“The movie was so not boring,” uttered my nine-year-old after the one-night showing of The Riot and the Dance. With a delicious buffet of colors, this nature documentary romanced the eyes of those who watched. God’s creation is majestic, but it is also purposeful in every way: the exalted artist of all creation intends every stripe, every groan, every kick, and every crawl.
One of the distinct features of this celebration of creation was its brilliant writing from the pen of N.D Wilson and the narration of Dr. Gordon Wilson who exuded joy as he engaged every creature great and small. As a writer, I tasted every carefully crafted sentence with its perfect alliteration and precise prose. I have seen various creation-themed documentaries and movies from a Christian perspective, but The Riot and the Dance immersed itself uniquely in an apologetic of beauty. Yes, there is room for facts and evidentiary elements, but what is also desperately needed is for the grammar of creation to shine stunningly. And it did. One left not only amazed at the vast array of creatures and beasts in God’s creation, but also amazed at the unique role each animal plays in God’s nature. As N.D. Wilson observes:
“You can’t be ignorant of all these creatures and be good stewards…If we are to have dominion over all creatures, we need to know these creatures.”
Creation is God’s playground, and we need to keep our eyes open to see his creation playing, perhaps even to squint a little harder to see more of it. It’s all worth it. Even the snakes? Yes, even the snakes. In fact, the snakes play a crucial role in this playground since it is from its deceitful embodiment that evil enters the world. Yes, the snake has a vital role to play. And for this reason, the writers remind us that one day “the nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den” (Isa. 11:8).
“The whole world groans,” says the Apostle Paul. And in fact, The Riot and the Dance gives us audio and video proof of that reality. The world groans as it seeks to rid itself of evil; it groans because it can’t wait to see the lion of Judah roar away evil. But until then, amidst the danger and cries, Eden is present everywhere.
The Riot and the Dance was so not boring. How could it? It’s God’s world and everything in it dances.
