I was intrigued by the plot of the movie "Iron Man 3". The terrorist who was supposed to be leading a war of terror was actually an actor. Behind him, the true terrorist, was an industrialist whose technological innovation is billed as something beneficial for humanity. In the latest Batman movie, a similar scenario is played out. The villain, Bane, was supposed to be someone who is on the side of the common people in their struggles with the socialites of Gotham City. However, in the end, it is discovered that behind Bane was a socialite who was close to the hero Batman. The popular series "Star Wars" follows the same storyline. The Chancellor of the Republic was thought to be someone concerned with peace in his federation. This peace was being disturbed by rebels, who is supposedly backed by an evil group known as the Sith. In the end, it was revealed that the peace loving Chancellor was also the leader of the Sith, the supposed enemies of the republic. Behind the battle was the true enemy, the one who wants complete control of his world.

     I believe that these movies rightly represent the work of the devil. The devil destroys by playing up both sides in a conflict. That is why the church should be very careful in taking clear sides in a culture war. The church must remain separate from culture war if it wants to resist becoming part of the devil's plan to destroy God's creation. The church must fight the temptation to gain popularity with men. It must speak for the God who is holy, the God who sees the darkness in men's hearts, a darkness that lie within those who might be perceived as heroes or villains in the war for dominance of society.

    I think today of the battle over the acceptance of homosexual behavior. There are those who oppose the behavior because of the perceived grossness of the practice, not because of the sanctity of the sexual relationship between a man and a woman who are committed to each other for life. These certain people abhor homosexuality but have no problems with premarital sex, or gossipping or lying, or any other practices God condemns. They don't stand with God and the church must be wary of partnering with them. There are segments of the church who in their zeal for popularity, imbibes the values of a segment of society that values sexual freedom. They have stopped standing with the holy God who clearly desires the sanctity of the marriage relationship. In this cultural battle, I see the devil's hand. The devil wants to foment hate in both sides because he wants to destroy God's creation, to destroy the harmony among his creatures.

     The one who stands with God promotes repentance. He calls all people to have an humble attitude, not trying to beat up others so he can gain a higher moral ground. Unfortunately, the one who truly stands for God will not be popular. He will be suspected by the other side of being a compromiser or being a coward. If we are really honest about who Jesus is, we could never see him as a social reformer or a social conservative who clearly stands with us. He rebuffed Judas when Judas complained against a woman who was pouring expensive perfume on him supposedly because money to help the poor is being wasted. He also rebuffed the self-righteous pharisees who lack in their concern for the poor. The truth is, we can't pigeonhole God incarnate. He cannot be the perfect husband or the perfect boss or the perfect president from our perspective, because if we truly encounter him, we will find our deepest values challenged- freedom or security or social control. He is ultimately not the friend of the liberal or the conservative. The world joined in crucifying him- a zealot betrayed him, the Jewish leaders accused him, and the Romans put him on the cross. However, in God's perspective, he is the perfect king.