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Written by Jason Toller
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Saturday, 29 March 2008 05:00 |
 I grew up watching Superman in cartoons, television shows, and movies. Daydreaming of what it would be like to have a secret identity and fight crime with powers no one knew I had. There was a romantic desire for that life but what I didn't realize was why Superman felt the need to have a secret identity. The truth is that Superman was created by a couple of Jewish kids in the late 1930s to live out there fantasies of fitting in. Jews have often felt the need to fit in and be accepted, to not be seen as outsiders. Superman was born on Krypton (Kiev, Russia really) and hid his identity so that he could fit in. He felt the need to hide his powers because he didn't believe he would be accepted. His fear was people not allowing him to be part of their world if they knew his true inner strength.
He was not alone though, many of the most famous actors from the 30s, 40s and 50s felt the need to change their names and assume different identities for fear of a rejection of who they really were. From Fred Astaire to Charles Bronson many have had to face the challenge of being true to who they were or changing something seemingly small. like their name. so they could fit in and gain acceptance from society.
Even throughout the Bible we see this challenge play out over and over again. Peter was opposed by Paul (Galatians 2:11-21) for separating himself from gentiles in order to look good in the Jewish community. The nation of Israel wanted a king (I Samuel 8) because all the other nations had one and they wanted to fit in. So, they chose to assimilate and mimic the rest of the world rather than trust G-d.
The true reason for assimilation is simply validation. We all are bombarded every day with challenges that will question if we will sacrifice a part of ourselves, big or small, in order to be validated. An actor faces the challenge of what type of roles they will accept or how they choose to pursue these rolls. Accountants, salesmen, and many others have similar choices of conscience everyday. But many choices are less obvious. Even as a church, the people of G-d can struggle with the temptation to assimilate. We must look at ourselves and be willing to question every belief, thought, and action to see if we are taking action to please G-d or gain acceptance (assimilate) with our community. Throughout biblical times and even today this question must be faced by every new generation. Will we look outside for the answers or will we go to the Bible and find out how our spiritual ancestors overcame the same challenges we face today?
Regardless of our role, we all must serve our purpose and use every breath to pursue validation from G-d rather than our peers. The minister must face the challenge of inspiring their congregation while still standing up for what is right, even if unpopular. They must look inside themselves to challenge their motivations in the direction they choose to lead us. But no less important is the role of the congregation. We must look inside ourselves and see if we, the congregation, are doing everything possible to seek validation from G-d rather than from our minister, small group leader, spouse, or friend. We must ask ourselves, do we blindly accept situations and choose not to speak up even when something doesn't quite seem right in order to fit in? Or, do we go to the other extreme and gossip about people with whom we disagree?
Assimilation is not something we often think about but is something we are tempted with every day. We should all look into our hearts and souls to the source of our motivation. Do we want to trust the world's logic (I Corinthians 3:19) or will we pursue the logic, direction, and validation of our G-d? In the end we all assimilate. Either you will become like those who are chasing after the wind (Ecclesiastes 2:11) with nothing to show for it or you will strive to live in the likeness of our Messiah and Creator who risked rejection by the world for the salvation of the world (Luke 17:25).
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