Hello and welcome back to the Speak Life Podcast. My name is Thomas Thorrogate, Media Producer at Speak Life, and today we bring you a slightly different episode. A short reflection from Nate Morganlock, Speak Life Creative Director, about heroism.
SPEAKER_01For several years now, I've been calling myself the Reform Mythologist. It started as a bit of a joke. What does even a regular mythologist do? But it seems to have connected with a small audience. Essentially, it means I'm a Christian in the Reformed evangelical tradition and I'm interested in story and storytelling. There is nothing remarkable about that, but using the title Reformed Mythologist helps to keep me focused on the area of study to which the Lord has called me. It's also a good conversation starter. Now the Greek word mythos is not as limited as our English word myth. When we use myth, we're typically thinking about a particular kind of story, one which is essentially untrue. The Greek term is broader than that, and doesn't necessarily mean falsehood. But why do we need to engage with stories of any sort? Can't we just hold on to doctrinal truth? Well yes, we absolutely should hold to doctrinal truth. Our integrity as Christians depends upon it, but to think that doctrinal truth is completely separate from stories and storytelling would be a mistake. The Apostles' Creed, for example, is, while propositional, largely presented in story form. Conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate. For centuries, we Christians have confessed our faith together by recounting the story of Jesus. But it's not only the Christian faith. All cultures are built and governed by the stories people tell, which means that they are pretty much inescapable. Storytelling is hardwired into creation. Wherever and whenever we live and whatever we believe, stories are inseparable from our human experience. God made us story creatures. Twenty-first century British culture is governed by a number of particular stories told through different media. The items we hear on the radio, read in the papers, and watch on the news are stories. It doesn't matter whether we're watching reality television shows, period dramas, cartoons, or science fiction films. They all tell stories about who we are, what we should fear, what we should love. They seek to persuade through the power of storytelling. Culture shifts then, not as logical arguments are presented and debated, but as stories take hold in the public imagination. The culture war is not simply disagreements about facts, but about competing stories. The battle for the future is waged through storytelling. Now stories involve characters. It is almost impossible to tell a story without one, and often we think of these characters as heroes. But in our increasingly post-Christian society, the definition of heroism is up for debate. In an age of safety first, is it really good for someone to put themselves in danger, even if it is to rescue others? In the midst of a culture-wide mental health crisis, isn't self-care more important than self-sacrifice? Many of us feel uneasy about the self-expressive messaging of contemporary stories told through film, television, and social media. And as our culture looks for post-Christian moorings, its stories reveal a version of heroism more concerned with self-fulfillment than self-sacrifice. But why is that? It's partly because Western individualism has lost faith in the hero as a character out there, and become preoccupied with telling the story of the hero within. We are each individually the hero. Our struggle is to find wholeness. Personal peace is our most pressing need. In the new stories, heroic actions are replaced by therapeutic ones. We can lament this shift, of course, but we can also recognize that it opens up an opportunity. As Christians, we believe that even though hero is not a biblical word, it is a concept we see throughout the scriptures, and our understanding of heroism is drawn from the person and work of Jesus. That's what makes us evangelical mythologists, if not necessarily reformed ones. So it's true to say Jesus is our hero, but perhaps that's too simple. If the definition of heroism is the point of contention, how do we respond? We might suggest that even if we have rejected the old-fashioned idea that the hero is a good guy who saves the day, that we still retain a memory that a hero brings about victory for the people. A hero is a champion for the people and of the people. Our champion is not just someone who wins, but someone who wins for us. That might be a recognizable and workable definition for people. We can ask them to think about David and Goliath, the most famous fight in the Bible. It's a story with profound cultural significance in our Western thinking about heroism, to the extent that their names are cultural shorthand for an underdog tale. But there's more to this story than relative size and combat experience. Behind the two fighters are the people they represent. Goliath is the champion of the Philistines, David the man of Israel. As they meet man to man, the nations are meeting. Their people are literally lined up behind them. We can see this corporate dynamic of heroism played out within the social structures of 21st century British life. Politically, we want representatives who will fight for our cause in the corridors of power. Capable people who take our worries and anxieties about society and bring them to the attention of those who make the decisions. We insist that they do this with honesty and integrity. We look for heroes to represent us in sport. The players wearing the same shirts as us score the goals and win the games. They do it on our behalf. They succeed, we celebrate. Even when we follow team sports, we're often drawn to the contribution of an individual player. The hero represents us. We also see representative champions on our screens. The hero is most obviously recognized in the action and adventure genre, but in so many of our culture's favorite stories, we marvel as an individual struggles for victory to benefit those they love. So when it comes to heroism as an evangelistic or apologetic strategy, we shouldn't be alarmed. This cultural shift is incomplete. Not everyone is persuaded by post-Christian therapeutic heroism just yet. There are many of our friends and neighbors who will continue to respond to the biblical idea of a champion of the people. We may be surprised who they are. There are many who need to hear the good news of the representative who fights their battles. In the gospel, we have that hero.
