Revealing Our True Identity
06-22-2006
by Johann Snyder

It was a bold decision…or a foolish one; and it has forever altered the future. Spider-Man has revealed his secret identity to the world. The extent of the fallout from that revelation will only be revealed with time, but it's a decision that we as Christians can draw inspiration from as we seek to change the world.

It's being called the biggest moment in the history of Marvel comics; a ground-breaking turning point in the life of one of comic's most beloved heroes. Spider-Man unmasked himself in front of the world press in Marvel's epic event known as Civil War. Leading up to that decision was the death of hundreds of innocent civilians in a battle between young super heroes and against reckless villains; an event that galvanized the government into action to prevent further casualties. In order to curb the collateral damage and bring about some accountability in battles involving mutants or meta-humans, the government is requiring all heroes to reveal their identities and register themselves with the government. This decree has divided the heroes of the Marvel universe. On one side are those who agree with the government and are cooperating with their efforts. Chief among those heroes is Spider-Man, who with some prompting from Tony Stark/Iron Man, agreed to the government's terms and revealed to the world that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. On the opposite side are those who are resisting the government and want to keep their identities concealed. Interestingly enough, they are lead by Captain America; but this isn't a discussion about America's patriot resisting the American government. This is about the bold decision to be public with our identity.

Now if you still aren't quite sure why all of this is such a big deal, let me try and explain. The reason the heroes of comic books have secret identities are many and varied, but there are three core reasons. The first is so that a hero can lead a normal life. While we may think it would be totally shway to have cool powers and to be hero all the time, many heroes find it necessary to try and live some semblance of a normal life. To be constantly called on as a hero would not only be exhausting, it would be impractical as well. This leads to the second reason; Superman's father once told him that if he were to be Superman all the time, people would eventually rely on him so much that they would call on him to solve problems for them that they could solve themselves. The third may arguably be the most important; to protect loved ones. Being a superhero is dangerous work. You make a lot of enemies when you're thwarting plans to take over the world. Sometimes, the only way the bad guys could get back at you is to attack and hurt the ones you love. Hence it becomes prudent to have a secret identity so the bad guys won't be able to figure who the people closest to you are. So as you can see, it was a bold move for Peter Parker to expose himself, and it's equally bold for Christians to do the same.

I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say that many Christians are living with dual identities. We find that it's convenient to blend in with the world part of the time, and the rest of time we spend in our fortresses of solitude that have Christian bookstores with Christian music that serve Christian coffee in a safe Christian environment. We'll take up the heroic mantle with the usual causes, or around election time, or when the media does something that we don't like, but on a day-to-day basis, we like to have a different identity that just allows us to live "normally", without making waves, without making enemies. Plus, this world is pretty hostile when it comes to Christianity, so it only makes sense to shield ourselves from unnecessary harm by living a dual life. That all may be true, but I think as Christians we're called to be a little more like Peter Parker.

Christianity isn't a heroic mantle we can take on and off whenever we like, no matter how convenient that may seem. Christianity is something that we must live - something that we must be - every day, every where, all the time. Peter Parker's life is going to be much more complicated now that everyone knows he's Spider-Man. It'll be harder to find time for himself to relax and recharge, it'll be harder to protect the ones he loves, it'll be harder to live up to everyone's expectations of what a hero should be, especially if he doesn't always arrive in the nick of time to save the day. I'm not saying it's going to be easy to be an everyday Christian. People will scrutinize you to see if you live up to what their expectations of a Christian should be. You'll be badgered with questions and called to make an account for misconduct of the Christian Church throughout all of history. You may face persecution. You might get teased. You might lose friends and gain enemies. But you know what; it's worth it, because you have heavenly rewards to gain. It's the everyday Christians that will hear their Lord tell them "Well done good and faithful servant." It's the everyday Christians that will make an everlasting impact on this world. It's the everyday Christians that are the true heroes, and they don't even have to wear spandex (a big bonus if you ask me).

So let's learn from our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Let's unmask ourselves and be Christians all the time. We live in a dark, hurting world that needs heroes; real heroes. Not comic book heroes that swing down from the sky to save people from peril for only a moment, but heroes that will take the time to connect with people and show them a salvation from peril that will last for all eternity. So unmask yourself at work, or at school, or at home, or in the check-out lane, or when you're on vacation, or wherever you may be. Let your light shine, for the bible doesn't talk about a light with a secret identity that is only exposed when most needed, but a light that's a shining city on hill that the entire world can see, all the time. So thank you, Peter Parker. Thank you for reminding me of who I am, who I should be, and that a real hero doesn't need to hide their true identity. I am a Christian; not just every now and then, but all the time. I don't have two identities, I only have one, and it is Christ within me.

Johann "Yo" Snyder is the host of the Mid-day show at M88 radio, 88.3FM in Albuquerque, NM. He writes a monthly blog that takes some elements of current events and pop culture to illustrate spiritual points. The archives for these articles can be found at: http://www.m88.org/yo-duh.asp