Making and Maturing

The Flawed Creation Theology of Avatar

December 27, 2025

Art certainly mirrors culture; it reflects the cultural ideals of the artist, even if that culture is a subculture. When it comes to James Cameron’s Avatar movie franchise we find a multi-billion dollar reflection of our culture. If we let the dollars speak, they are shouting. The first Avatar film (2009) grossed 2.92 billion dollars. The second (2022), 2.34 billion dollars. After a few weeks the third has already grossed over 350 million dollars. The movies are peak cinematic productions with stunning special effects and vivid cinematography.

But what do these movies reflect about what our culture believes? There are many topics we could examine in the films, but I’d like to focus on one major one: a theology of creation. The narratives of all three movies hinge on Eywa, the nature goddess. Without spoiling the plots, each story creates tension on a binary scale: humanity either submits to and worships Eywa, or humanity abuses Eywa. Characters in these stories pray to Eywa, and ultimately are rescued by Eywa. Nature has personhood and will in these stories, and one moral takeaway is humanity is abusing nature.

One freedom narrative artists have is the use of extremes to communicate a more nuanced message. Stories work best when the good guys and bad guys are clear. But I think the binary tension in the Avatar movies is precisely the problem with the creation theology of our culture the films reflect. Good guys submit to and worship nature; bad guys don’t.

God’s command to humanity in Genesis 1:28 is markedly different than the choices Cameron presents in Avatar. God blessed Adam and Eve, and said, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth” (Gen. 1:28). This is not worship of creation. Neither is it a mandate for abusing creation. Humanity is commanded to steward the earth, including animal life, for the glory of God.

In its remarkable artistic presentation, Avatar shows us one narrative in our culture: we must worship nature. There is no room in this worldview for a biblical creation theology. Christians may disagree about what good stewardship of creation looks like, but we must insist that we have a Creator who can be known through general and special revelation, and He has instructed us to rule over creation.

If people are listening to Cameron’s stories, the lesson is that we must stop abusing nature and start worshipping her, she will save us. Ironically, Cameron does fumble around with biblical ideas of redemption in the third Avatar film. One narrative moment (mild spoiler here) is a midrash on Genesis 22 and Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac. In Cameron’s version the main character comes to his senses and refuses to move forward with the sacrifice. Redemption comes from self-revelation. But the Genesis version is better: God provides a substitutionary sacrifice as the means of redemption.

The assumption in the Avatar movies is that mankind’s greatest sin is abusing creation. These films reflect a mindset in which the creature has displaced the Creator. That theology of creation is upside down. At our best, we understand stewarding creation is a means to glorify God, not replace him.
Give Thanks in Everything?

November 26, 2025

“…give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus””
-1 Thessalonians 5:18

Tucked away at the end of 1 Thessalonians we find a simple but challenging command: “give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). This command is straight forward enough, but in the real world we might have a real problem with it. Assuming that the term “everything” means “everything,” we may find ourselves in a theological pickle.

Of course, we are rightly happy to give thanks for God’s good gifts. We give thanks for our families, for our homes, for our vocations, for our nation, even for our food. But those are only some things—some circumstances. What about the rest?

When we suffer, it is much harder to give thanks. It hard to give thanks when we are sick, when we face financial difficulties, when we lose a job, when we receive a dire prognosis, or when we lose a loved one. We must be honest in acknowledging the brokenness of the world and the difficulty of enduring trials of various kinds. For this reason, “give thanks in everything” surely doesn’t mean “pretend trials or easy.”

What is God actually commanding us to do? We find help in the rest of the verse which is the explanation of why we should give thanks in everything: “for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” God’s revealed will for us is that we would interpret every circumstance of our lives in the light of Christ Jesus. In Christ we find the key to viewing our hurts from a different perspective. Commenting on this verse, John Calvin notes,

“…even in our afflictions we have large occasion of thanksgiving.”

Why? Paul assumes the sovereignty of God and the active work of Jesus in the world. The will of God in Christ for us is that we would see in every circumstance we face his greater purpose. We might do this because of three specific truths.

