Avenger's Infinity Wars Leaves Christians with Deep Issues to Chew On
I love superhero movies. What’s especially moving about them is that the good guys always stand up for what’s right and protect people from the harm that is looming overhead. The superheroes almost always save the day before the lights come back on, and we can all leave the theater feeling good. However, the latest Marvel movie Avengers Infinity Wars leaves Christians with some deep issues to chew on.
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If you haven’t seen the newest Avengers movie but plan on doing so you may want to bookmark this post and come back to it after watching the movie. I will try not to give too much of the movie away, but there will be some spoilers included.
Here are 3 themes/characters from the Avengers movie and how they relate to Christianity.
Thanos
Thanos is the biggest and baddest bad guy in the Marvel universe. The latest Avengers movie does a great job giving some background on his character. He is different from the other bad guys in the Marvel universe, or any super hero movie for the matter, in that he has a reason behind gaining all the power he can in the six infinity stones. Most bad guys just want all the power to have all the power.Thanos’ motivation in acquiring all six infinity stones is to re-balance the universe and save all its resources by killing off half the entire population. He believes that doing so will help the surviving half live longer, happier, and healthier lives. One of the other aspects of the infinity stones Thanos likes is that the selection of the half that would live would be completely random. Young, old, rich, poor, all have the same odds of living vs. dying. Of course, the Avengers didn’t take too kindly to this idea and stood up for what they believed to be right: that no one should have to die.One of the major things that stood out to me about the character of Thanos is that even though his motives were misplaced he still cared for all of creation. He wanted it to live and thrive. This really spoke to me that no matter how evil someone appears to be, there is always some good in their hearts. Jesus can use that to bring people back to him!
2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (ESV)
Death is a real problem
Death is a major theme in the movie, given Thanos’ motives. Unlike most superhero movies, the Avengers aren’t bulletproof and have to deal with the possibility of an inevitable death of themselves, their friends, colleagues, and loved ones.This is a great opportunity for Christians to talk to non-believers and bridge the gap between pop culture and the realities of Christianity. Most of us don’t wake up and worry/wonder if we are going to die today. Generally, we look at the day as though we will have a full day and live a full life. For those of us secure in our salvation with Jesus, this is a good thing. For those that don’t know Jesus, this can be problematic. As the scriptures tell us, we will not know the time or place of Jesus’ return (Matthew 25:13). Much like everyone in the Marvel universe, they didn’t know if or when Thanos will kill off half the universe’s population. I’m sure there are plenty of them that didn’t even know what Thanos was trying to do.This is similar to how Satan works. He doesn’t want anyone to know that he is running around trying to spiritually kill every single one of us. And he likes to cause confusion and doubt about God and his goodness/faithfulness.We, as Christians, need to take a page out of the Avengers playbook and stand up against Satan fighting for those who have doom looming over their heads. No matter how scary things may get we have to keep pressing into Jesus and gain the strength and courage from him to take on all the evil in the world.
Philippians 3:12 - Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. (NIV)
God is more powerful than Thanos
Even though Thanos took on 20+ Avengers and survived, his power doesn’t even compare to God’s. All we have to do is turn to the first chapter of the bible and see that God literally spoke everything into existence. All of creation on land, in the sea, and in the air are under his control. I don’t know about you but it is comforting to know that the most powerful thing in the galaxy loves you and me and cares for us in ways that we can never comprehend.I’m so thankful that I am able to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, and it’s not because of anything I did but because he loves me that much. If you haven’t experienced that in your life and would like to, I ask that you take a minute and pray the prayer below;Dear heavenly Father, I want to take this moment to submit my life to you. I ask that you forgive me of my sins, which such a gracious gift is given only through your anointed blood on the cross. You died for me and I accept your gift of love, mercy, grace, peace, and eternal life. With faith, I declare that Jesus Christ now lives in me forever and ever. Amen!Welcome to the team friend! The next step is crucial to your salvation. Tell someone the decision you just made. Feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this post, email us here at paradigm shift (Contact@DailyPS.com), or call/text your family and friends.
Romans 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. (NIV)