By James Wilson
The
tag line for the latest Captain America film is, “In heroes we trust.” That supposedly clever play on the national
motto, “In God we trust,” is pathetic.
Heroes – both real and of the comic book variety – are of great cultural
value. Real heroes are role models and
God-sends for each of us. Yet gods they
are not and messiahs they are not. Heroes
are rare and wonderful, but there is one Messiah.
Even
so, God the Son is always looking for heroes who will acknowledge Him before
men so He can acknowledge them before the Father. He has inspired a great model of what He
seeks in last summer’s film, God’s Not Dead.
The
plot line offers a university course in Philosophy. The professor begins the first day of class
with an arrogant declaration that there is no God and only a fool would think
otherwise. He passes out a sheet of
paper to every student and demands that they write, “God is dead,” and sign
their names – in order to save the time in which they might debate the
question. One student says he cannot
sign it; he believes Jesus is His Lord and he will not dishonor this Lord. The professor challenges the student to
defend God’s existence in three twenty-minute segments over the next couple of
weeks and flunk the class if he fails.
The student – reluctantly – accepts the challenge. When the professor later confronts the
student privately he admits that he hates the God who did not heal his mother
of cancer and promises to destroy the student’s career in retaliation for
daring to take on the professor.
There
have been many complaints about this film and its alleged lack of realism from
many secular quarters. They are straw
men and should be dismantled one at a time – hopefully without spoiling the
surprises in the film for those who have not yet seen it.
Atheists
say real atheists do not deny God’s existence because they hate Him; they
simply do not believe He exists. While I
don’t presume to speak for all who deny God, I know too many atheists just like
the professor to accept this as anything but self-justification. Politically correct zealots project anti
Islamic bias because a Muslim girl is brutalized by her father when he
discovers her secret faith in Jesus.
Again, I know former Muslims of both genders who face death if their
families should discover their whereabouts.
And the real grief of the Muslim father discounts the view Muslims are
presented as unfeeling brutes in this movie.
Amateur
psychiatrists ridiculing the dementia patient who gains her faculties just long
enough to speak eloquently to her wayward son about God’s love don’t know many
dementia patients; such things do happen and I have seen them. Conservatives who think business tyros like
the Dean Cain character are not that crass are obviously unfamiliar with the
muck at the top of many pyramids.
Progressives who claim students have rights to free speech on campus and
professors would not hold students hostage to pet issues should review the
dozens of cases cited at the end of the film – these are just pending cases of
the Alliance Defending Freedom, one of many non-profit legal foundations who
defend the First Amendment as their principal activity – or they could check in
with me. I experienced this kind of
discrimination – bullying – at San Diego State University more than forty years
ago and it is much more prevalent today.
Anyone who finds the moment-of-death
conversion to faith in one of the atheist characters non-credible should talk
with me – or any Bible believer who has tended many people at this moment. And some of the pious among us should get
comfy with the reality these people really do go to heaven – whatever they have
done on this planet.
Only
one aspect of the film struck me as unrealistic. When the student puts his proof to the test
of democracy – per agreement with the prof – every student in class stands to
affirm their conviction despite the possible consequences to their class grade. The truth is most American Christians lack
the courage to make such a gesture, and there are real consequences for
cowardice. Jesus says He will
acknowledge before His Father those who acknowledge Him before men; those who
deny Him will be likewise denied per Matthew 10:32-3. But the consequence of courage is joy and
peace in this life and an incomparable retirement plan.
God
already sent the only Messiah we need.
But He is looking for heroes and our culture needs the kind depicted in
God’s Not Dead.
James A. Wilson is the author of Living
As Ambassadors of Relationships and The
Holy Spirit and the End Times – available at local bookstores or by
e-mailing him at
praynorthstate@charter.net
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