Spider-Man 3: Back in Black

He's back. This time with a chip on his shoulder and an axe to grind.

In our previous Pop Culture post, we hoped for the best in Spider-Man 3.

We weren't hoping that the movie would smash every box office record in existence (which it did), but rather that it would retain the innocence and values of the last two movies while keeping the main character relatively squeaky clean.
In other words, we were hoping that Spidey would remain kid friendly and mother approved.

After viewing the movie, I can sigh a sigh of relief. Hollywood did not inject this one with its patented, morally perverse world view.

Amidst the dark tones (Spidey's new black suit amplifies his lust for vengeance, power, and fame), Spider-Man 3 still delivers a character kids can count on.

There's plenty of morality in this movie.

I was surprised to find such strong messages on self-sacrifice, forgiveness, repentance, redemption and choices.

Don't be afraid of Spider-Man's brief trip to the dark side. It's a lesson for all of us on the destructive power of pride and the deadly sting of sin.

We all have a "black suit" we like to wear from time to time. And like Spidey's, our black suit wants to bond with us and take over our lives, creating misery in us and in the people around us.

Spidey's black suit was eventually called "Venom". Ours is simply called "sin".

But just as Spidey goes to the cross to rid himself of his "Venom", (in the movie, he battles his black suit persona in the bell tower of a church), so we must go the cross of Christ to rid ourselves of ours.


Hebrews 11 reads:

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith,
let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.
And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame.
Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people;
then you won’t become weary and give up.

4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.


Spider-Man 3 brings to the summer movie screen the "struggle against sin" in a big budget super-hero parable.

In his review for Focus on the Family, Bob Hoose writes:

"...the CGI web-slinging and sandy shape-shifting may be right off the pages of a comic book, but the struggle it represents is of biblical proportions. (Romans 7 chimes in with, "For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.") And the movie's ultimate resolutions take on a scriptural tone as well."

(Click on the link above to read the entire article or click here.)

Last summer's comic book adventure, Superman Returns, gave us a super-hero as a saviour.

This summer's comic book adventure, Spider-Man 3, gives us a super-hero in need of a saviour.

Spider-Mans back in black? Yes he is, but thank God he doesn't stay that way.

Hope for Spider-Man

Friday, May 4th heralds the return of pop-culture icon Spiderman to the big screen in this summers pending hit, "Spiderman 3".

To be sure, I liked both Spiderman 1 and 2. Surprisingly, so did my wife (maybe that's just because she loves me, but that's another blog entry...).

I'm reminded of a story I first heard regarding a draft of the script for the first movie. Apparently, someone wrote a scene where Spidey wields a knife and attacks a bad guy, injuring him fatally. To the rescue came the producers who basically said "You can't do that!"

They knew a scene of that nature with Spiderman would have destroyed the entire movie series.

This is one of the reasons I enjoyed Spiderman 1 and 2.

Here is a fictional hero in today's culture that keeps it relatively clean.

Even at PG-13 (for stylized action/violence and mild language), the innocence of Spiderman/Peter Parker shines through.

Will Spiderman 3 hold up in that department?

Will it still herald the classic values of family, love, responsibilty, friendship, fatherhood, and purpose?

Will kids (including the one in all of us) still be able to look up to him as a good guy whether he's in or out of costume?

Lets hope so.

Healings

"Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give." Matthew 10:8

Three people testified of supernatural, physical healings by God this past Sunday at church.

This woman's testimony dates back to our 4-22-07 service, where she entered the church with a walker but left walking without it. She testified she has been "walker free" ever since.

This woman entered the church with pain
in her arm and neck area. She usually sings on the worship team but had to sit out that morning because the pain was too great.

At the end of praise and worship, she came to the mic and testified the pain was gone. She was even able to lift and hold this little baby for its mother as the mother received prayer.

Another woman came to the mic and testified that a pain in her shoulder disappeared during praise and worship.

He is a wonderful God, people!