The Record Keeper

UPDATE: I added a few more comments to bring the series into context a little bit more. They are marked with two asterisks.

Most of you reading this will know of The Record Keeper. For those who don’t, the Record Keeper is an award-winning steam-punk-style 11-episode web series. It was sponsored and paid for by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It focuses on the *fictitious* story of three angels (Raina, Cadan and Larus) struggling over friendship, allegiance and objectivity in the midst of a cosmic war between The King (God) and his character and The General (Satan) and his character. You can read more about the background of the series, the controversy and how it got shutdown, and now it’s finally made its viral debut on the internet.

I’m writing to give my overall impression, what I thought of the production and most importantly of the theological points made by the series. I will try to not give away too many spoilers, but they will be unavoidable, so if you’d like to stop reading now, go watch the series here and then come back. Watching the whole thing takes about as long as a movie does.

MY IMPRESSION (SPOILER-ALERT)
go watch the series here; then come back and read this

First of all, I love this series. Love it. Can’t wait to share it with people and study this with small groups of friends.

The quality and level of detail is bound to impress anyone. That’s a great introduction to up-and-coming director Jason Satterlund. From wardrobe to visual effects, writing and acting to the music choices, no one watching the Record Keeper will easily dismiss it. Overall, I feel like depicting an on-going heavenly war that involves the creator of the universe and His archenemy will fall short of accuracy (duh!). “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” Rom. 11:33 (ESV) It’s inescapable that the King’s overall love and benevolence get shadowed since He isn’t directly depicted (for obvious smart-enough reasons), after all, how can humans depict a being that no human has ever seen?

Theologically-speaking, Adventist theology is the most detailed about the interpretation of the text found in Revelation 12:7, which depicts a war in heaven, and Jason appealed to that theology to help tell this cosmic conflict story. He did it in a way that is innovative, fresh, and could draw mass appeal from the general population.

Free-agents and a Civil War
I really enjoyed how angelic beings are portrayed as free-agents, emotional beings who have a conscience, think for themselves and are conflicted over the events that play out on earth over the span of biblical history. They also have spare time to explore the universe as they see fit. AWESOME! The whole point of the story is to demonstrate how difficult an internal civil war in the government of the King plays itself out and how angels struggle to do the right thing in their minds. It shows the seemingly difficult matter of understanding the will of the King and being on His side.

It was very interesting to me how much of Job 1 I could see in the scenes as they play out. Both sides have (somewhat) free-reign to roam around heaven and enter “administration’s” headquarters. The big emphasis on recording interviews with angels as they describe their versions of what plays out in the universe is a very interesting concept and I loved the steam-punk art direction and I feel that it added a lot of depth to the story, much more than an “accurate” portrayal of heaven would.

The short-episode series takes us through the whole span of history from creation to the cross. When we get to the flood, we see how Raina tries to make sense of “administration” choices in the matter. We move from Mount Sinai to the cross and become conflicted over which side is actually in the right. That is the most surprising fact about the series, which (perhaps not intentionally) seems to pull for The General and as I’ll mention later, doesn’t quite convince us that he’s the bad guy. I think they genuinely try, but don’t quite get there to my satisfaction.

Larus raises many genuine questions that free-thinking humans have raised, and I think that’s not only refreshing but challenging to most bible-believing Christians, because it tends to paint God (the King) in a bad light. While I don’t quite like it, I believe that is, however, brilliant writing and another reason that it adds so much depth to this series.

So, is the King actually good?
Unfortunately for Christians, there’s this unavoidable void. Perhaps one of the reasons the church shut the series down. You sense that the King is distant, impersonal, very driven by facts and not emotions, especially when we keep hearing multiple times the “administration” term. The righteous ways of the King and His true motives are not as clearly displayed. However, I think most people’s uneasiness will subdue as they near the end of the series, some of those concerns will be faced head-on.

I also struggled with how The General (Satan) is portrayed. We get a sense that he has been unjustifiably stripped of his ranks and thrown out of heaven without a good enough reason. For me, in contrast with the King’s impersonal ways, this issue isn’t resolved and it’s not too clear whether or not The General had motive to rebel and/or was justifiably stripped of his rank. If you have a theological background, any concept of a personal Satan and especially the Adventist Great Controversy framework, you believe he has been justifiably thrown out, but you don’t quite get the sense from the series.

Steam-Punk, but Not All the Time
I really enjoyed the steam-punk art direction, décor and theme, but I was bummed to see a more high-tech visual style being introduced in later episodes. The argument, part of a dialogue in a scene, is that up in heaven they like to keep things more traditional, which was a nice way to “cop out” of maintaining a strict steam-punk style.

I think that if there were no holograms, neon-overlays, heavy-tech environments, it would have been a more consistent and beautiful series. I really loved the purple-smoke used in the teleportation of Larus in one scene. Why not keep the theme throughout?

(Overly Physical) Violence
I got emotional several times as the episodes progressed, some of the dialogue was truly brilliantly written, but I also got really upset and angry at times. From the very the beginning of the second episode through the end of the series, violence really escalates. (By the way, the beginning of Episode 2 will make many cringe. You’ve been forewarned). I’m a big believer in pacifist theology and how Jesus is no advocate of violence. We are to love our enemies, pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:43-44). We are not to repay evil with evil (1 Peter 3:9). It’s hard to believe that good angels, who are loyal to Christ would react violently and with anger toward their former friends and neighbors.  I do not think there’s any basis for actual physical, human-like violence between angels, but I’ll let that pass, after all, we’ve never seen actual angels (if you have let me know) and we don’t truly know 100% of how this cosmic war is actually waged.

*Controversial Theology
I guess many issues will be thought of as controversial by most. I already mentioned some, but there’s a big, controversial idea of how the Counselor is portrayed. Some people will find it offensive, perhaps blasphemous. I thought it was refreshing and loved how that enhanced so much of the dynamics of the episode. One thing I’ll say is that Jason was not afraid to “go there” on the controversial ideas, and surprisingly enough, the church-appointed people approving the script and the scenes weren’t either. I can completely understand the position of the top-leaders of the church took though (who probably had never seen this til the last minute), desiring to be more “accurate”, “true to the bible” and I guess Jason could’ve avoided those topics or played them way down. However, that was a conscious choice and I got to commend him for that.*

Heavenly Interference and Other Oddities
I don’t know how to feel about a scene where it seems like the King and His angels manipulate events on earth in order for “the oracles” to be fulfilled. Seemed too far-fetched for me as well, but it was entertaining to watch.

I found it strange, but performed truly well, how angels went in an out of different languages. It was especially confusing when some of the dialogue or prayers were not translated with captions. Why not, Jason?

*Also weird, but highly entertaining, was the ranking of some angels, let’s just say some are more intelligent than others, some are more monster-like, others more psychopath-like. The visual and audio effects to highlight these are very cool, but again, take away from the steam-punk vibe in my opinion.*

Christus Victor
I was really touched by their theology of the death of the Prince explained through their arguments, a very Christus Victor theology, one that I really, truly appreciated. The King and the Prince did all that in order to destroy the works of the General (I Jn 3:8; Heb. 2:14-15; Col 2:15), to expose his lies and deceptions and to take back humanity as Theirs again (Luke 4:18; Ps. 68:18; Eph.4:8). Intentionally or not, I appreciate that there was no real talk of “paying for” someone’s sins, or the standard penal substitution view that God is angry and has to vent his wrath in His Son.

God on Trial
The very last two episodes made the whole series for me. I could view a resolution to the job of an angel and a very big reward at the end. I could appreciate the King and administration’s ways of “there are no secrets”. Keeping a record of everything that goes on “for His trial”. Adventists are known and most often scorned for their theology of a judgment in heaven prior to the end of the world. However, as you will most likely conclude in this series, the purpose for record-keeping is not to deem people redeemable or not, but simply to let the whole universe know, out in the open, why God has made the decisions he did, because there is an accuser, “who accuses them day and night before our God.” Rev. 12:10. The purpose of the record-keeping is to truly dismantle any argument that Satan may throw at God.

Daniel 7 describes this majestic scene as the thrones are placed around God and millions are before Him when “the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.” Daniel 7:10. As the little horn accusing power continues to blaspheme against God and the Son of Man, we see that during the judgment, God and the Son of Man are glorified, while the devil’s works, his power, dominion and rule is taken away and given to whom it truly belongs.

“behold, with the clouds of heaven
    there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
    and was presented before him.
And to him was given dominion
    and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
    should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
    which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
    that shall not be destroyed.”
Daniel 7:13-14

Ending
I can’t spoil that for you. All I have to say is “Wow!”

Conclusion
It is through the good news of what the “King and the Prince” did that humanity has hope again, but not before all the works of the “General” are unmasked as complete lies. We can trust that God is not lying to us, not manipulating us and certainly not oppressing us. Through this good news, the gospel, we can be liberated and set free. Indeed I believe that God is on trial and that “in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed” Romans 1:17. While in the series, that righteousness of the King is not so clearly revealed as I had wished, that’s completely OK, that’s what the bible is for, to go beyond where imagination, and an 11-episode series fall short of.

Want to join me in uncovering that gospel truth? In God’s universe, both sides are waging a war for your and mine allegiance. The truly marvelous thing is that with the gospel open to us we can rest assured that “there are no secrets.”