Avengers

Live Dead and a Dangerous God
Avengers Movie Biblical Worldview Review by Barbara Castle

DISCLAIMER: This review is not an endorsement to see or to forbid to see this movie. The purpose of this review is the practice of discernment.

     In applying G.K. Chesterton’s, “There is only one angle at which a hero stands, and that is the angle of the cross.” Look for an avenger that finds this angle when he realizes the emptiness of his narcissism and how closely it resembles the enemy he wars against.

Then find the avenger that can’t “fix” the wrongs by works and the truth of this explained by an evil demi god. Read: depraved man cannot save himself from his sins for there is no good (righteousness) in him.

Captain America references the one (true) God and the Hulk is the one with the right attitude about our adversary.

The Live Dead St. Boniface who was a missionary to the Germanic people groups worshiping Thor and Odin would be glad to see that the mighty Thor stands at the angle of the cross with a heart so desperate to reach his fallen brother Loki. It is a testimony to our numinous Northern God (as C.S.Lewis described Him) – that He conquered so great a god as Thor.

And, from the Germanic tribes came Luther who would conquer the world with a few well placed quips that would make Iron Man proud. All he needed was an ink, quill, paper, and knotty old Catholic church door (it seems that wood is a central building material in the kingdom of God. Read: cross, paper, door).

Our God is an awesome God who is far and away the most dangerous super hero of them all. As Lewis put it, “Aslan is not a safe lion.”

“Is – is he a man?” asked Lucy

“Aslan a man!” said Mr. Beaver sternly. “Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don’t you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion, the Lion, the great Lion.”

“Ooh,” said Susan, “I thought he was a man. Is he – quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”

“That you will, dearie, and make no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver; “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”

“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the king I tell you.”

There was much talk in the movie about freedom and the worship of other gods. I think that there is a type of freedom that comes in the worship of false gods. A modern freedom or notion of what Francis Schaeffer described as being lulled by complacency and the comfort of prosperity.

But I think that God is awakening us and making us uncomfortable. I like what Joe Spann said, “There seems to be a growing feeling that God is ok with making us uncomfortable. In fact, I think He plans to. We worship a dangerous God and He is coming to threaten every area of your life. God is a loving God, do not be mistaken about that. His love, however, is unlike any human love; its chief concern is not to make you comfortable, but to make you free and to be free is dangerous and the act of making us free is dangerous.”

To be FREE is a dangerous act indeed and we need a few good heroes who are up to the task. It appears the Avengers are.

Rediscover the God you cannot control.