"Hollywood Heroes" (Frank Turek and Zach Turek)

TITLE: Hollywood Heroes: How Your Favorite Movies Reveal God
AUTHOR: Frank Turek and Zach Turek
PUBLISHER: Colorado Springs, CO: Tyndale House Publishers, 2022, (256 pages).
 

We watch a lot of movies. During a pandemic when most of us are either locked down, working from home, or simply spending more time isolated from the general public, we tend to stay indoors and in our leisure moments, watch even more movies While some of us simply want to be entertained, in the midst of searching for nice movies to watch, there is a little child inside each of us craving for hope. This heart desires to be inspired by heroic acts and heroes who could save the world. Whether fantasy or sci-fi, drama or romance, we all want something good to happen in this world. With the popularity of Marvel movies, characters from Justice League, and memorable personalities from Harry Potter, Lord-Of-The-Rings, etc, these superheroes have captivated our imagination about special powers and unique abilities. These are skills that the common person does not have. Spiderman can swing. Harry Potter casts spells. Batman has his special gadgets and the futuristic Star Wars gives us an out-of-this-world experience. Common to all movies described in this book is the hero who aids mankind with the accomplishment of the greater good, and often to save the world. This hero figure essentially tells us that fictional characters represent hope and inspiration in real life. Throughout these movies, there are many other lessons we could glean from, such as questions about the divine, ethical dilemmas, the reality of evil, the downfall of arrogance, the consequences of personal choices, and the sanctity of life. Authors Frank and Zach Turek assert that these movies actually reveal our desire for God. With an intrinsic sense of good battling evil, these stories speak of salvation, justice, senseless evil, and the eventual culmination of good. These superheroes and gallant protagonists often represent the inner human need for retribution against evil and the victory of the good. Yet, they assert that however heroic or virtuous each of these heroes may be, they are a far cry from the God of the Bible. This book is essentially about how these Hollywood heroes reveal our hearts' desires and how they ought to point us to the Greatest Hero of all: God. 

Characters like Captain America is called the "ideal" superhero because he seeks always to do the right thing and does not compromise on ethical decisions. In contrast, Iron Man is more hedonist than heroic. His special powers actually depend on his special suit. Without it, he is not much a superhero. Yet, we are more like Tony Stark in our earthly endeavors: Our struggle to define ourselves through our accomplishments. Harry Potter is an interesting edition. In fact, the creator of the series, JK Rowling admits that there are lots of "Christian imagery" in her writings and her entire series could be summed up in two Bible verses: 1 Corinthians 15:26 and Matthew 6:21! Themes of prophecy, morality, life, and resurrection are all there. The popular Star Wars and "Lord of the Rings" series has many spiritual themes too. Apart from the existence of good and evil, faith, salvation, redemption, and hope are also evident. Batman is a more controversial character. While he is often seen as the positive force for good, his own life is shrouded in darkness, with lots of symbolism of what it means to live in the dark cloud of secrecy while quietly wanting to make a positive difference to bring justice to the life of the city. The chapter on Wonder Woman brings out more interesting observations about what it takes to reveal truth in a fallen world. On top of the many heroic characteristics mentioned, her story tells of selfless love and sacrifice. 

My Thoughts
Interestingly, authors Frank Turek and Zach Turek begin the book, not with some reel character but a real-life person. Michael Monsoon was killed in action during a mission in Afghanistan. When insurgents hurled a grenade into his vicinity, in order to protect his two fellow Navy Seals near him, he sacrificed himself by using his own body to absorb the explosion. He is the true hero that many of us would admire. While he did not have superpowers like the ones mentioned in Hollywood, his act is no less noble. While the authors have consistently pointed to Jesus as the ultimate hero, they also remind us that as followers of Jesus, of how we all have glimpses of goodness inside us, but tempted by evil and sin. This contrasts sharply with the Person of Jesus Christ, who did all the good, overcame sin in spite of manifold temptations, and humbly submitted to God's will to die on the Cross. For that, He was resurrected and declared victorious. Even if we combine all the positive attributes of the Hollywood heroes mentioned in the book, they cannot hold a candle to the virtues of Jesus. Just like how the authors introduce a real human figure in the salvation of two Navy seals, he ends with the sacrifice of Jesus for the salvation of the whole world! Now, that is a powerful reality check. As individuals, we often see our small world as the real world. God sees the whole universe as His context, and yet is able to care for every individual where they are. His decisions are far greater than the ethical dilemmas faced in this world. His justice far exceeds the choices made in both fictional and non-fictional stories. His love easily overwhelms all the emotional and spiritual motifs mentioned in the humanly created characters. While we all seem to refer to the Hollywood characters as our superheroes, we need to remember that they are still characters flowing out of human imagination. This brings out the age-old question. If humans created the Hollywood heroes, the one who created humans in the first place would be a more significant creator! Some unbelievers might argue that if God created the world, then who created God? The simple answer would be: God is uncreated. He exists in eternity. Before the world began, God is already there. If we go on a cyclical manner of questioning God as if He is created, we will enter into a meaningless loop of uncertainty. 

This book is a creative work of apologetics. The authors are passionate about sharing the gospel and answering the questions surrounding faith and Christianity. Throughout the book, they aim to show us why hero and superhero movies are so popular in the first place. That is because they reflect a huge part of the human craving for meaning and significance. What they cannot find in this world, they look toward the fictional stories as an embodiment of their desires. Sometimes, I wonder why people are so willing to embrace the Hollywood stories by willingly forking out their hard-earned cash to watch the movies. Yet, they quickly dispense of the gospel story that has been offered for free in many churches, Christian events, and even faith-based movies. If this book could encourage readers to be willing to hear the gospel again and to accept the person of Jesus Christ, this would have worth the price of the book. Otherwise, with so many themes and symbolism that we can all learn from, watching superhero movies will never be the same again. In a good way of course!

Frank Turek (DMin, Southern Evangelical Seminary) serves as the vice president of Southern Evangelical Seminary. He has appeared on numerous television and radio programs. He is also the President of CrossExamined.org, where he presents powerful and entertaining evidence for Christianity at churches, high schools, and at secular college campuses that often begin hostile to his message. He has also debated several prominent atheists including Christopher Hitchens and David Silverman, president of American Atheists. 

Zach Turek (Frank's son) is an officer of the United States Air Force. He is also a graduate of Southern Evangelical Seminary with an MA in Philosophy.

Rating: 4 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book has been provided courtesy of Tyndale House Publishers, NavPress, and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.