One of the interesting trends that's been giving me some food for thought recently is the spate of movies that focus on some of the characters of Greek mythology. The 3-D remake of "Clash of the Titans " and "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" as well as some others are, in some sense, tapping into the roots of Western culture and its Greco-Roman influences. Heroes and villains, larger than life characters, power and glory–all are played out not only in these stories, but also in the subsequent iterations of the genre. Think about the kinds of roles played by your Schwarzeneggers and Willises–those iconic action hero characters are really just an updated form of fascination with god-like characters who are invulnerable to the bullets and pitfalls of mere mortals.
Christianity, which really emerged as a counterculture to the Greco-Roman philosophical and theological worldview, really has no such characters. Jesus performed miracles, but when given the opportunity to pull off the ultimate miracle and come down from the cross, he chose suffering instead. Paul was a titan of theology and made Odessyus' travels look like a trip across the street, yet his life was constantly punctuated by beatings, ridicule and imprisonment.
Having just come through Easter, let us be reminded that the true heroes are those who quietly give themselves away in the service of others, and those who suffer for Christ's sake rather than inflicting suffering on others. The Greeks turned to the powerful throne of Zeus–we turn to the cross for our salvation and example. The gods of the Greco-Roman-Western world are angry at humanity, our God is love.
