Over the years, movies like, Bruce Almighty, Evan Almighty, even Star Wars, and now The Shack
have reflected an understanding or belief about God. In, Evan Almighty, Morgan Freeman’s character ‘god’ boils everything
down to ‘Acts of Random Kindness’. Naturally the movie was about entertainment; however, by
placing the notion of God in the story it automatically becomes theological. To
be fair, the theology is not meant to be academic, it is meant to be social. It
is simply a way of saying, “Hmm, what if God were like this?” Most biblical
students would discover that the story of Noah was not about ‘Acts of Random
Kindness”. What about The Shack?
The Shack is a little different than the other movies
mentioned. In, The Shack, there is an
attempt to wrestle with theological questions. Questions such as, why does God
let bad things happen, the Trinity, forgiveness, and various others. Nevertheless,
the movies goal does not appear to be an academic theological statement. Again,
it is a social theology asking, what if God were like this…”. Nevertheless, the
question remains as to whether these movies shape our doctrinal beliefs.
Hopefully, the biblically educated as well as doctrinally
educated, will not base their beliefs on social theology. The Church has an
ancient tradition that goes back to Christ Jesus himself. The Apostles, and the
early church fathers have handed down the doctrinal beliefs of the church. For
many centuries, the church united on early creeds and in various (oversimplified
terms) agreed that on theological matters they could differ.
Doctrine is the agreed upon statements of the universal
church of Christ Jesus. Theology is the questions we ask and find answers for
through our doctrine. If you didn’t know, Doctrine and Theology are not the
same thing. The Apostles Creed is generally accepted as the Universal Churches doctrinal
belief. That is great for academics and (hopefully) pastors, but what about the
people?
Sadly, many folks in church no longer view the history of
church doctrine as valid or important. Instead, they have adopted the view that
belief is personal and individual. Therefore, what women/men said in 1000 CE,
is no longer relevant today. In some cases, folks do not even believe the
scriptures are authoritative. Thus, it seems that secular media has a profound
shaping effect on theology and doctrine with in the Christian church. This does
not mean it is always bad. It is important to balance one’s theology with sound
doctrine.
Returning to The Shack,
the movie raises some important questions. The movie also provides some
interesting answers. Of the answers provided, some are quite helpful, others
are suspect. If you watch the movie as pure entertainment, it was pretty good.
If you are looking for biblical content and theology, well that would depend on
your ability to translate the authors ideas into your own belief structure.
At the end of the day, every believer should be careful what
they promote as being true about God. Otherwise, we may begin to develop a
belief system that is not primarily founded on scripture but on social myth.
Sometimes those myths are helpful in developing better understanding. Sometimes
they become dangerous or heretical beliefs. My encouragement to those who watch
such movies, or read such books would be to make sure you are reading your
bible. If the bible doesn’t give an implicit or explicit answer to your
question, don’t stake your eternity on a social answer. Talk with a pastor who
you trust has studied enough to help you traverse difficult questions. Test
every spirit, hold onto what is good and cast away what is not.
In a day when social media rules much of the way people
think, it might be good for some to turn to the Word of God and sound biblical
teaching to find answers. Remember though, the Bible is not an answer book. The
Bible is a message of how God has brought about reconciliation between himself
and humanity in the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Just a Thought!
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