ONLY Love Will Save the World

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Pittsburgh Theological Seminary pts.edu/blog/wonder-woman-love/ By ptsblog

July 21, 2017

*SPOILER ALERT: Don’t read on if you don’t want to know plot points of Wonder Woman (2017 Film) Last Saturday evening, my mother and I went to see Wonder Woman. I was glad I saw it while on vacation. Otherwise I would have been up half the night re-writing my sermon. Wonder Woman asks the same theological question I ask my congregation most Sunday mornings: Why must we love those who don’t deserve it? Wonder Woman begins on the island of Themyscira. Home to Amazon warrior women created by the gods to protect humankind. Long ago Ares, god of war, killed all the other gods, including his father, Zeus. Before Zeus died, he and Queen Hipplyta (ruler of Themyscira) had a daughter, Dianna, aka Wonder Woman. Though she doesn’t know it, Dianna is the only one capable of defeating Ares. One-day General Steve Trevor’s plane crashes in the waters near Themyscira. He tells Dianna that he is an Allied spy. He stole a notebook from Isabel Maru, a German chemist, who’s trying to create a deadly gas. Dianna believes that her superior, General Ludendorff, is Ares, and she thinks killing him will end “The War to End All Wars.” Except it doesn’t. 1/2

Dianna realizes that General Ludendorff isn’t Ares. And the real Ares creates war by manipulating people’s free wills. He doesn’t make anyone create poisonous gases. He merely tells them the recipe. It’s up to them what they decide to do with it. And they constantly chose war over peace. He invites Dianna to join him. Because why save the despicable human race? As a preacher, I ask some variation of this question most Sunday mornings. Why must we love those who don’t deserve it? Dianna believes we should love because “only love will save the world.” As Christians, we believe that Jesus’ love saved the world. It was love that sent Jesus to the cross on our behalf. And it is love that sends us out into the world to heal the sick, welcome the stranger, and protect the widow. Wonder Woman ends with Dianna recommitting herself to her mission to save the world. She recognizes that there is light and darkness in every human being. Her mission isn’t to eradicate the darkness, but to love in the midst of darkness. I think that’s a mission all Christians can get behind. We can’t eradicate the darkness. Only God can do that. But we can participate in the inbreaking of the kingdom of God here on earth by acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with our God. The Rev. Rebecca DePoe ’16 is the pastor of Mt. Nebo United Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, Pa. She earned her MDiv degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. A member of Pittsburgh Presbytery, she served on the Administrative Commission for Transformation (ACT). Rebecca blogs at mtneboupc.com/pastor-s-corner and tweets @RebeccaDePoe.

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