I grew up in an Evangelical Christian culture. I was taught that the primary life purpose of a Christian was to propagate the message of Christianity through evangelism, sharing the story of Jesus to people who did not know or believe what was written in the Bible. Through this effort, souls would be saved from eternal damnation and more people would be prepared for the return of the savior of humanity. This mission was time-sensitive, because the return of Jesus was possible at any moment, and that event could potentially seal the fate of all living on Earth.

At some point, perhaps because the timing of the return was said to be a mystery, Evangelical Christianity seems to have become far more focused on controlling culture than saving lives. Look at how Albert Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, responds to a non-Christian company’s recent decision to write a new fictional character as a homosexual:

The Briefing — Albert Mohler

Superman Comes Out Of The Closet—The Moral Revolution Will Transform Everything. Even Comic Book Super Heroes

Well, ladies and gentlemen, the comic book character previously best known for coming out of the phone booth has now come out of the closet. Or is about to. And it’s not in this case, Clark Kent, AKA, Superman.

Does this article seem interested in the eternal safety of the souls of the employees of that company, or is it more furious that a non-Christian company isn’t conforming to Evangelical Christian cultural norms? Why is this decision by DC Comics in any way surprising to Mohler, who requires all professors at his seminary agree to a list of bylaws that include defining that they follow a belief system that all people are born evil?

V. Election

Election is God’s eternal choice of some persons unto everlasting life—not because of foreseen merit in them, but of His mere mercy in Christ—in consequence of which choice they are called, justified and glorified.

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary: Abstract of Principles

According to most Evangelical Christians unknowingly following the principles of Augustine, all people are inherently awful and deserving of punishment. For those more forgiving in doctrine, it is upon the first bad action that one is doomed to eternal separation from their maker, resulting in anything from complete annihilation to an endless existence of fiery torture from the imagination of Dante. Why then would this decision from DC Comics be a shock if those who believe this to be a sinful choice also believe that people are by birth naturally bad?

This has to be about controlling culture — that seems to be the only answer that fits. Where is the ideal culture within the Christian community that can be exported to the community at large? Evidence continues to mount of a continued and prolonged problem of rampant abuses of power, including the sexual abuse of women and children, within the Evangelical Christian community. Should Evangelical Christians really be concerned about a fictional superhero storyline right now?

Also, why would Superman ever be lauded as a role model in Evangelical Christianity when the character has nothing to do with Christianity? Christians don’t own the Superman character, so why do they think that they may control the storyline? Should Evangelical Christians really want Superman as their role model anyway? Mohler mentions Seduction of the Innocent in his article, but I don’t think he noticed this excerpt from the book:

The Superman type of comic books tends to force and super-force. Dr. Paul A. Witty, professor of education at Northwestern University, has well described these comics when he said that they “present our world in a kind of Fascist setting of violence and hate and destruction. I think it is bad for children,” he goes on, “to get that kind of recurring diet … [they] place too much emphasis on a Fascist society. Therefore the democratic ideals that we should seek are likely to be overlooked.”

Actually, Superman (with the big S on his uniform — we should, I suppose, be thankful that it is not an SS) needs an endless stream of ever new submen, criminals and “foreign-looking” people not only to justify his existence but even to make it possible.

Seduction of the Innocent — Fredric Wertham, M.D.

No, thank you. If Christianity in America is changing to be a shaper of culture, I think some effort needs to be done on preparing that culture for widespread use.