Good Guys and Villains

I guess I am still a kid at heart; I still love to go to the movies. Maybe it's because I have kids that I still find comic book characters fascinating. Be it Iron Man, Spider-Man, Superman, or as the case may be recently, Batman. It has to be more than me who finds thrill in the comic book stories spun by both DC comics and Marvel considering the substantial box office records broken last week. Somebody else out there loves this stuff too!

While I left the actually magazine's behind years ago, big screen or small, I find myself drawn to it like a moth to a flame. The new installment of Batman: The Dark Knight comes with far more action than its predecessor, Batman Begins. This time, Gotham City, is plagued by the crazed lunatic, the Joker. For those who thought Jack Nicholson broke the mold on how to play the villain, think again. The Late Heath Ledger may be nominated for an Oscar for his role. He may be considered one of the best bad guys ever to hit celluloid.

Okay, so I know this is not a movie review column, but I found some unique links between the Dark Knight and Jesus. For fans who have yet to see the movie... stop now! And yes, I know that Jesus is not a comic book character! But, here goes.

Batman upsets society. He is a vigilante who goes about fighting crime to protect the lives of people. But there is something else. He dares to reach down into the gutter to do the job others who are unwilling or too corrupt to take on. In many ways, while this endears him to the public, the criminals and even the police are not amused. In the same way, Jesus upset the social norms of His day. He dared speak to women, welcome children, heal the lame and leapers, even on the Sabbath. He was an advocate for the poor and oppressed and called the religious leaders and wealthy accountable for their actions. In short, both are depicted as larger than life heroes.

But, heroes are hard to come by. One great line from the movie is, "You either die the hero or you live long enough to become the villain."

Jesus embodied this quote. To those whom He healed, spiritually, physically, and mentally during his earthly life, he was a hero. Yet, in the last day of that earthly existence, Jesus was scorned, mocked, spat upon, and reviled as a villain. He died a horrific death and, had it not been for Joseph of Aramathea, His body might have been left for the dogs to dine upon. In this latest installment, Batman becomes the hunted villain too. I find it interesting that it is self inflicted fate. He allows the public to think ill of him rather than causing the people of the city to lose hope if they ever know the real story. The hero today may be the persecuted tomorrow. It was left to a crowd to condemn Jesus. A crowd that was incited to shout, "crucify Him!' again and again.

While I enjoy the fantasy of Batman, Batman is fictional. Jesus' life, self sacrificial death, and eternal life are a reality. Hebrews 1 says, "After He finished the sacrifice for sins, the Son took his honored place high in the heavens right alongside God, far higher than any angel in rank and rule." Again in Hebrews 2, "It makes good sense that the God who got everything started and keeps everything going now completes the work by making the Salvation Pioneer perfect through suffering as he leads all these people to glory."

Everyone needs this hero to save us. Be sure to pick the right one! I hope you can accept Jesus as yours!

The Good about the Good News

What comes first... repentance or forgiveness? That is the question Professor J.B. Torrance raised with his theology students. This question was used to stop the soon to be preachers in their tracks and really make them think hard about the heart of God and the reconciling work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Torrance’s point was that God’s forgiveness (i.e. grace) is unconditional and is to be proclaimed as such to the world. John Calvin said “a man cannot apply himself seriously to repentance without knowing himself to belong to God. But no one is truly persuaded that he belongs to God unless he has first recognized God’s grace.” Yet how is one to understand God’s grace if it is not proclaimed to him or her as a fact rather than a conditional promise?

Dr. Baxter Kruger tells this story. He says, "I had a conversation with a young man who was somewhat disturbed by my simple declaration that “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself” (2COR 5:19) and by the fact that I turned to the folks gathered at our meeting and declared that all without exception had been forgiven and embraced by the Father himself. In the conversation afterwards, I asked the young man, ‘what is the gospel?’ 'What do you tell people to believe?’ ‘what is the good news?’ He answered, ‘I tell people to believe in Jesus.’ I then asked, ‘believe in what about Jesus?’ His response was telling, ‘I tell people that if they repent and believe in Jesus, they will be forgiven.’ ‘So,’ I said, ‘the object of our faith is not Jesus and our salvation in him, but the possibility that we can be forgiven, if we repent and believe in Jesus. So we are summoned to believe in a Jesus who may be our savior if we repent and believe in him correctly, and in doing so (which we can’t) we actually make him the savior?’

Do we really believe in the fact of our forgiveness through Jesus and thus have something real to believe in? Or do we believe in the "possibility" of our forgiveness, and thus believe in whatever it is (our faith, repentance or goodness) that makes the "possibility" a reality?

Kruger goes on the say, "the gospel is not the news of what can be if we make it so; it is the news of what is, of what God has established in Christ. ‘God was in Christ reconciling the cosmos to himself." Thus, J.B. Torrance, John Calvin and even the Apostle Paul were right. Forgiveness is prior to repentance, and thus, even, prior to faith itself. Without the fact that God, in Christ, was reconciling the world to himself on that cross, then there is nothing real to believe. Without the proclamation of this truth as truth in our churches today, we give people nothing to believe in except themselves and the existential power of their own faith, abilities, and self-energized repentance. We cannot be afraid that there is anyone on this earth who is not supposed to hear that they are forgiven, embraced and included. Remember... grace is a free gift... presented by God... so that you are free of your sin. It is a reality and we thank God for our gift and acknowledge that we are in constant need of such a wonderful gift. We strive to be more, yet by God's grace we are free of sin and live each day, humbly walking with our Savior. That is Good News!

Check Your Daughters or Sons Date with These Helpful FBI Hints

Hello Dads and Moms,

I saw this blog elsewhere and had to post it for you. Maybe it will help?

These agents specialize in profiling individuals in order to predict behavior. Use these tips to rest easy until your daughter comes home at curfew, courtesy of Rodale Publishing:.
• Tip #1 from FBI agents – ask your daughter for her date’s full name ahead of time and then Google him, look him up on My Space, Facebook and You Tube. Any personal profiles or videos that come up will give you a good sense of his personality. Check out his favorite movies, books and videogames. According to Clint Van Zandt, who worked for the FBI for 25 years, reality mimics fantasy. He says he can’t tell you how many times he’s asked a criminal where they got their ideas and they’ve said they saw it in a movie.
• Then, when he gets to the house, evaluate his clothing. John Douglas, a former FBI investigative chief, says what a person wears reflects their overall level of judgment. So a jacket, combed hair, and cologne say – ‘I care. I’m trying to put my best foot forward.’ Camouflage pants, unwashed hair and body odor say ‘I only care about myself – and even then, not so much.’
• If the guy has any visible tattoos or piercings – ask about them. Generally the more in-your-face they are, the more they represent a cry for attention. People who demand that others notice them, may have trouble being sensitive to another person’s needs. Ask about the meaning behind the body art. It’ll provide insight into his character.
• As you’re talking to your daughter’s date – let the conversation stop. See how he fills the pause. That puts a person on edge and you can see how they handle stress.
• Finally, the FBI agents recommend that you directly state what your expectations are when he’s out with your daughter. Watch his body language. If he folds his arms and moves away, no matter how subtly, he’s resisting what you’re saying. So take down his license plate number, just in case.