President Trump’s meeting today with Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to dominate headlines. By the end of the day, we should have a better grasp on whether the talks will prove to be a helpful step on the path toward peace, a waste of time, or somewhere in between. However, as of this morning, any attempt to say what that outcome will be is, at best, an educated guess.
Over the course of this week, Dr. Jim Denison has written extensively on the meeting, what each nation may want from the negotiations, and why Putin appears to be so obsessed with Ukraine. Honestly, until the talks conclude, there’s really not much I could add to this discussion. As such, I’d like to focus today on a subject that is far less important to the future of our world but, perhaps, of even greater significance to the state of our culture: KPop Demon Hunters.
Now, if that statement seems hyperbolic, I understand. However, the animated film has already become one of Netflix’s most-watched offerings with over 184 million views in less than two months. The soundtrack that fuels much of the movie’s plot currently has three songs in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, with “Golden” taking the top spot. That achievement marks the first time a female group has topped the chart since Destiny’s Child back in 2001. The movie has even earned a limited theatrical release later this month, which Netflix designed to be a “sing-along” event.
As the parent of children who will inevitably ask to attend said sing-along, this is not good news. However, the reason may be different from what you would expect.
Is “KPop Demon Hunters” worth seeing?
When my family first saw the film advertised, our initial response was to scroll by without giving it a second thought. After all, a kids’ movie about demon hunters was not high on my list of ways to spend our time together. But when some friends from church told us a bit more about the film, we decided to give it a shot.
The story revolves around a group of three girls who use magical powers to slay demons while maintaining a barrier between their world and the underworld by inspiring people with their singing. Everything is going well until the demon overlord sends a demonic boy band to steal their fans and destroy the barrier. It’s a strange premise, to be sure, and I don’t blame you if you read that and have zero interest in seeing the film.
However, we all really enjoyed it. The central themes of owning your flaws and finding strength in community were solid and biblical, even if the makers of the film did not intend to highlight Christian concepts. While there were some conversations we had to have with our kids once it was done—more on that in a minute—overall, it felt like a solid use of our time, and I can understand why it has grown so popular.
Unfortunately, not every reason the film resonates with people is a cause for celebration. And its popularity reveals an important truth about the state of our culture and a threat we cannot afford to overlook.
A discussion about demons
As Isabel Ong writes for Christianity Today, “I am intrigued by our modern-day penchant for making monsters and demons safe—or cute or attractive or morally ambiguous—and how this might be creating a sense of spiritual ambivalence.”
Ong goes on to describe how our culture has largely lost its taste for battles between clearly defined good and evil. Instead, we often prefer a nebulous middle ground where characters have the potential for both and are free to decide on their own course.
She concludes that such moral ambiguity places us “at the center of every battle between good and evil. The narrative du jour is how a human, demon, or half-demon can successfully overcome the darkness within by their own strength. . . Mastery of the self is the pinnacle of achievement.”
This desire to see good in everyone while recognizing our own capacity for evil is not wrong. Every day presents us with the chance to choose God or to choose sin, and we are ultimately the ones responsible for that decision.
The problem arises when we forget that true good and evil exist, and the threat posed by the latter should not be underestimated.
Satan often prefers to stay in the background of our culture, feeding our fallen natures in ways that accomplish his purposes in a more subtle manner. As such, there aren’t a lot of chances to bring up the reality of Satan and his demons in a way that doesn’t feel forced.
That distinction between the fictional demons in the film and the real demons that Scripture describes is one of the conversations I alluded to before, and I was genuinely grateful for the way the film provided an organic opportunity to discuss that topic with my kids. However, the story’s central theme brings up a much more difficult discussion as well; one that is relevant to every one of us today.
How does your past define you?
As I mentioned before, one of the main themes in KPop Demon Hunters is the need to own our flaws if we’re going to find the strength to move past them. As with many things in our culture, that notion gets you most of the way to the truth before stopping just before the most essential part.
You see, a core characteristic of the gospel message is that we will never know God’s peace and joy if we are haunted by our sin. Trying to hide our past or act as though we can move past our mistakes without bringing them into the light is both unbiblical and ineffective. Insofar as the film points to that truth, it echoes God’s truth.
However, the gospel calls us to take the additional step of presenting our past to the Lord, repenting of our sins, and ultimately placing our trust in him rather than in ourselves to save us. That last part is often the hardest, even for Christians.
All of us have things we wish were different about ourselves; points of weakness or insecurity that Satan is adept at using to create cracks in our relationship with God. In such moments, the answer is not to simply embrace them as part of who we are but, rather, to remember that they pale in comparison to the identity available to us in Christ.
There is a freedom and joy in our relationship with God that is available nowhere else. We can find traces of it through friends and family or seek substitutes through work and performance, but true peace is and always will be found in Jesus alone.
Have you found that peace today?
Quote of the day:
“The true wonder of human beings is not that we are sinners, but that even in our sin we are haunted by goodness, that even in the mud we can never wholly forget the stars.” —William Barclay
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