The most recent major dinosaur flick, “The End of Oak Street,” was kinda my brain in a nutshell. It talks paleontology, astronomy, and God to a limited extent. Although I would also like to discuss the accuracy of the dinosaurs shown or the feasibility of how land could be swapped across time, I would first and foremost like to discuss the mentions of God in the movie (so, from this point on, spoilers).
Death and suffering appears to be a main theme of the film as God is not only mentioned once as a one off joke but also more seriously following a lot of death and pain seen across the film. The first mention of God comes when the father says that he believes that “God won’t let them die” when referring to their chances of making it out of the situation alive. This was more of a joke as the other family members point out he only attended church on Christmas and asked about the people currently being eaten outside. However, the second mention is more serious, where the astronomer-hopeful older daughter asks a now orphaned friend of hers (whom they just saved from a raptor) if she believed in God. Despite attending a private Catholic school, she said sometimes she questions His existence. The younger brother says he believes in God while the astronomer hopeful daughter says she doesn’t really believe.
To those of you who have seen the film, what are your thoughts?
The characters’ reactions in the film highlight a very common human tendency: when faced with sudden tragedy, death, and suffering—such as being orphaned or threatened—people naturally question God’s existence based on their immediate emotional state. However, viewing God strictly through the narrow lens of human comfort or temporal standards fundamentally misunderstands the complete Biblical revelation. True theology recognizes that God’s absolute holiness and sovereign justice exist in perfect harmony with His boundlessly personal mercy and redeeming love.
Holy Justice & Sovereignty: Scriptural events—such as the Global Flood judging all air-breathing creatures, the defeat of Sennacherib’s army of 185,000 in a single night, the 430 years of Egyptian bondage and 40 years of wilderness wandering, and the final judgment by fire—demonstrate His absolute authority over creation and judgment.
Redemption Through Jesus Christ: God did not ignore human suffering. In Jesus Christ, God entered history, endured suffering Himself, and paid the ultimate penalty for sin on the Cross to redeem creation (Romans 5:8).
Personal Mercy to Individuals: Throughout Scripture, God consistently extends grace to broken individuals:
Joseph: Turned betrayal and enslavement into salvation for many (“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good,” Gen 50:20).
David & Peter: Fully restored David after his downfall and Peter after his triple denial.
The Outcasts: Jesus actively sought out the Samaritan woman, healed the sick, and defended the condemned.
In conclusion, it is impossible to fully comprehend or judge God through the narrow boundaries of human understanding. Attempting to confine the infinite Creator within the limits of our restricted human perspective is both arrogance and the folly of creation forgetting its place.