X-Men - A Christian Perspective

The new X-Men came out this past Friday and I began thinking about the different ways that this movie series can be a reflection of Christian life. Yes, Christian life. Just go with me for a few minutes. There are two primary messages that you get from the story lines: 1) Tolerance of one another and the events that take place because of fear and ignorance or 2) Individual gifts that God has given us and what happens when brought together for good or evil.

For this particular entry I want to focus on number 2, individual gifts. Each of the mutants has a special ability that distinguishes them from everyone else. Flying, fire starting, super human strength, controlling weather, invisibility, chameleon abilities, telepathy, magnetism, and so many others. On their own they have power and can make a small difference, but when two or more gather together amazing things can happen. They learned to nurture and grow their gifts. They learn to play off and with each other. They learn to understand their weakness and strengths and know (most of the time) when to ask for help. Like most of us we struggle to drive a car with square wheels instead of asking a brother or sister who can smooth out the wheels and round them out. But I digress, the point is that each of their gifts has a purpose. Learning to use it for that purpose and with whom to use it with makes all the difference.

We as Christians all have gifts. We must nurture and grow our gifts so that they will have optimal effect. God designed us with these special abilities with the purpose to further His kingdom. "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

We need to identify where we fall short and where we excel. Identifying these points will help us seek out those who can fill our blanks. God doesn't wants us to fly alone. He wants us to join together and soar to His ultimate destination. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose". Romans 8:28

Now in the series, the characters only rely on each other and themselves. We as Christian have an advantage, we have GOD. It is important to have that accountability with each other but we ultimately need to be accountable to God, individually and collaboratively. He is the reason for our being. Without Him we live aimlessly and never find a true contentment or fulfillment. Seeking out God and allowing Him to show us our gifts and who we can share them with is part of our purpose. We don't want to hide our talents and then lose them. (Matthew 25:14-28)

So the next you see Professor X and his first class enjoy the action and adventure knowing that our God given talents and gifts can make an X-traordinary difference as long as we keep our eyes on Christ and work together for His purpose.