Evan Almighty: Keeping Christianity Afloat In Hollywood?

For many years, Christianity has been the persona non grata in Hollywood. Producers, directors, and actors have practiced their craft either oblivious or in defiance of people of faith. Several movies that have been produced lately, however, have marked a distinct shift in this anti-Christian bias. Some good examples of this are The Passion of The Christ, Amazing Grace, The Last Sin Eater, One Night With The King, etc. One of the latest films that marks another attempt to intersect Hollywood and faith is Evan Almighty.

This film has drawn a spectrum of reactions ranging from praise to condemnation. According to Christianity Today Movies.Com film critic Carolyn Arends,

Evan Almighty is a little too silly and sometimes a little too sloppy to be considered a masterpiece. But the filmmakers have managed to make a truly entertaining film that invites viewers to contemplate the rather big idea that we're all "chosen" to be in relationship with—and obedient to—our Creator...Evan Almighty isn't perfect, but it is both inspired and inspiring. I can't wait to share it with my family.

While this review gives the impression that the film is flawed but functional there are other voices out there who see the movie in a different light. Dr. James Dobson shared his opinion on the Focus on the Family movie review website PluggedInOnline.Com.

Finally, I was concerned about the rewriting of the story of Noah and his ark. "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...From my perspective, it is a shame that the movie is flawed in ways that could have so easily been avoided. Nevertheless, I appreciate the fact that the producers and writers did not include the gratuitous sex and violence that punctuates so many other offerings. Evan Almighty could have been a perennial favorite.

Having seen the film myself, I see that both supporters and critics have enough material in Evan Almighty to build their case. I enjoyed the film. I was very relaxed to see the conspicuous absence of sexuality, and crude or profane language. The film also had many good themes that are worthy of post-viewing family discussion. The one thing that disappointed me about the film is its portrayal of God as a feel-good kind of guy who just wants people to get along. This idea connects well with the masses but it egregiously depicts a world view that is far from what the Bible teaches.

I do feel it necessary to cut Evan Almighty a little slack. It is what it is, namely, a film made in Hollywood for the purpose of making money. In that regard, I can with reservation recommend the film, but I strongly urge caution and discussion in the car on the ride home.

So is Evan Almighty a marker in a trend to keep Christianity alive in Hollywood? I doubt it, but one can hope. In the meantime, I do think that by supporting films like the ones named earlier in this post, Christians can send a message to Hollywood to support film companies that want to create a family safe environment in theaters.