by David Keating
The Keating Files – September 15, 2020
My wife and I recently finished a re-watch of Amazon’s series The Boys in preparation for the release of the second season of the television show. The Boys is an extremely graphic (so, a word of caution is offered here for potential viewers) take on the superhero genre. The “heroes” in this television show aren’t so much paragons of moral courage and heroism as they are morally depraved totems of corporate America. Each superhero in the show is far more concerned with their brand identity and with public perception than they are in standing up for the little guy and defeating evildoers.
The main superheroes that the series follows are all close analogues for many of DC Comics characters. A Superman parallel goes by the name of Homelander (this version of Superman is draped in a literal American flag, instead of just saying he stands for truth, justice, and the American way); a Flash stand-in that goes by the name of A-Train; and a Stargirl look alike, who is named Starlight, serves as one of the point-of-view characters. It’s Starlight that is, by far, the most redeemable of the characters in The Boys’ version of the Justice League, as she still believes she can act like a hero traditionally should or would in a superhero movie.
One of the arcs that Starlight’s character goes through in the first season is her struggle with her belief in God and her Christianity. The version of Christianity that is presented in this series is almost as morally repugnant as the warped heroes themselves. It’s clear that the Christianity that Starlight grew up with is a pseudo-evangelicalism that’s complete with rock concert worship, t-shirt stands featuring kitschy Christian slogans, and an inspirational megachurch speaker named Ezekiel. Indeed, The Boys’ Christianity is less there to facilitate an encounter with Christ, as it is to undergird faith in a perverse version of the American dream.
Starlight’s struggle with her faith stems from a sexual trauma that she endured at the hands of another one of the corporate heroes. She attempts to speak about her experience and is quickly told that if she wants to maintain her position in “The Seven” – that is, this show’s name for its Justice League – then she should keep her mouth shut.
Similarly, Starlight attempts to discuss what happened to her in the context of a Christian festival that she attends and is asked to speak at, and is similarly discouraged from trying to sort through the experience in a faith-based context.
The troubling thing, for both my wife and me, was that this was the only version of Christianity presented. There were no characters earnest in their faith who could have been there to lend a helping hand or at least a listening ear. The question that jumped to my mind was: Is this an intentional statement from the creators or have we gotten to the point that this is just our culture’s perception of what Christianity is and has to offer? No doubt, Hollywood has long been filled with edgy atheist types who are constantly looking to take a swipe at the Church. However, if this is simply culture’s perception of the Church more broadly, then Christianity has a much bigger issue.
The Church simply cannot be an experience-driven rally. Christianity is about far more than youth rallies and engaging speakers. It’s about more than just something that unites us culturally as Americans as well. Christianity is first and foremost about a relationship with Jesus and that relationship transcends divisions of culture and country.
Part of what the Church is there to do is to listen to and empathize with the real-life versions of what characters like Starlight experienced. Christianity is, at least in part, about listening to often-times uncomfortable experiences of the people around us. These experiences can stem from people who have been hurt and have been sinned against in real, traumatic ways.
We listen because Jesus encourages us to be a voice for the downtrodden and the oppressed. And when we do listen to those hurts that we all share, then we point them to the answer. Jesus reminds us to, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” It is Jesus who offers a real source of healing. After all, He is the one who has born our sin upon himself and has reconciled us to God. It is in Christ Jesus where we are able to cast off our burdens and receive the healing that can only stem from His life, death, and resurrection.
So, part of what we can do in response to cultural depictions of the faith is to prove them wrong. When a friend or a neighbor carries a weighty burden causing grief, we can listen. When our communities are in crisis, we can be there to help. And when people are looking for some real, classic heroism, the Church can be there to lend a hand. We do this not for our own sake or our own branding, but instead we do it because it glorifies our Father who is in Heaven. If we want to solve Christianity’s cultural perception problem, then there is one thing that we clearly can do: care for the least among us.
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The Reverend David Keating is pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Curtis, Nebraska.
Previously by Pastor Keating…
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