Who Will Save Us? Part II

To see my discussion of the documentary Waiting for "Superman" click here. 

I began with the quote which bemoans the fact that "no one was coming with enough power to save me," given by one of the leading education reformers in the country. And by "leading" I don't mean on Capitol Hill; I mean someone who runs a school in Harlem and has effected actual and meaningful improvement. I've discussed the idea behind this quote as it pertains to the question of educational reform, which was the original context in which it occurred. But the quote really struck a deeper chord in me, an eternal chord.

The documentary ended with a clip from the old Superman TV series in which Superman, played by George Reeves, rescues a school bus full of children from going over a cliff. "The children are safe," declared the Man of Steel before flying off. Superman has always held a special place in my heart. As a comic book nut I love heroes like Batman, Spiderman, the Green Lantern, the Hulk, and even the Flash. Batman in particular is compelling because unlike most of the other heroes, he has no special powers. He's a billionaire, true, with marvelous gadgets and martial arts abilities, but he's not bullet-proof, doesn't have a ring of power or a spider bite from a radioactive spider. He's an ordinary man doing extraordinary things, one reason why he's so popular these days. It seems to offend us when the hero is too strong; we want to see him struggle, to wonder how he's going to pull out the victory.

And Superman is the most powerful being on earth, impervious to anything and everything except Kryptonite. No matter the challenge, no matter the threat, it's hard for us to imagine someone who can fly, lift entire buildings, go faster than bullets, and withstand nuclear blasts, not prevailing eventually. Superman is also irresistibly good, well-mannered, considerate, and humble. He's perfect. And perfection is boring.

Until, however, the earth is threatened by a stray meteor or a giant robot. Then, of course, he's our only hope, our greatest hero. Because he's the only one with the power, the knowledge, and the will to save us. Batman would be willing to save us, and since he's the world's greatest detective he's probably got the brainpower for it. But the power? He's just a man. Spiderman has some power; he can lift cars and punch through brick walls. But enough power to stop a meteor?

The correlation between Christ and Superman has been well-documented throughout the years since the rise of comic book heroes. The latest cinematic adaptation of Superman was positively dripping with allusions to Jesus. Take this line for instance, spoken to Kal-El by his father: "Even though you were raised as a human you are not one of them. They can be a great people if they choose to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason, above all, I have sent you to them, my only son." Pretty glaring, isn't it? And from Hollywood too! I was flabbergasted when I saw that, even more so that it was dialogue recorded 25 years earlier from the first Superman film.

This is Holy Week. Today is Thursday, the day of the week when Christ was crucified. (I know, tradition holds that he was crucified on Friday; however, Matthew 12:40 suggests that Jesus spent 3 days and nights in the tomb, which would mean he was crucified on Thursday if he rose again on Sunday.) Regardless, it is at this time of year that we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, a process by which Christians believe they are saved. Jesus is the Savior of the world, paying the blood price for humanity's sins to reconcile them to God.

Every human born of a man and a woman is born in sin. We aren't sinners because we sin; rather, we sin because we are sinners. Our sins and sinful nature separate us from God and consequently the spiritual life that is only to be found in Him. The wages of sin is death, which means we are born spiritually dead. And since God is perfectly holy and righteous, unable to tolerate sin, we as sinners cannot please Him or share His life. This is our plight. This is why we need a savior.

Thus we find ourselves in the same condition earlier discussed. We need someone who has the power, knowledge, and desire to save us. We believe that God sent His Son, born of a virgin which bypasses the sinful nature which natural birth leads to. He was perfect from birth, which gave him the power and ability to die for the sins of all, instead of for his own sins. He knew that salvation for humanity could only be accomplished if a sinless man laid down his life on the altar of God for the sins of the world. Not only that, he knew that if someone put their faith in his sacrifice, God would forgive their sins and declare them righteousness, joining their spirit with His and restoring them to life. So he had the power and the knowledge to save us. Which brings us to the greatest thing of all.

Christians are rather hung up on the love of God. The majority of praise and worship songs make some allusion to the vast and gracious love God demonstrated to us through His Son Jesus. Even more than His holiness, righteousness, omnipotence, and eternal nature, we dwell on the grace, mercy, and patience of God, all of which are manifestations of His love. For this reason; since God is perfection, holiness, righteousness, He cannot stand sin. It is anathema to Him. And the idea that He would be so bent on saving humanity that He would sacrifice His one and only Son is so mind boggling that we can only weep for joy and gratitude. Because He loves us! He wants us! He desires to spend eternity with us! With me!

