Romans 1:25 “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is forever praised. Amen.”

“In spite of the woke and politically biased media, I have never seen a movie so clearly connect putting oneself in the place of God to pursue one’s own version of love and how this leads only to pain and death.

While it seems strange to call ‘The Whale’ a Christian movie, it gets sin, human nature, spiritual death, and the need for redemption correct in a way few Christian movies do. As our culture lives out these truths, ‘The Whale’ shows us, rather than tells us, sin’s consequences.” This is from Professor Owen Anderson.

Professor Anderson teaches Philosophy and Religious Studies at Arizona State University (ASU). He has been at it now for over 21 years. But what can philosophy offer the average young adult today?

Philosophy can be defined as “the rational investigation of the truths of being, knowledge, or conduct.” On ASU’s website, it says “Professor Anderson’s research focuses on general revelation and questions on reality, value, and knowledge.” Since the average young adult is in dire need of rational thinking about their life and reality, truth and meaning, Professor Anderson is a jewel waiting for young adults to discover.

He has written an excellent review on the movie ‘The Whale’ which deserves our serious attention. See if you can understand why he chose Romans 1:25 as the verse that epitomizes the character of Charlie.

“When a writer is faithful to the nature of reality, we see Christian themes even in a movie intended to be anti-Christian. The movie ‘The Whale’ might be one of the most Christian movies in this sense because the author shows us the relationship between not seeking God, sin, and spiritual death in relationships and life.

It has a profound line of self-discovery and confession. As the main character Charlie (played by Brandon Fraser, who won the best actor Oscar for this role) nears death, he talks about his dead partner Allen: ‘I thought if I loved him, he wouldn’t need anyone else. I told him he didn’t need God. He only needed me.’

Charlie realizes that what he called ‘love’ was being God to Allen and asking Allen to do the same. This is the result of rejecting God’s rules about love and marriage and inventing our own rules. It is the first sin in the garden – determining good and evil for us. Allen and Charlie discovered how meaningless life is without God. Allen commits suicide (he jumps off a bridge). Charlie uses food to eventually kill himself.

Without God, our lives have no ultimate meaning. The movie rejects the initial superficial faith of Thomas (the movie’s 3rd character), but it points to our deeper need for meaning that can only be found in knowing God. Understanding this, Thomas confesses his own sin and now knows how to evangelize Charlie.

Thomas confronts Charlie with a passage Allen underlined in his Bible: ‘Set your mind on things above.’ Thomas calls Charlie to repent and turn to God. In ager, Charlie says he hopes there is no god and no afterlife. But he asks Thomas if he finds him disgusting. This is Charlie’s issue throughout the movie.

Charlie does recognize he is harming himself. Those meeting him are saddened by this. But when Thomas confronts him with the idea that God finds his behavior sinful, he is angry at God. Thomas is the prodigal who repents and is assured by God that ‘all is forgiven – come home.’ Charlie can’t bring himself to do it.

In His grace, God provides Charlie with a witness – his outward appearance which reveals his inner pain and meaninglessness. Charlie says he doesn’t want to exist and hopes there is no afterlife. This is what sin does to our lives. Sin is contrary to being. Sin leads to death.

But Charlie has a glimpse of God’s goodness – he finds hope in the things of God – as we watch him hoping for a good life for his daughter. He hopes she can be a ‘good’ person, knowing he has failed as a father to provide her with meaning. Throughout their moments together, Charlie calls her ‘amazing’ because she, like all of us, is an image bearer of God. Charlie finds hope in that, even while she is lost in sin herself.

While the movie does talk about God and salvation, Jesus Christ is left out. Salvation is not through ‘God’ as some higher power, but through God the Lord. Christ died so sinners can be reconciled to God. Thus, it is noteworthy at how badly the characters in the movie misunderstand salvation and the Biblical Worldview.

Charlie summarizes the Bible without mentioning Christ or repentance of sin. He doesn’t love nor seek God. He puts himself in the place of God.” In Professor Anderson’s view, it is the epitome of Romans 1:25.
“The Evidence of Faith’s Substance” _ Article #560