Christ-figures

I’d say that the most obvious trend to point to when talking about the apologetics of story is the use of Christ-figures. I mean, it has Christ in the title.  I’ve been thinking a lot about these sorts of characters recently. Why are they there? What are they for? Are they a good thing or a bad thing?

It can be a bit uncomfortable at times to see a character in a book or film blatantly compared to the savior of the universe. But so we feel that unease because they serve as a Christ-figure, or is it something else?

 

Maybe we should start by defining our terms. It’s pretty simple, actually. A Christ-figure is a character in literature who possesses some quality or performs some action reminiscent of the Biblical Savior.

What are they for, though? What would prompt a writer to compare their character to Jesus Christ? Think about it. The core message of God’s story is the fall of humanity, and it’s restoration through Christ Jesus. He is the theme of the Bible.  Therefore, in their fictional microcosms, writers create characters with similarities to Christ  in order to communicate their themes.

Then what is it that causes a Messianic comparison to strike us as wrong or blasphemous? It’s not the literary construct itself. In fact, the very idea of the Christ-figure is a testimony to Christ.  The problem is the theme. As strange as it may seem, a character reminiscent of Jesus can be used to convey a theme quite contrary to him. For example, (as much as I hate to cite this book), John Steinbeck’s Jim Casy serves as the Christ-figure in The Grapes of Wrath. While his actions and attributes,(such as his initials being J.C.), can be compared to the Son of God, he represents a humanistic pantheism that is quite anti-Biblical.

Now that that’s out of the way, here are a few more examples from literature and sci-fi, (because this is a geek blog):

-Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird): His defense of a helpless man- just as Christ it the defender of the helpless human race-- communicates the theme that you should always try to understand a person before you judge them.

-Spock (Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan/The Search for Spock): His sacrificial actions for his ship and crew highlight the ideas of life coming from death and loyalty being stronger than revenge.

-The Doctor (Doctor Who): Over and over again, this man from outside earth is called upon to be the planet’s savior. One of his main themes seems to be that no one is unimportant.

These are just a few I came up with from my recent ponderings. I’m interested in poking around for more themes displayed by Christ-figures. If you have any other examples, I’d love to hear them!

Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora

Hey there! If you're still reading, thanks for your patience. Hopefully the posts on this blog will become more regular and scheduled come summer. My next post may have something to do with the Theory of Everything, subatomic particles, and Colossians. Hope you enjoy!

God's Not Dead Movie Review

   Hey all! The promised post is finally here. Today, I will give a review for the recently released Christian film, God’s Not Dead. This is my first time writing and publishing a movie review, so I hope you enjoy it. If you have any thoughts on the movie, or suggestions for future reviews, please leave a comment. And if you haven’t seen the movie yet, don’t worry. I’ll stay spoiler free!

 God’s Not Dead is a movie about….well, a lot of things, actually. Though the main storyline is about a Christian college student standing up to his aggressively atheist professor, there are quite a few subplots, some of which I found even more compelling. It takes most of the movie before we start to see these plots come together, and the way they all tied together in the end was a bit weak in my opinion. However, in these scattered anecdotes, there is some very strong, moving storytelling. I felt an emotional attachment to certain characters, cared about what happened to them, and was surprised by a plot twist at the end.

  The characters of this movie are pretty black and white. In general, you can tell which people are the good guys, and which are the bad guys. This is not necessarily detrimental to the story, though, and most of them are written and acted genuinely.

 

   Theme is most definitely the core aspect of the story. There is heavy-handed Christian and apologetic content- which fits into the stories which were being told. The movie does not try to conceal its message. At all. The title is the thematic statement: God’s Not Dead. I didn’t notice too much deep, underlying symbolism, but meaning was not at all lacking. One minor element I thought may have detracted from the message was the occasional relativisation of truth-claims in the dialogue. For example, one of the characters made the statement, “to me, God’s not dead”. That seemed to push the idea of God’s existence into a relativistic domain. However, this only happened a few times, and I’m certain it wasn’t intentional. The writer(s?) wove in a few literary references, which I would not have personally brought up because of their own themes, but they seemed to fit the worldview of the characters who mentioned them. ( Of course, I try not to think about The Grapes of Wrath at all, much less mention it in my stories.) The production quality is the highest I’ve seen in a Christian movie probably since the film Soul Surfer came out. Music was used well, and the few special effects that were needed were believable.

  

   Overall, I don’t think God’s Not Dead is a groundbreaking movie. I do think it is a good movie. I came into the theatre expecting to be disappointed, and came out pleasantly surprised. I had a good time watching it. I’d recommend the film to anyone who wants to enjoy a well-made, Christian worldview film, and support similar endeavors in the future. That, I think, is the most exciting part of God’s Not Dead. It’s a sign that more and better things are ahead for Christian cinema (like maybe a sci-fi movie? Maybe? Perhaps I should learn how to write screenplays…).

Keep on glowing in the dark,

Elora

Here is a bonus, super-fast review!

My least favorite part of the movie: No one mentioned subatomic particles! They got so close, so many times, but they never did mention them. Alright, in seriousness, my least favorite part was the excess of break-up scenes.

My favorite part of the movie: There was a twist at the end that I actually wasn’t expecting. Some people I went to the movies with said they saw it coming, but I did not. It can be really fun to be caught off guard in stories. Also, the reporter girl’s subplot was touching, and it was cool to see cameo appearances from the show Duck Dynasty.

Happy Star Wars Day!

May the Fourth be with you, one and all. You'll probably need it too. Giving all the Star Wars nerds (such as myself), a day to themselves? I have a bad....well, you know.
More posts to come (hopefully) soon!
Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora