Superman Christianity

In Superman 4, Kal-El (i.e. Superman) is battles his new arch-nemesis Nuclear Man for a long time (approximately 90 minutes [93 if you live in Finland], which is generally the amount of time it takes to defeat a bad guy, solve a crime, or learn a life lesson).

Nuclear Man is a clone of Superman who possesses all the same powers as the man in tights (with the addition of unsightly fingernails), yet has one deficiency: he needs the power of the yellow sun. Superman does too, but this David Bowie impersonator simply can’t fight without it. Superman finally defeats him by fighting him on the dark side of the moon, then buries him in a nuclear reactor (who didn’t see that one coming?).

I generally use this story to illustrate my genetic need to live in the South. Seasonal Affectedness Disorder (SAD) afflicts 1.5% of Americans, with the most typical symptom being depression during long winter months. In short, Seasonal Affectedness Disorder and the state of Oregon teach us one thing: people need sunshine to live healthy lives. Great cheese comes from happy cows. Happy cows live in California. Although I do not technically have SAD, I often experience a noticeable loss of energy during several consecutive days of grayness and empathize with the SAD people.

But beyond the need for sunshine, I think the best use of this story fits with us and the Holy Spirit. As Christians, the vitality that the indwelling of the Lord God provides is simply irreplaceable. The Spirit literally provides life (Rom. 8:10), yet so many Christians survive without it. Why, and how, is that?

The why is pretty simple: living in the Spirit takes work. Like all relationships, your connection with God takes daily effort and intentionality. I’ve not yet seen a relationship in which both people said one day, “Hey, let’s get married,” got married, then were a part of a thriving union despite never talking to each other thereafter. Any kind of intimacy is the product of a continual choice to prioritize and dedicate oneself to expending the time and energy necessary to get to know each other. Like a living organism, death begins once growth stops. In physics terms, relationships exist in a dampened system. We know this—it’s common sense. Yet for some reason, 90% of Christians (that statistic is completely made up) reject the normal rules of relationships and think they can get by with little-to-no attention given to their internal reality.

The how is slightly more complicated: if we really need the Holy Spirit that badly, then how is it that people survive without it? Francis Chan, in his book The Forgotten God (3 stars), offers the beginnings of an explanation:

“For some reason, we don’t think we need the Holy Spirit. We don’t expect the Holy Spirit to act. Or if we do, our expectations are often misguided or self-serving. Given our talent set, experience, and education, many of us are fairly capable of living rather successfully (by the world’s standards) without any strength from the Holy Spirit” (p. 31).

Although he would agree that even those who openly reject God need the Holy Spirit for every single breath, it’s obvious that people who choose to ignore God can still be “successful.” If you just want to live a normal, decent life, then you can do so without relying on the daily sustenance of God’s presence. Nuclear Man didn’t need the Sun to survive, just for his superpowers to work. Although the Spirit offers much more than simple abilities, you can’t live a supernatural life without it.

Chan thinks (rightly so) that we should be unsatisfied with this “fairly adequate” life:

“I don’t want my life to be explainable without the Holy Spirit. I want people to look at my life and know that I couldn’t be doing this by my own power. I want to live in such a way that I am desperate for Him to come through. That is He doesn’t come though, I am screwed” (p. 142).

Without the supernatural indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we’re Power Wheels without batteries, superheroes without powers. Who wants to be Batman when you could be Superman? (If you are one of those people who thinks Batman is cooler than Superman, then you are hopeless and possibly not a Christian. Let me know so I can pray for you.) I, for one, am not okay with living a mediocre life. That’s not what we’re created for or called to. That’s why I continually seek to dwell in the life-giving power of the Son.

(Audible groan as I end with typically cheesy Christian pun.)