I was introduced to this idea in college by a smart man named Thomas Lessl. In his class we learned that the Gospel narrative, or the story of Jesus, is very prevalent in modern mythology and science fiction.
His primary example was E.T., and at first I thought the idea was ridiculous. But then he started listing the similarities and things got interesting.
1) ET was a heavenly being who descended from Heaven and lived for a short time among humans.
2) ET had the power to heal.
3) ET connected best with those who had childlike faith.
4) The established power of the day did not trust ET and had him killed.
5) ET conquered death and returned to life.
6) ET ascended back into Heaven, but not before commissioning his followers.
Sound familiar? It should.
Ever since learning this, I have been on the look out for Jesus in the popular stories of today. The most recent and popular example that comes to mind is Harry Potter. While there are several things I could focus on throughout the story, let’s look at the end of the final book.
1) Evil Lord Voldemort seeks to kill and destroy people.
2) In order to save his people, Harry must willingly die for them.
3) Harry submits to his calling and freely allows his enemy to kill him.
4) Harry is killed, but then he returns to life.
5) Because of his willing sacrifice (done for the love of others) his blood now protects everyone Voldemort attacks. The Dark Lord no longer has power over them.
6) Harry destroys Voldemort for good.
Once again, the story of Jesus fills a modern myth. Recognizing this fact, we must answer a few questions. We’ll ask them, and we want to hear your answers to any or all of them in the comments:
1) Why is the Jesus narrative so common in modern mythology? Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
2) How can our understanding of Jesus’s story help us engage with culture on a Spiritual level?
3) What other stories do you see paralleling the story of Christ?
ET Image Source: Wikipedia
1.I think that it’s because it makes for a good story,I think it’s a good thing because it speards the gospel.
2.We can find ways to put the story of Jesus in online videos,television,and movies in a way that’s noticeable but not sappy or unrealistic.
3. V For Vendetta
Good one with V for Vendetta. There are definitely some similarities there.
I love this a lot. I see it in children movies all the time like Lion King!
So, I think this is an interesting post, and I like it. But I think it is important that we acknowledge that, just like we are claiming these stories parallel the Gospel, so too have stories that predated the Gospel had striking parallels to biblical stories (like Moses as a baby in the basket, for example) and the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection. I don’t say this to suggest that Jesus did not die and rise again, I say this to keep us intellectually honest in a nation where Christian privilege allows us to be blind to non-Christian cultures, stories, histories that predate our own tradition and yet parallel the Gospel.
Hey glad you liked it. That’s interesting that you bring up Moses, because I would consider him part of Christian history. There is actually a technical name for Old Testament figures who foreshadow Christ, they are called “types.” Other examples include King David, Melchizedek, Joshua, and Joseph.
Out of curiosity, what other cultures do you think of that have this story line?
Thanks again for posting! And I seriously appreciate your desire for intellectual honesty.