Greg Stier: Why I Didn’t Like Evan Almighty
by Greg Stier, Christian Today Guest Columnist
Posted: Saturday, October 13, 2007, 12:13 (BST)
As I type these words, I’m watching Evan Almighty on a plane trip from Denver to Charlotte. I really don’t like this movie. Not only is it pretty low on the laugh-o-meter (unless you find animal poop jokes hilarious), but it’s got some pretty lame, even dangerous, theology.
Now before you accuse me of being some Christian killjoy, you have got to understand that I love humor. I use a lot of it myself … probably too much. I actually considered going into comedy when I was in my early twenties. I thought that stand up could be a great way to communicate the gospel. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought that a preaching comic would just be irritating. Meanwhile a funny preacher was much more unexpected, maybe even a pleasant surprise.
I love funny people, funny skits and funny movies. From Monty Python to Brian Regan, good humor goes a long way with me.
When Bruce Almighty, the original God-appears-to-man funny movie, came out to theaters I didn’t want to see it but, on the recommendation of a friend, finally succumbed. I have to admit that I was won over by Bruce Almighty’s core messages (that we would screw up being God and that having every prayer request answered with a “yes” is not a good thing.) And it was a pretty funny movie to boot!
So you’ve got to realize that I was really rooting for Evan Almighty to be good. But, alas, I was disappointed. Here’s why:
1. The movie paints the picture of an eco-obsessed god.
I’m sorry but Morgan gets a small “g” from me in his groovy meets godly depiction of the divine. This cool cat god is much more concerned about the environmental condition of the planet than the spiritual condition of humanity.
Don’t get me wrong. I am convinced that Christians have a moral mandate to take care of and steward the earth. Genesis 1 makes this crystal clear. Wasting resources and destroying creation are unacceptable to the stewardship mandate given to all humans by God himself in the first chapter of his bestselling book (and it didn’t cost him 100 million dollars to produce his literary masterpiece!) But the bigger, deeper “change the world” message in the Bible is for believers in Christ to spread the good news that salvation is found in Father God not Mother Earth.
Have your say on this article
The comments below are readers' personal opinions and are in no way intended to reflect the editorial opinion of Christian Today.
Added: Monday, October 15, 2007, 19:38 (BST)
I tend to agree with Gilbreath on this one. No ill to you, Greg S., but its not what i got out of the whole story. To me, the whole eco / law / development thing was all parabolic or side story. What I got from it..
1) What it might have been like for Noah. It was nice to laugh at and identify with what it might have been like to have been the 'good' guy, possibly well respected and then asked to build an ark because the entire world is about to be flooded - and oh yeah, the God that you all have forgotten about, He told me to do it.
2) God has a plan and direction for our life. We think we know what we need and how to get it. Many times God surprises us with what we would least expect.
Okay, so sure there were many silly things in the movie I could have done without. Same goes for Bruce [and its the 'little things' in Bruce why i will not show it to my youth group]. But, Evan was much tamer and qaulifies in my book as a film that is safe for my youth and will provoke imagination and thought about the biblical account of Noah and about the God they serve.
Thom Grubbs, Edenton, NC
Added: Saturday, October 13, 2007, 19:43 (BST)
Hmmm. I thought the movie was funny. My six year old picked up on the story and ran to his room to get his Bible to show me the story in the scriptures. I did have to convince him that the actor was not God for real.
I did see the overbearing eco-god thing, but was not really offended by it. However the element of the congressmans lies being exposed should also be pointed out.
I think the movie did as best it could as a comedy to blend the biblical story and modern concerns together.
I guess we all have differences of opinion. Be blessed.
Pastor Matt Brown, Byron, GA
Added: Saturday, October 13, 2007, 16:51 (BST)
I really like this article and Greg Stier had some good points. His comment about saving the trees but sending the lumberjacks to hell was well put, especially as I have heard of a lot of pastors going "green."
I have not seen this movie yet and as I'm not one to find animal poop jokes funny, I think I will skip this movie.
Kathy Norris, Clearwater, Florida United States
Added: Saturday, October 13, 2007, 14:18 (BST)
You have got to be kidding! This movie was so way more spiritually focused than Bruce - I was with you till you got to the eco-god part (like 3rd paragraph) but that was so off-base I just had to comment. I think you suffered from the old "can't see the forest for the trees" syndrome while watching Evan... The real story was about changing the world of Evan's family, it was about love and trust and faith - not about development. I guess compared to Bruce, which was a little nasty - about us being God - we would fail... Evan's underlying theme would seem a little lame - but really, isn't our Father God giving us an opportunity to change the world with our ARK rather than omnipotence?
Greg Gilbreath, Covington TN 38019
