This is a subject that's been talked about for a few years now. You have people on both sides screaming about how Hollywood has either done it right or wrong, but what is the real issue here? Why are people so offended that getting facts wrong? Why are people in the Christian community so against these movies even coming out at all? Let's talk about it for a little bit. Keep in mind I am a Christian, so these statements may or may not come as a shock to you.
The latest movie to come out that is getting some attention is "The Shack". I've never read the book, but if it's like any other book that turned into a movie, it's obviously going to contain more detailed storyline than the movie. I've read a few articles about how "The Shack" has got everything wrong and that they didn't portray God correctly and so forth, but it isn't the first movie to do that. You can immediately say the movie "Exodus: Gods & Kings" did the same thing, but they didn't really try to get things right, they just wanted to add a different twist to the story of Moses. There's one movie that everyone loves that didn't get things right either, that movie is "Left Behind".
"Left Behind" is one of those movies where pretty much everyone has seen at least once. Since it came out back in late 2000, there have been tons of people in the Christian community that have shown the film to their family and friends in hopes to get them to believe in Jesus. Some people have even said that, "This is the most accurate representation of what will come". That statement is false. Yes, the tribulation will be bad. Yes, it shows how the Anti-Christ will control people. What's wrong is that people expect the Anti-Christ to be a certain person or that the tribulations will happen on a specific date.
It states in the Bible, "However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows." - Matthew 24:36 NLT. When you read the Bible, nothing you'll ever see is going to be accurate according to how everything really happened or will happen. It's interesting to see how people in the Christian community hold on to the story of "Left Behind" when the story is a fiction book. We aren't supposed to hold on to books like that unless it's the Bible.
I understand that the Christian community just wants Jesus to be represented correctly, but we as Christians need to understand that man isn't going to represent Jesus better than he did himself. Man will embellish facts, settings, stories and anything else to make the narrative of their stories more pleasing to those who choose to see the movies. "The Passion of the Christ" is another example of that. Mel Gibson did an amazing job with that movie, but of course, it has it's faults too.
If there's one thing that people forget when it comes to God, is that on top of all the wrath, commandments and sacrifices that he made for us, he also taught us that we need to forgive. We may feel the need to tear apart a film such as "The Shack" for portraying God a certain way, but that's Hollywood and writers for you. A story written by man is just that, a story. I personally enjoy movies for what they are, but I also know that nothing will take the place of the stories in my Bible.
So if you choose to see "The Shack", keep in mind that it is just a story written by someone who changed things to fit his narrative. If you leave that movie with a bad taste in your mouth, leave it at that. Let's not condemn someone for writing a fictional story, because we all know at the end of the day that the story is just that, fiction. If you want the real story, pick up your Bibles and read that. My personal favorite is 1 & 2 Samuel. What's yours?
Adam