Part 2 – The Super Hero Guide to Famous Pastors
When I sat down to write the follow up to the first super hero post, I was surprised at how many pastors there are that deserve to be inducted into the Stuff Christians Like Famous Pastor Super Hero Hall of Fame, or SCLFPSHHOF.
And I don’t want these entries to run on for miles and miles of text. So today, I thought it would be good to induct six more people.
(Please note: I never said these were comic book heroes. I said super heroes. And some are not technically pastors, but they are still famous Christians that deserve to be compared to Wonder Woman and what not.)
Erwin McManus = Wolverine
I don’t know Erwin. I did write him a long, “I think you’re amazing” email once, but his ninja like secretary was able to kung fu block it. Well played madam. Well played indeed. But despite no personal connection with McManus I feel pretty confident with comparing him to Wolverine. Just look at the cover of that book, “The Barbarian Way.” Can’t you see him whipping out some claws and cutting some fools up? And he’s not afraid to jump into a battle. When a speaker before him at a conference said that we should be careful about innovation because the people that eat the mushrooms first often die, Erwin scrapped his entire planned script for his presentation and basically said, “Call me a mushroom eater.” That is a bad man right there. That is Wolverine.
Joyce Meyer = Jean Gray of the X-Men
In the X-Men movies, Jean Gray eventually becomes her alter ego character, the Phoenix, a woman of immense power and fury. That was why I picked Joyce Meyer. On her book covers, she looks like a nice, smiling lady. Happy, peaceful, la la la. But when she gets on an issue, one that she is passionate about, she mutates into this powerful force with words that are capable of knocking down buildings and false belief systems. I realize the Phoenix tried to destroy the world and that I am aware of, Meyer has not attempted a similar move. But I think, despite her detractors, she does try to destroy old thought patterns and I really liked her forcefulness in the book “Approval Addiction.” So for me, Meyer is Jean Gray.
John Piper = Daredevil
You will not be struck with fear when you see John Piper the first time. He’s a mild mannered looking fellow that one could think is an accountant or project manager for a small software firm. The same goes with Daredevil. Despite that miserable movie, he’s one of my favorite super heroes. I have about 250 of his comics in my garage. (Remember, I did not date in high school much.) And one thing they used to always do is have random street thugs try to attack Matthew Murdock when he was not dressed up like Daredevil. You see, he’s blind and looks like an easy target. But beware, he will break you down. Same goes with Piper. The chokehold he puts on prosperity ministry was impressive. Check it out:
Tim Keller = Professor X
Professor X is the mastermind of the X-Men. He is the brain behind the whole outfit and his known for his intelligence. I look at Keller the same way. He loves an intellectual challenge. He’s constantly wrestling tough issues and wasn’t afraid to take on Manhattan. And the world is noticing. The New York Times said, “he hardly shrinks from difficult Christian truths, [but] he sounds different from many of the shrill evangelical voices in the public sphere.” That is what I liked about Professor X. He never seemed to get that out of control excitement that heroes like the Thing struggle with or. He was calm, cool and ready to throw down if that’s what it took. Same with Keller.
Bill Hybels = Hannibal from the A-Team
I know this might bend the rules of the post a little, but at the end of the day, it’s a completely silly post that can’t be held to rules. (Besides, shouldn’t we be arguing about tattoos?) Hannibal is the cool headed, cigar smoking, always in charge leader of the A-Team. He was the man in control. He made the plans, changed the game and was not afraid to blow everything up if that’s what the mission took. I think Hybels is similar. Can’t you see him doing that Bono interview, with a cigar in hand, and all the sudden saying: “Oh yeah, I hear ya Bono. One time me, Ortberg and Piper, or the ‘P-Dog’ if you will, were locked into a warehouse at a book signing event. I built a bomb out of a toothpick and a piece of gum. Good times.” Plus, Hybels is willing to blow everything up if it’s not working. Here’s what he said about Willow Creek, “Some of the stuff that we have put millions of dollars into thinking it would really help our people grow and develop spiritually, when the data actually came back, it wasn’t helping people that much.” Wow, that is some A-Team action right there.
Louie Giglio = the Green Lantern
You wanted me to call Louie Robin, because he came up in the game with Andy Stanley. But Robin is a sidekick and Louie is a lot more than that. The impact of his Passion Conferences is immeasurable and he’s touched a lot of lives in his own unique way. That’s why, to me, Louie is the Green Lantern. According to Wikipedia, the Green Lantern possesses a ring that gives him control of the entire physical world, depending on the strength of his will. The stronger his drive, the stronger his powers. Louie is like that too. His desire to rock our misconceptions about God is amazing. If you see him speak you can’t deny the burning desire and passion that overflows in his messages. And I could see him saying the Green Lantern’s catch phrase, For the dark things cannot stand the light, The light of the Green Lantern!” Plus, the Green Lantern was all about some outer space action and Louie did a whole series on space called “Indescribable.” And the Green Lantern had a hip outfit and Louie is a hip dresser. And the Green Lantern has dolphin mind control, which Louie also has, so there’s that. On top of it all, Louie is starting his own church in Atlanta. There are roughly 99 million churches in Atlanta and to start one now shows Louie’s Green Lantern like will to do God’s work. (Louie, if you’re reading this I live five minute from your office. If you haven’t staffed the “Director of Sarcasm” at your new church, please let me know.)
I promise, I will eventually stop writing about super hero pastors. But I have to cover Francis Chan, James Dobson, Bryan McLaren and a few others before I retire.
