For months Dwayne Johnson (he’ll always be the Rock to me) has been hinting at a role in the DC Universe. Yesterday he finally made it official that he will be portraying Black Adam.
I was excited when I read that news because I love the Rock, but then I realized that I had absolutely no idea who Black Adam was. I am The Christian Nerd and I didn’t know anything about something nerdy. That is a little disappointing and embarrassing.
We all have nerdy blind spots, though. No matter how nerdy we are, we are always going to have a few blind spots.
I don’t know much about DC Comics outside of Superman and Batman. I’ve never read DC Comics and I really don’t like most of their characters.
I’m also pretty lost when it comes to anime. I watched Tank Police when I was 13 but that’s about it. There’s an entire world out there of anime and manga that is completely foreign to me.
There are also a lot of video game franchises that don’t mean anything to me as well as television series I’ve never watched. I saw Stargate the movie but have no idea how that movie spawned 37 television series.
I’m comfortable in my wheelhouses of Star Wars, Star Trek and the X-Men. My nerd hand is strong when it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Doctor Who. But no nerd can know everything. If we nerd out about everything then are we actually nerding out about nothing?
Our nerdy blind spots are a good analogy for the body of Christ. No nerd can know everything on his or her own and no Christian can fulfill every role in the body of Christ. Voltron needed five different lions and the body of Christ needs different followers of Jesus using their different gifts.
I’m extremely grateful that I don’t have to do God’s work in this world on my own. I’m pretty good at talking about Jesus and running a game of dodge ball. I’m not as good at meeting the needs of hurting people or praying for others.
Our deficiencies are a great reminder that we can’t be the body of Christ on our own; we need other people. And just like we can never nerd out about everything, we can never accomplish God’s work in this world on our own.
What are some of your nerdy blind spots?
Another great “sweet spot” post, Scott! You took this in a direction I wasn’t expecting, and it was great to read and reflect on.
I’d also add that some of blind spots, both in nerdclinations and as members of Christ’s body, are things we can work on (“growing edges” is the buzz phrase, right?) Absolutely, the hand cannot be the eye, to borrow Paul’s metaphor… but the hand can sense things in its own way. So while we (as nerds and as the church) are only complete as a community, we can also (in our better moments) work (and, in the spiritual case, pray) for growth.
My nerd blind spots are similar to yours. My knowledge of anime and most video games is nil. I do not watch “The Walking Dead” and only saw the first year of “Lost.” Any superheroes who aren’t DC or Marvel I’m likely to know very little about.
I do know a few things about Black Adam (not enough to qualify as an expert, though), and I think a Shazam movie could be all kinds of fun, given the core premise of Captain Marvel. I recommend you read Jeff Smith’s “Shazam! and the Society of Monsters,” a four-part graphic novel from a few years back (circa 2006, I think?). No Black Adam, but a great, all-ages, gorgeous introduction to the Shazam universe.