Hello, friends, This may be the most exciting time in recent cultural memory to be a movie-loving Christian. That’s because all across the U.S. and around the world, people are talking about the Bible. Specifically, they’re talking about NOAH, the Paramount Pictures film opening nationwide Friday – a movie I’ve had the honor and pleasure to work on as a consultant to the studio and filmmakers for nearly two years. I know I’m in the marketing business – the movie marketing business, no less – but I can assure you it is without hyperbole that I say I believe we are at the dawn of a new Renaissance. That moment we’ve all hoped and prayed for, when Hollywood would take seriously and treat reverentially the stories that form the foundation of our faith, is here. As someone who has seen the film more than a dozen times already, I can assure you that Russell Crowe’s Noah is, at his core, a brilliant and unforgettable metaphor for God. In Scripture, God sees His beautiful creation turn its collective back on Him and His anger is warranted. But by the end of the Biblical account, God has chosen grace and love in the form of a promise and a rainbow. Throughout the film, Noah also wrestles mightily to balance justice with mercy. The question on his mind, the weighty decision that tests and torments him, mirrors what God had to decide just 10 generations after Eden: Is mankind, inclined as it is to evil against each other and rebellion against its Creator, worth saving? Make no mistake, director Darren Aronofsky has masterfully colored outside the lines of rigid Biblical orthodoxy in crafting this story. This is no children’s ministry sing-along about animals marching two-by-two past a beaming old man with a white beard onto a wooden version of a Carnival cruise ship. Will you like every creative decision Darren made? Very possibly not. But remember this: While God is precious, He is not fragile. The world will not end because of this film and its creative license, just as it didn’t end when Michelangelo took liberties with his religious art during that earlier Renaissance. Far from it, in fact. Five hundred years later, we’re still being moved by the beauty of his artistic interpretations of our sacred text. I believe beauty can spring from NOAH, as well – because it is gritty and challenging, insightful and inspirational, thoughtful and thought-provoking. The creative impulses that drove Aronofsky and Ari Handel, his writing and producing partner, to pore word-by-word through Genesis and to consult dozens of other historical and commentarial texts makes for a rich cinematic experience that tees up all manner of conversations about sin and redemption, judgment and forgiveness, and the nature and love of God. So, Hollywood has done its part. They’ve taken one of "our" stories to make one of "their" stories -- and they’ve done it on a grand scale. Now it’s our turn. If we want to see more movies like this in the years to come, if we want our culture to continue to be saturated with talk of God and His Word, we’ve got a grand-scale mission of our own to accomplish: going to theaters en masse this weekend and making NOAH a huge hit. Box-office success is the language Hollywood understands, and then repeats. If NOAH does well, that new Renaissance we’ve so long desired will be in full bloom. Let me leave you with this video featuring several well-respected Christian leaders – from Focus on the Family’s Jim Daly to radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt to National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference President Sam Rodriguez – offering their reactions to NOAH. Among the words you’ll see and hear are "brilliant," "bold," "spectacular," "pro-God," "amazing," "powerful," "artistic," "profound," "riveting," "astonishing," "path-breaking," "deeply important," "beautiful," "visually stunning" and "a rare gift." I hope you agree. Best, Jonathan Bock Founder and President Grace Hill Media P.S. You can help spread the word about how NOAH is being embraced by faith leaders by sharing one or more of the these specially designed endorsement cards with your friends on social media. Thank you!