but he took a more cautious view point. That is certainly the case with "Jurassic Park."

The beauty of the argument is that Crichton wanted to touch on the inherent dangers of cloning in regards to our failure to consider the consequences of our actions. But instead of focusing on small animals, which were being cloned at the time, or humans, which is what his argument really points toward, Crichton used dinosaurs to craft the argument so that the audience would focus on the argument, not the science.

The central crux of the argument is seen in the debate between John Hammond and Dr. Ian Malcolm, who I believe represents Crichton's personal views the best. Hammond says, "How can we stand in the light of discovery and not act," to which Malcolm responds "Your scientists were so concerned with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should."

I believe there is inherent danger for all humans, including Christians, when we begin to believe we are wise and are capable of control in this world. God alone is in control, and when men reach beyond their means and their capability they run into problems. I believe the scripture is clear about that too.

The popular saying "Pride goes before a fall" is actually a paraphrase of a Biblical truth in Proverbs 16:8, which says, "Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall."

Scientific advancement is a wonderful thing for all mankind, but we have to recognize it for what it is. And this is true in a number of areas. Recently I heard a great quote by Eric Schmidt, who said, "The Internet is the first thing that humanity has built that humanity doesn't understand, the largest experiment in anarchy that we have ever had." I think what he's saying is that we've created this tool that has the possibility to enhance our lives in wonderful ways, but it is also changing the fabric of our world. Unless we consider that, take stock of that and consider how we should respond to that, we're failing to have respect for the lack of control we have as humans in this world.

We can't let our pride lead us down the path to destruction. In all things, we need to put God first. He is great. He is mighty. And He is powerful. Job 27:23-24 says, "The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress. Therefore, men revere him, for he does not have regard for any who think they are wise.”