Faithfully Magazine: What Can Superheroes Teach Us About Biblical Justice?

For Faithfully Magazine, I wrote about the possibility of Biblical Justice — a justice that welcomes others and restores the weak and downtrodden — in superhero movies.

“[Superman: The Movie] captures so much of what we love about superhero movies: the fantasy that some inexplicable power will rescue us from certain calamity, that miracles arrive in colorful spandex.

That scene also demonstrates why Christians are among the biggest superhero fans. Christianity is, as the great theologian Howard Thurman wrote, the religion of those “with their backs against the wall.” Again and again, the Bible teaches that God comforts those who mourn, that all things work for the good of those who love God, no matter how powerful the wicked may seem, no matter how dire the situation may appear. The Bible promises that God “regards the lowly” over the haughty, that God loves justice.

But is the justice God loves the same as the justice Superman and the Avengers mete out against wicked businessman Lex Luthor or universe-destroying Thanos? Is beating up bad guys the same as doing good?”

Read the whole thing here!