Holy Nerdery
One of the more difficult quests that I have faced as a father (and when I was a youth minister) is finding quality devotionals. There are questions of theology, age appropriateness, interest, etc. and it’s all kind of a crapshoot. It is one thing when you are trying to find that devotional for yourself. It is another thing entirely when you are trying to pass that devotional along to a young person about which you care and want to help foster some sort of spiritual practice.
Compounding problems is that there are so many devotionals that adhere to an incredibly narrow views of gender. Try to find a devotional for girls that is not in princess-like pastels or a devotional for boys that is not steeped in sports metaphors. It’s difficult. And the Christian publishing industry skews more towards the more-conservative-than-our-family-is side of things. This is not to say that there aren’t good devotionals out there, but with our oldest, it finally got to the point where I decided, “Fine…I’ll do it myself” (Foreshadowing…genre foreshadowing, not action foreshadowing).
So I am writing a devotional for Jim based on our shared love for nerd culture—comics, Star Wars, video games, Pixar, the MCU, etc.—and calling it Holy Nerdery. I know, this is a huge shock given virtually everything that I have ever written on this blog. While I am getting my ideas together, I thought that I’d write here a little about why my nerdery and Christian faith actually go hand in hand.
First, I am really glad that my son is living in a world where being a nerd is a bit more socially acceptable. This was not always the case. I was embarrassed about my comic book collecting when I was his age. I would admit to being a nerd in a self-deprecating way but it wasn’t until my college girlfriend (now wife) started wearing an “I ❤️ Nerds” shirt that I took the title as a badge of honor. Now it is a bit more mainstream. Heck, I went to see Dune this past week and the theater was packed. Dune! Glad things are different for the kids today.
Anyway, here are the ways that being a nerd has helped enrich my faith.
1. Nerds deeply love what they love
The dictionary definition of a nerd is “a person who extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable about a particular subject, especially one of a specialist or niche interest.” Do you love something a lot? Then you are a nerd. Whether it is geography or church history or cooking or whatever, you’re a nerd. Welcome!
Nerds are excited about the things that interest them. They can talk about it all day long. There is no guessing about whether they love a certain subject. And this is great in a day and time in which people often are defined by what they are against. They are passionate and they dive deep into the ins and outs of what they love. There is something nice about a community that gives you the permission to geek out about something.
That is how I want to be about my faith. I want to be passionate about loving God and loving my neighbor. I want to be enthusiastic and knowledgeable and for that to come from a place of joy.
2. Nerds make room for those who don’t fit in
No, not all of us have been given a swirly in the school bathroom, but most nerds know what it is like to not feel included. When one knows what it feels like to be an outcast, they are typically pretty welcoming people (there is a shadow side to that “typically” that I’ll get to in a bit). What I love about my local comic book store is that pretty much everyone is welcome there; people in suits or scrubs or jeans or with tons of piercings, lots of ethnicities, families and no families. It is a bunch of different people brought to a place by something they love.
And many of the stories are by and about people who are on the margins. Superman, which is an immigrant story, was created by two Jewish kids who wanted a hero while Hitler was rising to power across the sea. Star Wars is about people, aliens, and droids rising up against space fascists. The X-Men have been stand-ins for both the Civil Rights Movement and the push for equality among LGBTQ+ individuals. Percy Jackson was inspired by the author wanting to give his dyslexic and ADHD-diagnosed son someone to look up to. In the realm of nerdery, the world is saved by orphans and hobbits, the marginalized and the unexpected (and occasionally Batman).
I don’t think it is necessary to underline how I hope that our churches could be places that make room for people who don’t fit in. Nor how scripture is brimming with stories about God doing amazing things through those on the margins.
3. Nerds have the imagination to see the world beyond how it exists
The tagline for the first Superman movie back in 1978 was “You’ll believe a man can fly.” And, yeah, there is something to be said for stories with super powers, magic, dragons, Jedis, lasers, and all sorts of other trappings. It is fun to go to a world where the impossible is possible.
And I think it is important to imagine worlds beyond what we normally see as possible. I have long said that as much I love the super heroics of the Man of Steel, the real reason that I have been drawn to Superman is because of his goodness and compassion. I want to believe in a world where a man can be kind. I want to believe in a world where good is victorious over evil. These modern myths are stories that can bring us hope.
I think that is so important to have imagination in one’s faith. Not to be disconnected from reality, but to be able to look at things from a different point of view. After all, the world that Jesus calls us into is one that does not fully exist before our eyes.
4. The Shadow Side: Nerds can be notorious gatekeepers who foolishly think they are ones who decide who is in and who is out
These are stories that are shared by millions of people; all sorts of ethnicities, genders, socio-economic statuses, everything. Again, that’s the potentially cool thing about a superhero movie or a church, it is theoretically a place where everyone is welcome.
Except people have a habit of deciding that they are the ultimate arbiter of these stories that are shared by millions of people. Some get angry if you don’t look the right way or like the “wrong” story. Star Wars is one of my favorite franchises ever, but its fandom eats its own so many times. In this ongoing, still unfolding saga, some guys (it’s usually guys) get really bent out of shape when new stories explore new ideas with new protagonists. People who have been left out decide to assert power by leaving other people out.
And it really sucks when we turn the things that we love into things to fight over. It comes from a protective instinct, but that protective instinct is often from a place of fear. And, to paraphrase 1 John, if we are operating out of a place of fear then we are not coming from a place of perfect love. I want my fandoms, but more importantly my faith to be a place that is welcoming, inviting, quick to listen, and slow to anger.
Love, joy, space for everyone, imagination, and not be being gatekeepers are just some of the ways that I would like the church to look more like the realm of the nerds. I’m interested to see where this devotional project takes me.