When cultures such as ours toss Jesus out one door, He comes in – albeit disguised – through another. That’s why author Jim Papandrea turned to Star Wars, Star Trek, The Matrix, Terminator, Spider-Man, Batman, Dr. Who, and half-a-dozen other modern shows, discovering in each one powerful images of Christ and salvation. Nor is that surprising. In stories of alternative universes, people always need rescuing; somebody needs to save the day; and sometimes the whole world cries out for a savior . . . which is just what a hero is. About the heroes of some of the most popular sci-fi stories of all time, author Papandrea here answers questions that concern Christians who are also Trekkies, Whovians, Matrix Dwellers, or aficionados of popular science fiction: What kind of “Christ-figure” is the hero of this story, and what does that say about the show’s vision of Christ, humanity and salvation? In the interest of being scientific, Papandrea even gives each hero a Numerical Orthodoxy Score based on the description of Christ in the Nicene Creed, Christianity’s common definition of orthodoxy. Included herein are astute Christian analyses of: Batman * Captain * America * Doctor Who * The Fifth Element * I, Robot * Iron Man * LOST * The Matrix * Planet of the Apes * Pleasantville * Spider-Man * Star Trek * Star Wars * Superman * The Terminator * The Time Machine * Tron * Wonder Woman Here you’ll read about: The pervasive Christian imagery in Doctor WhoStar Trek’s predicted “death of God”Free-will: the stumbling block in the first MatrixThe crucifixion of Spider-ManWhy Wonder Woman is an image of a gnostic saviorThe meaning of salvation in Star Wars (It masquerades as Christian)How Superman’s life begins as a parallel of Moses.I, Robot: the religious reason why the robot is called “Sonny”Whether, in any Christian sense, Neo is The One?Captain American and Iron-Man: one defends the innocent, the other brings justice to the guiltyThe tomb scene in the Fifth Element: it’s not the resurrection we needMatter vs. Spirit in Tron: gnostic to the coreThe anti-Christian bias of Planet of the ApesWhy the Force in Star Wars is no analogy to Grace or the Holy SpiritThe Star Wars Christ figure: Obi-Wan? Luke? Or even, ultimately, Darth VaderWhat Heaven is understood to be in the LOST universeTime travel as incarnation in The Terminator: a compelling analogyRegeneration as resurrection in Doctor Who: Is it Christ-like?How Pleasantville reverses the dynamism of the FallThe baptismal significance of the plane crash in LOSTPleasantville: a twisted version of EdenThe incarnation of the Christ-figure in Planet of the ApesTron’s parallels between Christianity and the Roman Empire . . . and much more about other science fiction and superhero shows! Christians who enjoy popular culture will greet this fun book with interest and acclaim.
