Tag: Superheroes
Wanda, Westview, and Free Will
A lot can be said about Marvel’s first Disney+ series, WandaVision (Spoilers ahead!), from its weird, off-putting sitcom beginning to the broader impact the series’ events will have on the MCU. But, being that we’re named FreeThinking Ministries, obviously we have to talk about what WandaVision confirms to us about free will. This show isn’t … Continue reading Wanda, Westview, and Free Will
The Avengers and the Importance of Family
The Marvel movies are so good because they all have a common theme, family. The movies raise questions about family and answers those same questions, not merely with words, but with demonstrations and examples. Movies visually capture what we feel. Their power resides in the way that they bypass our thoughts and lay bare the … Continue reading The Avengers and the Importance of Family
Batman Battles Karl Marx
The Batman franchise directed by Christopher Nolan is not about a war of brute force against brute force. It’s about a war of ideas. That’s what makes it so intriguing, and it’s also what makes it so poignantly relevant. The physical battles in these films, and especially in the last installment, “The Dark Knight Rises” … Continue reading Batman Battles Karl Marx
Batman: World’s Greatest… Atheist?
So Batman is an atheist. Or at least that’s what the headlines said in August 2018. I finally read the issue in question, Batman #53, which is part of the story arc “Cold Days” (slight spoilers ahead). In the story, Bruce Wayne, Batman’s alter ego, is serving on a jury. He sees a fellow juror … Continue reading Batman: World’s Greatest… Atheist?
The Normative Ethics of Avengers: Infinity War & Avengers: Endgame
As Tim Stratton has aptly noted in Avengers: Endgame, Middle Knowledge, & the Destruction of the Problem of Evil[1] and in the FreeThinking Podcast episodes 63 – 65, Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame are rich in philosophical content. In this article, I briefly examine the normative ethics of these films. The villain of … Continue reading The Normative Ethics of Avengers: Infinity War & Avengers: Endgame
God’s Endgame
As you can tell, we at FreeThinking Ministries are huge superhero fans. Aside from being fun, superhero stories offer great learning opportunities about moral and even theological issues. Case in point, Stratton’s latest article on Avengers: Endgame about the problem of evil. (If you haven’t read it yet, you should go do that before reading … Continue reading God’s Endgame
Avengers: Endgame, Middle Knowledge, & the Destruction of the Problem of Evil
Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert!! Spoiler Alert!!! Seriously, if you have not yet seen the movie Avengers: Endgame, stop reading this and go to the movie theater and buy a ticket! Then come back and read this article. Consider yourself warned! One year ago, immediately after watching Avengers: Infinity War on opening night, I came home … Continue reading Avengers: Endgame, Middle Knowledge, & the Destruction of the Problem of Evil
How Captain Marvel Points To Jesus
Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert!! Spoiler Alert!!! Seriously, if you have not yet seen the movie, Captain Marvel, stop reading this and go to the movie theatre and buy a ticket! Then come back and read this article. Consider yourself warned! Captain Marvel has a consistent theme: Things are not what they seem. Just when you think that … Continue reading How Captain Marvel Points To Jesus
Marvel Comics, Star Wars, & the DCU: The Multiverse vs Compatibilism
It is amazing how movies and comics often shed light on philosophical and theological issues. One specific topic regularly addressed in pop culture is known as the “free will debate.” Some philosophers and theologians affirm a view called determinism and state that we never have genuine freedom (an ability) to choose between a range of … Continue reading Marvel Comics, Star Wars, & the DCU: The Multiverse vs Compatibilism
Captain America & the Moral Argument
The Marvel Movie franchise is arguably the most epic enterprise in movie history. The series has a number of stand-out characters, however, two stand out more than the others. In fact, their differences stand in such firm relief so as to culminate in a film where they were driven toe-to-toe whilst still harboring a slight underlying … Continue reading Captain America & the Moral Argument