For the last 5 years the top grossing movie at the box office has been a superhero movie or sci-fi movie — 2 Avengers movies and 3 Star Wars if you count this year.
It made me wonder, “Why do we go so crazy for movies like that?”
Don’t we all realize that stuff is fake?
Why don’t we look at all the sci fi/super hero stuff and say, “That’s dumb. That could never happen. I would never pay to watch that?”
But the $$$ prove that’s not the typical reaction.
We LOVE to watch them (and re-watch them, and read analysis articles about them, and collect action figures, and dress our kids up as the characters for Halloween)!!
What does that tell us about ourselves?
A FAMILIAR PATTERN
C.S. Lewis is probably the most famous atheist to ever live. He ended up putting his trust in Jesus when he became convinced in what he called “the true myth.”
His reasoning went something like this:
All the greatest stories and myths in history follow the same pattern and human beings are drawn towards that pattern.
Beginning —> Conflict —> Hero —> Rescue —> Restoration
Look familiar?
Why are human beings drawn to that? What is it inside of us that resonates so deeply?
WE WANT SOMETHING BIG
We love Star Wars and superhero movies because at some level we really want them to be true!
Our hearts long for something bigger than ourselves; something that give meaning, purpose and hope to our life. We want there to be a “force” that connects all things and purposes all things.
What if that desire in our heart exists because there IS something bigger than ourselves!
What if there really is a “disturbance” that we all recognize and want to be fixed? We feel it, even if we can’t identify it.
What if that feeling exists because there is a true, real story taking place in history and all these other stories point to it?
What if every time you or your friends go watch Star Wars or a super hero movie it’s because your heart crying out for God?
You desperately want him to be real!
If we are created in the image of God it would make sense that we feel a connection to the transcendent.
Our heart is waiting for the hero, the rescuer, the redeemer who will restore the balance to the universe and make everything right again. Jesus is the hero we long for!
PUT IT INTO PRACTICE: HOW TO USE STAR WARS TO START A CONVERSATION ABOUT JESUS
A lot of us wish we could have easy to start conversations about faith and Jesus. For most it’s always nerve wracking and unclear how and when to begin. What if you tried using Star Wars as your conversation starter this week?
I did it and it went amazing.
I was talking to an atheist college student and started the conversation asking if he could guess the top 5 highest grossing movies at the box office the last 5 years.
He could name 2-3. I told him the rest, then asked, “Why do you think we love super hero and sci fi movies so much?”
The conversation was amazing! He grew up in without any faith background and his only experience with religion was of Mormons trying to convert him; which apparently did not go well and left him pretty hostile toward religious conversation.
But something resonated with him in this.
We talked back and forth for a while and I ended with the question, ”What if our desire for those movies means we want God to be real?”
I let him sit on it! He loved it and resonated with it a lot. At the end he said, “This was a way different type of conversation.”
I ended up asking him if he’d be open to reading the Bible some with me to explore some of Jesus’ life. He said he would. He read through the whole first chapter of John and we started meeting up each week to talk about it.
YOU CAN DO THIS TOO! Try it this week and see what people say! It could be a great way to start a conversation with a family member or a friend over the holidays.
Let me know how it goes!
HERE IS THE SAMPLE SCRIPT I USED:
- YOU: Hey did you see Star Wars? (It’s going to destroy box office record)
- YOU: I saw the list of the highest grossing films of the last 5 years…think you can name them? (Star Wars, Avengers, Black Panther, Star Wars, Star Wars)
- YOU: Why do you think we love sci fi and super hero movies so much? (Let them answer, engage with what they say)
- YOU: I was reading this article and it was saying, “What if we love Star Wars and Super heroes so much because deep down we really hope they could be true…we want there to be something bigger than ourselves? (They’ll say something like, “hmmm, could be”)
- YOU: It made sense to me, if God is real and we’re made in his image maybe there is something in us that feels that connection. What do you believe about God at this stage of your life? (Don’t argue or push, just engage with them.)
- END: Try to leave the door open
- YOU: “Is that something you’d be open to exploring?” At this point it all depends on where they are. Try to sense if they are spiritually hostile, open, curious, interested. You can tell pretty quick!
- If open say,
- YOU: Anyway, I really thought that idea was interesting. If you’re open to it I’d love to a) talk more about what I’ve been learning about God, b) tell you about how I started following Jesus, c) invite you to this bible study I go to, etc. etc. (some next step)
*** If you are interested in more resources like this to to help you start conversations about Jesus click subscribe above and let’s put discipleship into practice!
