MitchWords: Part Eight

Sometimes I don't really feel like a Christian. No, not in that "I'm not morally or behaviorally correct enough to be considered a Christian" kind of way. I always feel that way. I'm incredibly self-analytical and always judging myself as harshly as possible. Someone once questioned if I'm a good enough person, or Christian, to be writing a blog about Christian theology. Of course I'm not! I am well aware of my sins and faults which I will always struggle with. In my own mind, I am the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 11:15). But if we waited until a pastor or preacher was 100% perfect and sinless before we let them get behind the pulpit, a sermon would never be preached on this earth again.

No, that's not what I mean when I say I sometimes don't feel like a Christian. What I mean is I don't always feel like I'm the stereotypical Christian I'm supposed to be when I claim to be a Christian. Spirituality has never been my strong suit. Devoted prayer and worship has never come easy to me. This can make one feel rather out of place when they grow up in a Pentecostal tradition. Now, I'm not critiquing expressive worship. Indeed, I rather enjoy attending enthusiastic worship meetings. I'm just usually the reserved guy standing at the side, hands in his pockets, taking it all in.

What usually gets me excited about God, though, are the details, intricacies, and problematic quandaries of Christianity. There is a certain feeling of joy when I ponder the absurdities of the faith. In general I am admittedly a nerd. I know more about the Star Wars universe that takes place beyond the movies than most people probably do about the stories contained within the 6 main films. It only makes sense that I would apply this same obsessive fascination with obscure minutia to my faith. If I feel like I don't fulfill the role of a Christian particularly well, maybe I better embody the notion of a Christ-nerd.

This is Relevant to My Thesis

Captain America: There's only one God, ma'am. And I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that.

 

As of this writing, The Avengers has made $457 million. Domestically. Worldwide, the film's total gross is $1.18 billion, according to Box Office Mojo. You may never have read a comic about the Avengers in your life, but it looks like there's a good chance you saw the movie.

Yeah, my thesis is relevant. It is very relevant.

The Power to Make the Dead Live Again

It would be tempting, wouldn't it?
All it would take, really, is the will. Oh, certainly every last vestige of willpower that could be summoned.
But it would be tempting.
Think of it.
The power to resurrect that which no longer exists...or create that which only exists in the mind's eye. All of it perfect in every detail.
The power to make the dead live again...
...To redress any wrong...
...To rewrite history with a happy ending.
The power to be God.

 - Green Lantern #48

by Ron Marz and Bill Willingham

Previously Legitimized Environments

Entertainment theology is simply ideas about God that emerge outside of previously legitimized environments and structures of mediation.

- Entertainment Theology: New-Edge

Spirituality in a Digital Democracy

by Barry Taylor

Irredeemable

What you did learn, repeatedly, was that it doesn't matter one bit how much good you do in this lifetime.
No matter how much you give, or for how long, or how hard you try...
...All it takes is one mistake to make you irredeemable.

- Irredeemable #24

by Make Waid, Peter Krause, and Diego Barreto

MitchWords: Part Seven

One of the issues I encounter with examining theology in graphic literature is that the theology usually isn't very good. I've found ways it can make me pause, explore related issues, and come up with a (hopefully) thoughtful analysis. But the problem still stands that, on the surface, most of it just isn't sound, correct, or orthodox theology. I've opined before that this might be due to pop culture allowing for an avenue to critique matters of religion that you'll never hear in a church.

The Church that Hunted Them

Maybe it's a survival adaptation?
Mice have evolved so they panic and run away from the smell of cat urine...
...Because mice who avoid cats are more likely to live and pass on their genes.
Maybe it's the same for vampires who ran from symbols of the church that hunted them?

- Witch Doctor #0

by Brandon Seifert and Lukas Ketner