If there was ever someone who could legitimately turn away in disgust, to throw up his hands and say, "They're a write off," and scrap the whole thing, God had that right when He saw how perfidious and persistent mankind is on defying Him. Not only did He not give up on us, however, but He and His Son, who shared His deity, agreed that Jesus would put off His deity and throne, and condescend to be a human, to humble himself even to the point of being killed on a cross, paying for the very sins that ended his life. And what's more, God raised Jesus from the dead and beckoned to humans to share his death and resurrection, that they might share his life, the life of God.

We see, therefore, that in Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection the power, knowledge, and will of a Savior was joined in a glorious symphony. There are many more elements of the Passion of Jesus Christ that could be discussed, but for this week, this celebration, the basics are too glorious to be fully comprehended.

How great a salvation!

Who Will Save Us?

I recently watched a documentary about the public school crisis in the United States. Called Waiting for "Superman", it was a very excellent documentary that detailed the crippling problems that confront our country, the root causes (some of them, anyway), and a few possible solutions. At the beginning of the documentary, one of the revolutionaries of the reform movement said this: "One of the saddest days of my life was when my mother told me "Superman" did not exist. Cause even in the depths of the ghetto you just thought he was coming...She thought I was crying because it's like Santa Claus is not real. I was crying because no one was coming with enough power to save us."

That line jumped out at me. "No one was coming with enough power to save us." When you're in desperate straights, when everything seems to be falling apart, when the odds are overwhelmingly against you, you need salvation. And the savior has to have three qualities: he has to want to save you; he has to know how to save you; and he has to have enough strength to save you.

The comic book industry has always captivated the hearts and minds of people. The concept of someone who has all three necessary requirements of a savior resonates strongly with us. Which is odd, because not many of us find ourselves trapped in a stricken airplane that's plummeting toward earth, or threatened by a giant mutated insect, or captured by an evil mastermind armed with laser guns and a fortress riddled with traps. I daresay that none of us have ever been confronted with evil masterminds or giant insects, and air travel is statistically the safest form of travel; rationally it would make more sense to pray for salvation from other drivers than from a downed aircraft.

In other situations the need for a savior is much more relevant. I enjoy the television series House a great deal, mostly because of the dialogue and Hugh Laurie's portrayal of the brilliant doctor with the acerbic wit. But the patients on the show are in need of a savior; a disease strikes and House must solve the mystery before time runs out. It's a comic book disguised as a medical drama. However, even if the show exaggerates certain diseases for the sake of effect, there are countless real medical ailments that plague mankind. Cancer is the big gun, the Lex Luthor of the medical world, although even viruses like the common cold have no cure. People cry out for saviors from the sickness they face, another reason why medical shows are so popular. We get to see the diseases beaten more often than not; we get to see doctors save people. It's hardwired in us.

And then there are more amorphous issues that we need saving from. Things that can't be directly confronted or dealt with. Things like climate change, religious hostility, political adversaries, unemployment, illegal immigration. Things that people argue about, that they come up with good reasons for or against, where there is no agreed, objective standard of measurement. We may all agree that unemployment is a bad thing, but how to rectify the solution, well, that's a hotbed of dispute, with many sides shouting their own views are the best and only salvation. Then there are the issues that we don't even agree upon the problem. Climate change? That's a terrific imbroglio. Illegal immigration? Oil exploration? Global conflicts? How can we be saved when we don't even know if we need to be saved, let alone the form of that salvation?

Which brings me back to the original excuse for this article: education. Another issue similar to unemployment. Tests scores put us near the bottom of developed countries in academic achievement. Dropout rates are staggering, and those who do muddle through public schools are rarely prepared for college, let alone the high end jobs that are on the rise as technology continues to advance. For more information about this, watch the documentary. But how to change the situation is where the road trails off into a morass of political posturing and turf wars. And the victims are the children.

The document follows five different children all struggling in schools, and all submit their names into lotteries to be admitted into better schools: prep schools, charter schools, boarding schools. Not all of them get in. It's heartbreaking to see the despair on their faces, and on the faces of their parents, who fight and scrape and bend themselves into pretzels so their kids can get a decent education. I was moved to tears by the end of the documentary. My soul was crying out, "Who can save these kids? How can the problems be fixed?" And by the way, there are millions more just like them, suffering through poor education and destined to failure. Most don't even care that much about education, for numerous reasons, but a big one is that they've never seen it done well. If education was fun and effective, even those who aren't naturally inclined toward it would be much more open to it. These kids need salvation.

