Posts
Remember when The Bible mini-series came out last year on the History Channel? It was a big deal and came with tons of big names, big budget, and big marketing. I, unfortunately, didn't get to see any of it (at the time we didn't have any TV at all or I would have certainly watched it) but have recently bought the DVD set and am looking forward to watching it and using it in multiple classes.
But here's the thing.... you know what we all heard when it came out? About how awful it was. "well, that's to be expected in this pagan country!" perhaps, but it wasn't from this "pagan" country, the outcry came ringing from church buildings far and wide. When I would ask people about what was so awful I would invariably get "it's not accurate/it's all Hollywood!" and when I would prompt further for more examples, none could be thought of at the time. When news and media outlets would confront the Christians on what was wrong with it, the scholarly would point out grievous misrepresentations like... Noah's accent.
Now, don't get me wrong, I am SURE there are inaccuracies, I'm positive there are cinematic additions, and I'm sure there is a lot left out. But why is that so terrifying? Learning things for yourself, looking for inaccuracies/changes/omissions offer the best learning experience and chance for discussion imaginable.
The bigger problem is this seems to be the trend. Now, I'm not talking about distorting the Bible or having teachers teach things incorrectly, but it seems that we are so terrified that any of us might ever see/learn/hear Anything contrary to our beliefs. Are we really that insecure that we think seeing Angels inaccurately portrayed in the destruction of Sodom or hearing that our kid had a friend at school tell them about their Jewish/Buddhist/Muslim faith that the sky is falling?
If we truly believe what say, that we believe in the One true God, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, I AM, Jesus Christ because He is the one and only, the Creator, the Alpha and the Omega, then what do we have to fear?
I would add that having our kids/teens/friends ask "hey, I heard this thing today that's different than the Bible..." is The best tool to teach and reaffirm their personal faith. What good is their faith if it isn't their own? If a child grows up and when asked why they are a Christian their only answer is because mom/dad/grandpa/grandma/my youth minister told me so, that is Worthless! They have to learn, to question, to experience, to grow, and to make their faith their own - they have to Own it.
God did not give us a spirit of timidity or fear and he IS God - if watching a movie or having a discussion about Muhammad could change that then he wouldn't be God.
Have full confidence in God, who he is, what he is.
If you act like your faith is so shaky and fragile that Any opinion offered to the contrary could destroy it all then who in the world is going to have confidence in you or your God?
