Sunday, August 06, 2006

Larry Boy Says...

That I can't be the superhero God wants me to be if I'm thinking about chocolate all the time. Drat! I thought getting the mildew off my daughter's special frog doll qualified me for superhero status, but if a chocolate obsession gets in the way of that, well, let's hope he stays out of the bathtub next time.
I love Larry Boy and all his friends. We have the entire collection, and somehow the formula never grows old. But. I'm beginning to question the very low bar we set for "superhero" status in my little corner of the Christian world. A guy writes a short little book on an even shorter prayer, and he is suddenly a superhero because it sells well. I find it telling that when he actually tried to live his superhero life, he found it so hard he came home. Shouldn't superhero status have something to do with genuine sanctity, not salesmanship?
Maybe I'm asking too much of my fellow believers to expect them to want their heroes to be more than glorified salesman, and that their gurus be more than inspirational entertainers. After all, the real thing has never been exactly popular. Genuine saints have an alarming tendency to be martyred or at least seriously persecuted. I don't think evangelical Christianity is about that. Larry Boy may give up his chocolate, but I don't think he'll be moving out of the mansion or giving up his butler.
I'm probably never going to reach superhero status in my faith, but I don't think it will be because I couldn't give up chocolate. I think there are much more grievous sins that the average evangelical celebrates which will ensnare me.

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