Who can save them? Not their parents, by and large. Their parents are low to middle income, without the resources and power to enroll them in private schools where effective teachers are unleashed and well-compensated to be excellent. Politicians? How many billions, perhaps trillions, have we spent on public policy? The doc covers this well, outlining the US presidents all promising change and salvation. Democrat or Republican, it makes no difference: all have failed. State and local governments have fared little better. They may have the power, but they haven't the foggiest notion of how to save education.

Teachers' unions? If anyone would have both the power and the knowledge to rescue education it would have to be them, right? Maybe, but they seem to be more the roadblock to any legitimate and fundamental change, as the doc makes abundantly clear. As incredible as it sounds, they lack the will or desire to save salvation, preferring to guard their own territory and cater to their members and to the politicians with whom they have cozy relationships. This is perhaps the worst revelation from the doc, the appalling hypocrisy of the AFT and the NEA who claim to be solely dedicated to fighting for education but when real reform is proffered lambaste the legislation and prevent their members from even voting on it.

Who's left? Teachers. Some of whom are legitimately competent and care about their jobs, but far too many of whom are unmotivated and unwilling to push themselves to reach their students. Tenure in public schools is the main cause of this, as the doc delves into.

By now you should have a sense of the enormity of the problem facing the United States. And while the doc does outline a few solutions and potential avenues of reform that might reverse the trend, the obstacles are significant. Which brings me back once again to that quote, that idea: Who has the power to save the children?

Pivot Point

What a week it’s been. Eventful and seismic, yet strangely disconnected. Let me explain.

Last Sunday, after church, my car broke down. This led to my good uncle graciously assisting me in diagnosing the problem (dead battery) and locating a remedy (Wal-Mart), resulting in a two hour wait while the car was being fixed. After two hours, I swiped my debit card, only to discover that I had no money with which to pay for the repairs. I was forced to call my dear friend Walker, who came and not only paid the bill, but also gave me a wad of cash to help meet my needs. 

As I watched him and his wife drive off, I was overcome with emotion. Have you ever felt like vomiting your feelings? Like you need to upchuck, but it is your heart that feels fit to burst, not your stomach? It’s difficult to describe. Needless to say, I required a moment to gather myself before I could be trusted on the road. 

Now, at this time, I had had two interviews for jobs the prior week, one at a company called ScriptPro, and another at JP Morgan. The ScriptPro job sounded much more appealing and I rather liked the feel of the place, seemingly relaxed and comfortable. The job itself required travel and instructing people on the use of a machine that dispensed pills for pharmacies. The JP Morgan position was less appealing, frankly; the pay was slightly less than the other job, at least from what I could gather, and the atmosphere was very formal and professional, strict and straight-laced, an environment I have never relished. I’m sure you can all see where this is going. JP Morgan offered me the job, and ScriptPro didn’t. By Wednesday I had accepted the job. 

Let’s back up a moment. I mentioned that I discovered that I was significantly in debt. Significantly, that is, as it pertains to me, not as it pertains to the national average. But a debt of over $450 when I had sporadic and ancillary pay from my teaching gig, in addition to the bills I already struggled to pay, plus the fact that my next paycheck from teaching wouldn’t come for another 3 weeks, was quite the pickle. Additionally, I hadn’t had a full time job in almost 3 years, so my track record of steady income was rather stale by this point. The interviews had gone well; ScriptPro had invited me for a follow up and I was optimistic, but I’d had several interviews that I thought had gone well and no dice. I wasn’t elevating my hopes too high. 

Strangely enough, however, on Monday morning I was serene and sanguine. When my parents called and offered to restore my account to solvency, I demurred the necessity. I truly felt no urgency or panic, even if they hadn’t gone ahead and done so. I believe that the moment of catharsis after Walker’s intervention had purged all the worry and grief from my system, at least for the moment. When the Lord provides for you like He did with Walker and my parents, it’s hard to bite your nails in anxiety. 

So within the span of 3 days, I’d gone from penniless and in debt, with a broken down car and insufficient funds to pay my bills, to having my financial needs met, and a job that will pay me more than I have ever made. 

I posted the following on my small group’s Facebook page: “Hardship is more interesting than prosperity.” It’s funny how God works things out. If I hadn’t broken down, I would not have realized the financial hole I was in, I wouldn’t have needed to be bailed out, and I wouldn’t have seen the provision of the Lord through Walker and my parents, which led to my moment of catharsis and subsequent tranquility. Am I cured of all anxiety and worry? Probably not. Am I going to panic less the next time? Absolutely. 

