“There’s a way that appears right, but in the end, it leads to death.”
-Proverbs 14:12
Not too long ago I was a massive fan of MARVEL. I was a fan of the characters, comics, movies, lunchboxes, board games, and especially the LEGO sets! I still enjoy some of what MARVEL produces, but with the influence of recent inclusion and diversity nonsense... not so much.
If you're familiar with MARVEL, then you probably know that Stan Lee was the real mastermind behind it. For decades, leading up to his death in 2018, Stan’s life motto was “Excelsior!” Roughly translated, it means “ever onward and upward.” It’s the idea of the triumph of the human spirit through persistence. But in reality “excelsior,” by itself, doesn’t have any truly objective meaning. The meaning of “Excelsior!” like all of Stan’s MARVEL characters and stories, only existed in Stan’s imagination.
Stan’s MARVEL universe was incredibly creative and wildly entertaining. But the problem with Stan’s “Excelsior!” philosophy of Human Secularism is that it’s going nowhere but down the toilet. The idea of moving “onward and upward” with no definable or discernible goal is hopelessly futile. When “progress” is measured by nothing more than “movement” and wildly subjective and fickle feelings, then who is to say what’s “progress” and what’s “deterioration?”
Human Secularism’s view on things like slavery, alcohol, equal rights, and sexuality could all be considered “progress” simply because views are different, changing, etc. Even if one were to argue things based on the long-term impact on children, families, culture, education, freedoms, etc., one side might consider any/all of them wickedly dangerous and destructive while the other side might consider any/all of them wildly beneficial. The problem with Human Secularism is that what's considered popular or beneficial today can change overnight since “Excelsior!” boils down to moving onward and upward in whatever direction seems right to you.
Without an objective divine standard, the whole idea of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” boils down to personal opinion. The strongest group(s) in any culture will ultimately impose their opinions and standards on the rest.
Stan Lee was undoubtedly a gifted entertainer through his characters and stories. But Stan never created a hero who could hold a candle to the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. Firstly, none of Stan’s characters are real. Secondly, none of Stan’s characters, individually or collectively, could ever do the real job of redeeming humanity from ourselves and then saying, definitively, “It is finished.”
Rather than our being a passive audience, like those reading a comic or watching a MARVEL movie, King Jesus invites and compels His followers to become ambassadors of the Gospel as active participants in His story of redemption: “Therefore go and disciple all nations…”
Are we living that out?
Rather than our being a bunch of autonomous and selfish individuals, God has redeemed us into one perfect team: “For together we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our collective way of life.”
Are we living that out?
Rather than our wondering or worrying about the outcomes of battles or the war, God assures us absolute victory in Christ: “No, in all these things together we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”
Are we living that out?
Rather than our waiting to be bitten by a radioactive spider or being selected for an experimental super-soldier program and hoping for favorable outcomes, God Almighty has created us in their divine image and likeness (Gen 1:26) and has equipped born-again believers with everything we need: “Praiseworthy is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.”
Are we living that out?
Rather than adopting some bogus, transient, feel-good philosophy of Human Secularism, like, “Excelsior!” and judging “progress” on the fickle winds of rapidly imploding culture, God gives us Christ Jesus as our fixed point to navigate by, and the Holy Spirit as our divine navigator in order to please our Heavenly Father! God’s desire for us is: “Be holy, because I AM holy.”
Are we living that out?
By his own admission, Stan Lee wasn’t a businessman. He was a storyteller and entertainer. Stan didn’t own any rights to his characters in the MARVEL universe. Uber-liberal Corporate America has gobbled up and taken over MARVEL. We now have tolerance, diversity, and inclusion standards for our superheroes. WOKEMAN and Drag Queen are just a couple of the characters rising in popularity.
“Excelsior!” sounds great in theory, but if it’s all just a matter of personal preference regarding ethics and morality, then what’s considered “liberal” today is the inevitable “conservative” view of tomorrow. We've got plenty of “movements” today alright. Defund Police. Black Lives Matter. Let Kids Decide. But apart from Christ, we can be absolutely sure it's only “onward” in the sense of moving rebels ever closer toward everlasting torment.
Imagine if we, Christ's Church, truly embraced the idea of “Excelsior!” in this context: “…let us run with endurance the race set out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Excelsior indeed!
Grace and Peace,
Kevin M. Kelley
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