Even though our deophobic culture doesn't want to admit it, we're all looking for something greater.
We see it in the history of our entertainment, as Marvel brings back the comic books in the form of multi-million dollar films. Ironman. Thor. Captain America. And, most recently, "The Amazing Spiderman." I saw the movie this weekend and it started turning wheels in my head. There was something more here than Peter Parker in a red and blue spandex suit (thankfully).
In the movie itself, Parker takes on the role of a vigilante. There is a self-sacrifice and determination to stand up against an evil that he knew existed, even if no one else was willing to do so. It was costly. It cost him a great risk to his life, an atmosphere of rejection by his peers, and a terrible first date in front of Gwen's father (he seemed to rebound nicely on the balcony though. But I digress).
Near the end of the movie, despite the ordered evacuation for the city, there was something about Parker's role as a vigilante that spread outside of himself to those around him. The father of the boy Parker saved from a burning car is inspired to forgo his own safety and risk staying in the city, just so that Spiderman can make it to safety. One couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction upon watching "ordinary" people make extraordinary sacrifices.
Step outside the movie now.
We have a fascination, culturally, with the hero. The Peter Parkers and Tony Starks. The Captain Americas and the Thors. Evil was present on the streets, and Spiderman swings in to save the day. We want to believe he's real. We want to know that something is around to combat the evil around us. We don't have to see Spiderman or any other vigilante--we just need to know they exist and are fighting for us.
Our culture will never admit it. They'll never admit that what they really are looking for is a God. They can shout out that "God is dead and we have killed him" as Nietzsche did. They can sandblast him off every monument and black him out of every national document.
But even our entertainment says otherwise. We want to be inspired to be better people. We want someone to fight this jacked-up world. Marvel has shown us that we all want to believe that there is some good in the world.
Above all, it shouts loudly that, despite our protests, we are looking for a Messiah.
And the good news is that He's come.
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