Eric Hovind, filmmaker and president of Creation Today, a Christian organization, is gearing up for the release of a new movie he believes will help push back against cultural “assaults” on the Bible’s first book, Genesis.
Hovind recently told Faithwire that he believes “Genesis: Paradise Lost” will truly have a transformative impact on biblical understanding when it releases later this year, as he said the movie combines science with well-known personalities coming together in unison to advance the Bible’s creation story.
Below, see our Q&A with Hovind and learn more about “Genesis” Paradise Lost”:
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Why did you choose to make a movie about Genesis?
If there is one part of the Bible that has undergone more scrutiny and abuse than any other, it is the very beginning—Genesis! Both from within and without the church, assaults on Genesis continue to question the creation and ultimately the Creator. So, what exactly happened at the “Creation,” at the “Beginning?”
Creation Today and Seven Fold Films is proud to announce that for the first time ever, using stunning visual effects and the latest in scientific research, Genesis will come to life right before your very eyes. We have heard the phrase “In the beginning” many times; now we get to see it on the big screen.
You’re saying it’s “the most powerful Creation film ever produced.” How so and why is it different?
“Genesis: Paradise Lost” uses stunning computer-generated imagery to take people on a journey through the six days of creation. It is the first 3D film of its kind as it combines 3D imagery with experts to show people the true science behind the creation of the world. Science actually supports the Creation of the world.
Why do you believe Genesis inspires so much controversy?
Some would say that this is controversial because our education system is so one-sided and only gives students the naturalistic hypothesis for the origin of life and the universe. They want to turn it into a religion versus science issue. However, I believe it is much deeper than this.
How we answer the question of origin has implications that affect every area of our lives and every decision we make. If God created the world, then he owns it and can make the rules that govern both the creation and those He places in His creation. If there is no creator, then we are the supreme being and only answer to ourselves. To many, the idea that “they can be as god” is too tempting to consider the alternative.
Ravi Zacharias says people are consumed with discovering the truth about: origin, meaning, morality, and destiny. You will not find a satisfactory answer to the questions of origin, meaning, morality and destiny within the framework of evolution. It is in Genesis that we discover the foundational answer to each of these basic truths.
What do people most get wrong about Genesis?
Most people don’t realize that Genesis is perfectly consistent with observable, repeatable, testable science. It was written in a historical narrative as an account of how God created the heaven and the earth. This is an account of what God really did, and the science behind it is stunning.
What view does the film take on the creation story?
Many today wonder why the world is broken, and the evolution narrative given in public education doesn’t give a satisfactory answer. As a matter of fact, it can’t even give a foundation for the reason people feel concern. After all, if evolution is true, this is just the way things are. Get used to it.
The Creation account in Genesis tells us something very different. It tells us that God designed this world as a perfect place. It really was paradise. But something happened that made mankind lose the opportunity to experience this perfect world. “Genesis: Paradise Lost” takes a traditional biblical approach to the account given in the Genesis.
There’s currently a fundraiser going on. Can you explain?
Five years ago we began working on this amazing project called “Genesis.” Then, in September of 2013, we took our idea to the world to see if they were interested in helping produce this one of a kind project. In 40 days we raised $275,000.00 of the production budget and have spent the last several years working on the project. Now, the project is complete and we are ready to distribute the film.
God has blessed us with a unique opportunity to take the film to theaters nationwide on November 13th and we are once again offering Christians the opportunity to be involved with this outreach. Crowdfunding makes it easy for a lot of people to give a little and have a huge impact across our nation. We are so thankful for the thousands who funded the production of the project and would love for thousands more to be involved in putting Genesis on the big screen.
What do you hope viewers take away from the movie?
By showing “Genesis: Paradise Lost” on the big screen, we want Christians to be encouraged in their faith and we want those who don’t yet believe to understand that they are created in the very image of their Creator, God. Many Christians today wish they had a well-produced film to explain to their friends the biblical and scientific approach to origins. Now they have something they can be proud to share with others.
For the unconvinced, I hope that they will come to know that we are not just the result of some blind chance process of evolution. We were specially created by God, in His image, and even though we rebelled against Him, He was still willing to send His Son to pay the penalty for our sins.
What’s the release plan?
We are thrilled to be partnering with Fathom Events to bring Genesis to big screens across America. We will be releasing the film nationwide on Nov 13th in hundreds of theaters across the country. Some of them will be 3D and some of them will be regular “2D” (like any other movie you see), but we are getting tremendous response right now with the early feedback.
We want to invite as many people to come experience this film in theaters on November 13th as possible!. After our theatrical release, the project will release on DVD, Blu-Ray and through other streaming and digital platforms. Be sure to keep checking our website for the latest details.