---

When JP Morgan offered me the job, I didn’t immediately take it. I held out hope that ScriptPro would hire me, since I was more inclined and interested in working there. I told JP Morgan I would let them know by the deadline and then contacted ScriptPro to see if I had a shot. The next morning they turned me down. I told the Lord that if ScriptPro said No I would understand that His will was to work at JP Morgan, even if I didn’t want to. So I accepted the job as a discipline from the Lord. 

You see, I bought the notion that Rush Limbaugh, among others, has always touted: Find what you love to do, what you would do for free, and figure out how to get paid for it. That way you’ll never “work” again. In other words, if you discover your passion in life, from a vocational standpoint, you can get up every morning eager to go to work without viewing it as the drudgery of a regular job. That made a great deal of sense to me and I set out to both discover my passion and see if I could make it profitable. 

Well, easier said than done. I have lots of interests, like reading, writing, golf, movies, theological pondering, teaching, etc. However, I couldn’t and didn’t make that particularly profitable; other than the part time teaching, I couldn’t make any of that into a job. I’d disdained the standard office job, staring at computers all day, preferring a diverse environment and varied stimuli in my work. So I view this job at JP Morgan to be a sacrifice of my own desires and preferences, a kind of self-death. I know not how long Jesus wants me at JP Morgan; perhaps only for a year, or six months. But He opened up the door, after years of pleading on my end, and I would be both foolish and ungrateful to refuse it simply because it wasn’t exactly what I wanted. 

Am I going to stop looking for that passion, that thing that I can enthusiastically do for the next forty years of my life? By no means. But I am going to subjugate my desires to the Father’s will, to go where He sends me, stay where He puts me, and give what He gives me.

Priorities

My brother Caleb and I were sitting in church after having prayed for each other and with each other. And I think we were both a bit dazed at the emotions and fervor that swept over us as we clasped our heads together and interceded for one another; I know I was. And as is the want of humans when they have experienced a great and precious thing, that should reduce them to holy, reverent silence, I began to babble. It was truly like I'd had my eyes closed for hours or days on end, only to open them and be confronted with dizzying and brilliant colors; to see, as it were, the world again in a whole new way. 

So there I sat, my mind swimming with all that Jesus had said to me and through me, His embrace that Caleb got to act as His bit of body to give to me. And I began to marvel at the sheer joy and life that we as believers are now a part of, and have access to if we would only let go and abandon ourselves to His Spirit. I was amazed at the total bankruptcy of life without God, and how the world hadn't just killed itself in sheer despair and hopelessness. Caleb mused on his co-workers and their preoccupation with the details of this world, TV, movies, etc. when something so much better is literally a sentence away. And to say that sharing the life of Christ is so much better than the things of this world is such a infinite understatement that I can barely write the words. But you know what I mean (I hope).

I jumped in and drew the analogy to Plato's Allegory of the Cave, in which men are chained in a deep, dark underground chamber, chained hand and foot with their heads rendered immovable. They watch shadows on the wall in front of them, since other men are acting out scenes with puppets in front of a fire behind them. And the story is of the one man's release from his captivity, his discovery that the shadows aren't real, his discovery that the men playing with puppets aren't real, his ascension up to the top of the cave and out into the real world, and experiencing what is most real in this world. He'd seen a representation of a tree, but never the real thing. He'd heard tales of the sun, but never been blinded by its radiance. And the tale ends with him descending into the gloom to try to free his fellow captives. They, however, refuse to believe his stories of "real" trees and lakes and the sun, preferring their comfortable imprisonment. And that is what people in this world are like, prisoners who watch shadows of puppets on the wall and imagine that it's real. We are to be the fellow captives now free imploring them to come up into reality, the life of Christ.

And what's really sad is if those who have gone up and experienced reality come back down and get caught up in shadow puppets. All too often I find myself preoccupied with the things of this world instead of the things of Heaven, and sit back and argue with the other prisoners about the scene being acted out on the wall. It's ludicrous. And silly. And tragic. And far too prevalent in the modern Church.

But hearing about an African village in Swaziland, where the number of people with AIDS is 40% of the entire population, where women are sexually assaulted more often than not, where a pastor has to live on $100 a month and have his parishioners donate to him, and where a Canadian entrepreneur and believer began to rehabilitate a mining village and together with his team are beating back the forces of hunger, despair, death, witchcraft, and poverty, puts my recent woes of finding a job into a little more perspective. Which is ultimately more important: my inability to find a job that pays me what I think I need to subsist in the richest country on earth, or that a woman with no health care, no medicine, and severe pain and ailments in her leg gets healed and screams her praise and thankfulness to High Heaven while running laps down the aisle?

Thank you, Jesus, for the gentle humbling. May I never forget.