A Matter of Faith (Movie Recommendation)

I don’t often review movies and I wasn’t intending to do so, when my mom and I decided to watch it this evening. However, this was such a great movie that I wanted to recommend it!

Key Themes

The film’s plot centers on the Creationist/Evolutionist debate, but it’s not about “proving” Creationism. Instead, as the title suggests, the point is that, both perspectives require faith. As one of the characters points out, we did not witness the beginning of the world, so whether we choose to believe that it started with a “big bang” or through intelligent design, we are exercising faith.

The movie also discusses what it means to be a Christian and there were several powerful lines, throughout.

What I Liked

First off, I SO appreciated the portrayal of the dad taking an active role in his daughter’s education. We live in such a twisted time, where parents are mandated to “educate” their children (which often means sending them to school), but are allowed no input in the classroom concern. In addition to having no say in the curriculum, parents also often have little knowledge of what is being taught in the classroom– not due to a lack of interest, but because of a deliberate effort by the school system to conceal the facts from concerned parents. After all, the less a parent or guardian knows about what is being taught, the less likely he or she is to object to the curriculum. And is there ever a reason to object to curriculum! I am so troubled by the ideas being force-fed to young people, in and out of school, and this is one of the reasons I blog.

For this reason, it was refreshing to see a strong dad who was willing to step in and protect his daughter, even at the college level. This takes so much courage in a culture that mocks those stand up for truth, and the movie portrays this, as well.

Additionally, the film illustrates the significance of the Creation/Evolution debate. In scorning the reality of Creation, secular worshippers of science are seeking to dismantle the entire Christian worldview. If God didn’t create the world, maybe He doesn’t exist, at all. As Michael Guillen pointed out in his 2021 book, Believing is Seeing, the question of the origin of life is not a scientific one, but a philosophical one. Thus, those professing a scientific worldview are actively promoting their own philosophies.

Content Notes

Rachel, the main character, catches the eye of several male classmates. With that said, romance is not at all central to the movie and (hooray!) there is no physicality, whatsoever.

This isn’t exactly a “content concern,” but there is the suggestion that students should be taught both Creation and evolution so that they can reach their own conclusions. I consider this to be a positive alternative to students ONLY learning about the theory of evolution, but I do believe the best thing would be for students to be taught the truth, only.

Recommendation Status

This is a movie that I am very pleased to recommend. Although it wasn’t created by a huge producer, I felt that it was very well-executed. While some of the arguments were familiar, I really liked that the movie emphasized faith and personal walk with Jesus, not just the Creation/evolution debate.

The movie is available on multiple free streaming services and would make a great selection for a family film night.