The Way

I couldn't stomach it. When I read the description I thought it would be good.

It wasn't.

It gets very weird from the very start. I made it about 14 minutes in to it before I shut it off. I guess if you're in to modern gospel singing and arms swaying in the air, it might be enjoyable. And, Kathy Gifford's appearances did nothing to sell me on it.

It was billed as, "Moving stories from the Bible brought to life as you've never seen before written by four-time Emmy award-winning TV personality, actress, and best-selling author Kathie Lee Gifford."

Perhaps it gets better, but when I shut off a movie after 14 minutes, it isn't a good sign. I love Biblical stories, and I don't mind a good musical. This is neither. In fact, it kind of reminds me of walking in to a warehouse Christian charismatic church service when you're expecting to be walking in to a quiet, reverent place of worship. It was a jolt to the system.

True not what I expected, but if it moves one soul, then it succeeds. What more can someone say? Music was ok, but when one is expecting stories from the Bible, it comes up short. It is at best a music video, not stories. Only one well known musician, Danny Gokey. Pri m e interrupted with commercials in the oddest places, middle of narration with bad editing for placement of commercials. Genesis through Revelations. Can't call this a true documentary as it highlights singers and so ngs, not specifically Bible stories as the description states. I guess I was expecting more of a spiritual journey.

It's largely a singthru the Bible and has great quality and powerful singing, but some questionable lyrics. It's imaginative and narrated with great enthusiasm with some great backdrops.

In line with Tyndale, God's name's generally skipped in favour of the title 'lord'.

The OT & NT cameos are visited in the polytheism of the day. It fell short of philosophic monotheism, presenting Yahweh as a type of god, which was fine for its time-setting, but sadly it's remained the general theism level for this film. The film prefers the medieval mix of the consonants of God's name mixed in with the vowels of lordship, rendering the mixed up 'Jehovah' form: but some credit for at times attempting to give God his name. It gets 'Yeshua' right.

In line with the bad NIV and worse NLT, Mary is mislabelled as 'engaged'-she was in fact betrothed (ie pre-wedded married: RSV). Apart from the medieval Jehovah, and old secondary education polytheism, the film has tried to use contemporary language with a messianic touch.

Hagar is called a 'single mother'. She was an abandoned second-level wife, so 'single mother' became true at one level, but could suggest that she began that way.

Some troubling NT prayer to the lord, not to God, and at least some lite Sabellianism dropped into the narration, along with the conflicting idea that there was never a time when Jesus was not, and that he was sent by God.

Quite a lot of voxdeism, ie the putting of words into God's mouth, so to speak. That's subcanonical, even if not anticanonical, but I guess we can make God and Jesus say whatever we think appropriate - the songwriter is lord.

So, a lot of cringe throughout for this Christian, but I appreciate it to be a well-meaning Christian film, which I would have enjoyed much more before my last 40 years of theology and thinking. If you don't see the warts, you can enjoy the face.