SPEAKER_00Hi folks, it's Thomas Thoroughgood here, media producer at Speak Life. You might recognise my voice as the guy who does the filler bits on the podcast. It's part of my job to think of how we can include you more in the work of Speak Life and bring you behind the scenes, if you will. And so we have a very exciting thing called the Speak Life Discord Server. It's an online platform where you can interact with other Speak Life supporters and the Speak Life team. We have bonus content, creative theological discussion, and lots of fun along the way. So if you want to join that, you can just go to speaklife.org.uk forward slash give. Okay, back to the podcast. Well, Nate used the term Reformed Mythologist quite a few times there. And if you're intrigued by the idea of reformed mythology, we actually have a channel called Reformed Mythologist. If you type Reformed Mythologist into YouTube, it will come up. And this is our second YouTube channel at Speak Life, and on it we have videos engaging with stories, movies, music videos, books from a Christian perspective. So do go and check that out. So there are a number of things that we're adding to that channel. Video essays about uh, for example, the Rukan figure was a video we made recently, this artistic compositional device, and and what does that mean from a theological perspective? So do go and check that out. We also have episodes called Popcorn Parenting, where Nate and uh sitcom writer James Carey engage with Pixar and Disney films and and talk about uh how Christian parents can watch those with their kids and certain insights uh about the gospel that can be gleaned from these films. And as well as responding to other creative works, sometimes Nate has a go at doing some creative things himself. So over the Easter period we released a poem called If Life is a Game, how do you win? So to play us out of this week's episode of the Speak Life podcast, here is Nate Morganlock performing his poem.
SPEAKER_01The casino was empty, and during the night the playing cards woke to continue their fight. If life is a game, then how do you win? I know, said a king. Now let me begin. The King of the Diamonds, he has an obsession with money, with stuff, with clothes and possessions. He thinks that the secret to winning is found in bank accounts, wallets, in dollars and pounds, in shoes and in hair and a brand new guitar, his kitchen, his garden, his house and his car. Winners get checks and then handsomely paid. Success only comes to those who upgrade. Don't be a fool, said a voice from the deck. If you live for the diamonds, you'll end up a wreck. I want to show you the key to success is found in the person for whom you'll undress. To love and be loved is where victory starts. Who else could say this but the Queen of the Hearts? You play this one card, it can trump every other. A flatmate, your bestie, or even your mother. Whose name do you want to see light up your phone? The losers are those who are left all alone. Another card turned. No, I don't need a wife. Time spent at leisure is winning at life. The Jack of the Clubs is eager to say, you make life work best when you focus on play. The clubs may be anything, where shall I start? It's sports or it's literature, music, or art. You should travel the world, there are cultures to see, there is food to be eaten, and places to be. Leave me to my games and my books and my toys. All work and no play makes the dullest of boys. The Ten of the Spades has a different perspective. These trivial pursuits need an urgent corrective. Build something lasting, do something worthwhile. The winners are those at the top of the pile. At the end of their labour, they're those who've made games. So study and train yourself. Use brawn and use brains. Advance human knowledge, use effort and skill, persevere through the pain by the strength of your will. If life is a game, there are others to beat. Those standing still will taste only defeat. Another card spoke. The one with the song. Well, I'm a spade too, but I think that you're wrong. I'll never let anyone tell me what to do. My motto in life, to thine own self be true. I'm the boss, I'm in charge, and the ace in the hand. For freedom, rebellion, I'll get myself banned. I'm all in, I'm bluffing, I'll gamble the lot. But that's up to me. I'll give it a shot. I don't need approval, I don't need your rules, the rest of you cards are all ignorant fools. And then came the Joker, who laughed at them all. If life is a game, then why do you brawl? You all take yourselves so seriously. Oh, why can't you all be a bit more like me? You see, life is a joke and it's meant to be funny, but you're all stressed out by your work and your money, your drama, your romance, your culture, it's boring. If life is a game, you're conceding, not scoring. Let's cheer up and smile. Why face death with a frown? Enjoy every moment till your chips are all down. But then came a voice that none of them knew. Not a card, but the dealer gave his point of view. He shuffled the pack and he took them to task. If life is a game, why haven't you asked what occurs at the end when all said and done? When the cards have been played and the game has been won. The Joker is right, you're all destined to die, but the winner stays on and the stakes remain high. Now each of these things that you've mentioned are good, but none of you treats them the way that you should. Though diamonds will sparkle, the wind's not in fashion, the hearts are a joy, but they're not the right passion, the clubs offer wisdom but won't make you wise. The spades dig for truth, but they uncover lies. So I entered the game, and I played out my hand, but none of you listened, no one understands. I came to you poor, though I'm one of great wealth. I gave myself to you in sickness and health. My wisdom was foolish, and on this you fall. My power was weakness, though stronger than all. These things come to steal and to kill and destroy. I offer you freedom and genuine joy. So, whatever your gains, now consider them loss, compared to the king, whose sign is the cross.