Season 1: Baby Moses in a Basket (Adapting Exodus)
The genocide of the Israelite infants and the escape of baby Moses in a basket is one of the most iconic stories in the entire Bible. And ye
top of page
Welcome to...
The Bible Artist
I believe the Arts can give us fresh eyes to see the significance of the Bible and the beauty of the Gospel.
I also believe the Bible can provide the arts with complex characters and stories with profound insight into the human condition.
Join me as I explore biblical adaptations like The Chosen and seek to cultivate greater appreciation for creativity, the arts, and adaptation within the Christian community.
Search
Kevin Keating
Nov 9, 20208 min read
Season 1: Magicians, Appeasers, & Revolutionaries (Adapting Exodus)
The high altitude of the biblical narratives poses another problem/opportunity for characterization in a visual medium. A written narrative
Kevin Keating
Jul 4, 20205 min read
Jesus in The Chosen (Adapting Biblical Characters)
If there's one aspect of The Chosen that elevates it above previous adaptations of the Gospels, it's the portrayal of Jesus. I've discussed
Kevin Keating
Jun 13, 202018 min read
Simon Peter & Andrew in The Chosen (Adapting Biblical Characters)
Peter is driven by an instinct to survive, even if it means betraying others, and that this instinct is rooted in a lack of faith in God...
Kevin Keating
Jun 6, 202010 min read
Matthew in The Chosen (Adapting Biblical Characters)
By making Matthew into a person with Aspergers, The Chosen reconciles what might initially seem like desperate character details into a thre
Kevin Keating
May 30, 202013 min read
Mary Magdalene in The Chosen (Adapting Biblical Characters)
The important role that Mary Magdalene plays in The Chosen is not nearly as surprising as that of Nicodemus.
Kevin Keating
May 25, 202011 min read
Nicodemus in The Chosen (Adapting Biblical Characters)
This focus on the personal side of Jesus is one key reasons why Nicodemus plays such an important role in The Chosen. Whereas a character...
Kevin Keating
May 9, 20202 min read
The Fruit of Glory (Excerpts from The Word of Glory)
But, if you dwell on me, your Vine,
The best of wine you’re able to
Make, for your fruit abounds; it’s those
Apart from Water flowing throu
Kevin Keating
Mar 9, 20207 min read
The Chosen & The Future of Bible Adaptation, Film, & TV
Instead of abandoning biblical-fidelity, The Chosen demonstrates why adaptations need to lean in and tout their confessional non-mainstream
Kevin Keating
Feb 10, 20204 min read
And I Am One of Them (Adapting Genesis 12-50)
A movie theater is not a synagogue or a church. It evokes its own unique set of expectations and these (often unconsciously) color how we pe
Kevin Keating
Jan 27, 20203 min read
#Blessing (Adapting Genesis 12-50)
Imagine you're watching a new Star Wars film and hear the Binary Sun Theme. Immediately, you're primed to expect a Force-related event is ab
Kevin Keating
Jan 23, 20204 min read
Father Abraham Had Many Sons (Adapting Genesis 12-50)
In order for the story of Abraham's family to meet modern expectations, the subtle hints of characterization embedded in the biblical narrat
Kevin Keating
Jan 6, 20203 min read
Not So Long Ago, In a Land Not So Far Away (Adapting Genesis 12-50)
As a general rule, the more compressed and distant a narrative is, the more work it takes to adapt it. Compressed, generalized stories...
Kevin Keating
Dec 9, 20194 min read
Should the Unseen be Seen? (Adapting Genesis 10-11)
CS Lewis' That Hideous Strength takes elements of the Babyl Story and transplants them into a more modern context. In doing so, it provides
Kevin Keating
Dec 2, 20195 min read
The Course of Empire (Adapting Genesis 10-11)
The Babyl story is not about a corrupt king who destroys an innocent people. It's a story about a foolish people who collude together in bri
Kevin Keating
Nov 11, 20194 min read
You Nimrod! (Adapting Genesis 10-11)
It's not uncommon to portray great conquerors like Alexander the Great in a positive light, while still recognizing that there were more amb
Kevin Keating
Nov 4, 20192 min read
With Challenges Reaching to the Heavens (Adapting Genesis 10-11)
Ancient Israelites didn't need Genesis to telegraph that the Babylonian pursuit of religious and military power was built on the backs of op
Kevin Keating
Oct 21, 20196 min read
Drunk Noah & Peeping Ham (Adapting Genesis 5-10)
In more recent years, it's become more common among evangelical preachers to relativize the righteousness attributed to Noah in Genesis 6:9.
Kevin Keating
Oct 14, 20195 min read
Genesis Too (Adapting Genesis 5-10)
Just like The Boys, the story of the Sons of God calls into question whether we should be quite so rosy-eyed toward beings with powers above
Kevin Keating
Oct 7, 20194 min read
Happy Giraffes or Rampaging Rhinos? (Adapting Genesis 5-10)
In the past, it was easier for a Bible movie to function as a blockbuster, generating mass appeal. With the decline of biblical literacy...
bottom of page