By KATE JOHNSON<\/p>\n
Disney\u2019s \u201cA Wrinkle in Time\u201d film is facing backlash and controversy for the blatant omission of the Christian ideals and various Biblical passages that are prevalent throughout Madeleine L\u2019Engle\u2019s original novel.<\/p>\n
L\u2019Engle passed away in 2007.\u00a0 The writer was a devout Christian who used her book, A Wrinkle in Time,<\/em> to express her thoughts about God.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I\u2019ve ever written a book that says what I feel about God and the universe, that is it,\u201d\u00a0 L\u2019Engle wrote in her journal about the book.\u00a0 \u201cThis is my psalm of praise to life, my stand for life against death.\u201d<\/p>\n After the release of the film adaption of the story, many noted the omission of the Christian themes of the book.\u00a0 The screenwriter for the film, Jennifer Lee, gave an interview with Uproxx in which she explained why she decided to remove the Biblical references and Christian values.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I looked at, one of the reasons Madeleine L\u2019Engle\u2019s . . . had that strong Christian element to it wasn\u2019t just because she was Christian, but because she was frustrated with things that needed to be said to her in the world and she wasn\u2019t finding a way to say it and she wanted to stay true to her faith,\u201d said Lee.<\/p>\n Lee noted that there are Christian themes central to the book, A Wrinkle in Time<\/em>, but she opted to omit or alter these for the move in order to portray a more inclusive and secular message.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what inclusiveness is to me in this film, is really looking at all of us have a role to play in this no matter where we come from or what we look like,\u201d Lee told Uproxx.<\/p>\n In an article discussing the controversy, CBN emphasized L\u2019Engle\u2019s deep faith and how the author said her book spurred from her personal relationship with God.\u00a0 CBN, in a covert manner, expressed that Lee\u2019s adaption of the story was an attack on the Christian faith.<\/p>\n \u201cIt appears Lee believes espousing such Biblical truths are somewhat irrelevant and outdated in today\u2019s modern world,\u201d wrote CBN.<\/p>\n Movieguide gave a more neutral perspective on the differences between the book and the film.\u00a0 Their review of the film expressed that although Christianity is omitted from the film, it still does send children a positive message.<\/p>\n \u201cOverall, \u2018A Wrinkle In Time\u2019 has a positive moral, redemptive message about a relationship between a father and a daughter being restored, as well as a clear picture of good versus evil.\u201d<\/p>\n Nevertheless, Movieguide did make note that the omission of the Christian themes of the story was a dramatic alteration of the book.<\/p>\n \u201cA Wrinkle In Time is based on the best-selling novel by Madeline L\u2019Engle.\u00a0 However, many of the faith statements and themes in Madeline\u2019s book aren\u2019t included in the movie.\u00a0 Instead, the movie adds lots of New Age content, including an emphasis on being one with the universe and the energy people create with positive or negative thoughts.\u00a0 At one point, one character mentions every \u2018spiritual,\u2019 \u2018religious,\u2019 and historical icon, but seems to exclude Jesus Christ, as if Christianity was the one thing they didn\u2019t want to include.\u00a0 In the book, however, Jesus is the iconic figure.\u201d<\/p>\n Vox wrote a lengthy article about the film giving L\u2019Engle\u2019s life story growing up in the Episcopalian Church and facing persecution for her fantasy writing.\u00a0 In its coverage, Vox chose to discuss the trend in Hollywood of shying away from religious undertones in children\u2019s movies from an analytical perspective on the matter.<\/p>\n \u201cThis may be, in part, due to the demands on big-budget fantasy \u2018family\u2019 films to easily lend themselves to theme park rides and\u00a0merchandising sales, something harder to do with films that take a divisive or complicated approach to faith.\u00a0 \u2018Good triumphs over evil\u2019 is a lot more salable and straightforward than \u2018the universe exists because God became man,\u2019 even if the paradox of the latter lends\u00a0Wrinkle<\/em>\u00a0its existential weight,\u201d said Vox writer Tara Burton.<\/p>\n The Washington Post<\/em> covered the response to the new film with a lengthy story on L\u2019Engle and an interview with Sarah Arthur, author of a upcoming biography of L\u2019Engle titled \u201cA Light So Lovely.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a lot of people who believe the strength that you need to fight the darkness is in you,\u201d Arthur said. \u201cBut it\u2019s because they were connected to the source of light who is Jesus.\u00a0 If it\u2019s unmoored from Madeleine\u2019s Christian faith, it\u2019s missing a big piece of the spiritual thrust of what she was doing,\u201d said Arthur to The Washington Post<\/em>.<\/p>\n The Washington Post<\/em> article, similarly to the Vox article, took a more analytical approach to how Christian themes are translated from children\u2019s books to movies and the effect that has on the box office crowds.<\/p>\n \u201cEarly reviews of \u2018A Wrinkle in Time\u2019 are mixed, drawing a 44 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.\u00a0 And a film starring Oprah, who\u00a0is also controversial\u00a0among some conservative Christians, might not attract the same kind of crowd that soaked up films\u00a0such as \u2018The Passion of the Christ,\u2019 \u2018The Blind Side\u2019 and Disney\u2019s adaptation of Lewis\u2019s \u2018The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,\u2019\u201d said Washington Post writer Sarah Bailey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By KATE JOHNSON Disney\u2019s \u201cA Wrinkle in Time\u201d film is facing backlash and controversy for the blatant omission of the Christian ideals and various Biblical passages that are prevalent throughout Madeleine L\u2019Engle\u2019s original novel. L\u2019Engle passed away in 2007.\u00a0 The … Continue reading