There Goes My Zero
2017 was the year of fallen heroes. We watched as everyone from senators to celebrities faced the revelation of their illegal and immoral actions. What are we to do when those we admire inevitably fail?
To answer this question we have to think about what makes a hero in the first place. Joseph Campbell famously acknowledged that heroes from literature tended to follow the same twelve step journey. You can see the steps on this journey on the chart to the right. The stories of all of our epic heroes from Frodo to Harry Potter fit nicely with in the pattern outlined by Campbell.
Significantly, our lives often fit within this pattern as well. We face triumphs and tragedies just like our heroes. We have challenges to overcome, and each of us seeks to discover who we truly are. Our heroes should call us to better versions of ourselves, and we love the stories of our heroes because they help us to face the challenges of our own life.
“Can you love someone who did bad things”
Our heroes are important to us, but this does little to comfort us when are heroes fail us. Comedian Sarah Silverman eloquently, and succinctly, captured the tension of heroes in 2016 when she spoke about her friend Louis C.K. who had admitted to sexually assaulting several women. Silverman remarked “Can you love someone who did bad things? Can you still love them?” This is the challenge of 2017 how do we hold in tension love and consequence?
Sarah had no answer for her question, but Christian Scripture does. Scripture voices time and time again that no one is righteous. Not our heroes, not anyone. Can you love someone who has done bad things? Can you still love them? Christian scripture is clear you can still love them, in fact, they are the only type of person you can love.
While this love is open to all, regardless of what they have done it does not negate the consequences of their actions. Love never means that evil is covered up. Love means that evil is brought to light and condemned for the good of all.
All of our heroes will fail us; save one. Jesus is the perfect hero. He’s the trend breaker and the way maker. The one that makes it possible for us to truly love the whole world, and everyone it. In a year where so many heroes have fallen it is a blessing to trust in one who will never fail.
This was originally a breakout session at CBF Winter Youth Summit 2018. An accompanying handout can be found below.
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