1. Give Thanks for Trials in Light of Justification

Whatever we are facing, Jesus is still the Christ who died for our sins and rose from the dead. No sickness, geopolitical crisis, or dirty look can change our security in him. The certainty of the gospel equips us to see that God is still faithful. Even when we suffer, there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).

2. Give Thanks for Trials in Light of Sanctification

Not only did Jesus die for us, he also ordains every circumstance for our ultimate spiritual good. This logic is developed more thoroughly in passages like Romans 5:3-5 or James 1:2-4. Perhaps Paul is thinking of that bedrock promise from Romans 8:28—all things work for the good of believers. Calvin took it this way. He explains, “For what is fitter or more suitable for pacifying us, than when we learn that God embraces us in Christ so tenderly, that he turns to our advantage and welfare everything that befalls us.” We can give thanks because whatever we face we know God will use it for our spiritual benefit.

3. Give Thanks for Trials in Light of Glorification

Of course, Jesus isn’t done. We look forward to our glorification. When we die, or when the Lord returns, we will say goodbye to our frail, mortal bodies and enjoy resurrection unto eternal life. Our ultimate home is the New Jerusalem, where every tear is wiped away. All sorrow will be seen in the light of God’s glorious plan for creation. So we can give thanks, even as we suffer, in anticipation of the end of that suffering.

No doubt there is more we could say. Perhaps it is worth noting that if we aren’t giving thanks in everything, then we are likely complaining about those notorious some things. Paul’s command equips us to move from complaining (whether we voice it or not) to faith. Yes, trials are hard, but by faith we believe that God is working through them.

So this year at Thanksgiving what do you have to be thankful for? Everything.
The Passing of Lucy Morgan and Two Truths

June 5, 2024

Our hearts are broken. Today we are caught in between two immutable truths. Lucy is experiencing ineffable joy with the Lord; we are experiencing unspeakable grief and sorrow.

John Newton penned a beautiful poem reflecting on the first truth.

In vain my fancy strives to paint

The moment after death,

The glories that surround the saints,

When yielding up their breath.

…

Thus much (and this is all) we know,

They are completely blest;

Have done with sin, and care, and woe,

And with their Saviour rest.

Two truths: Lucy’s joy, our pain.

Our tears express the second. Lucy has gone home to be with the Lord, but that means she has been taken from the Morgan family.

To hold both of these truths in tension is a temporary challenge due to living in a world broken by sin. The gospel facilitates the first truth: by faith in Jesus Lucy is a daughter of the king and at home with him. But the gospel also guarantees the end of the second: because Jesus has defeated death its days are numbered.

So today we weep in Christ. We mourn in the shadow of the cross and the empty tomb. We look to the Father for care and comfort in this sometimes terrible in-between.

Nestled in Hosea’s bold confrontation of Israel’s persistent idolatry is a remarkable promise:

I will ransom them from the power of Sheol. I will redeem them from death. Death, where are your barbs? Sheol, where is your sting? (Hosea 13:14).

It is this prophetic promise that Paul quotes in 1 Corinthians 15:55. It is this promise that John sees realized in Revelation 21:4. But for today we are caught in between. What can we do? We fight to have faith, to trust our good God in the face of sin’s tragic effects. Today, we worship through tears, but we worship.

If you have not been following I strongly recommend reading Pastor Jesse’s blog as they are walking through this valley. We are coordinating care for the Morgans as they head home. A Go Fund Me has been started to help with funeral costs. A link to sign up for the meal train will be available soon. To help in other ways just reach out to the church office (sarah@greenpondbible.org).

As hard as this is for the Morgans, they are not weeping or walking alone.
The Word Became Flesh

December 25, 2022

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14

Have you ever noticed people have a philosophy about area codes? This somewhat new phenomenon is a byproduct of two realities of modern living: transience in society and the invention of the cell phone. As people relocate, we can retain the number of our homeland or change our number to conform with our new locale. Upon moving to a new city or state, some people hold on to their original area code as an homage to home. Whenever they give out their number or call someone the foreign area code says, “I’m not from around here.” Bravo for loyalty to your homeland!

Others, upon moving, choose to sever the connection to their old label and embrace a new identity (albeit with great inconvenience to their friends and family who now have to update their contact info). This is a bold move. It says “I may not be from here, but I have chosen to identify with this community.”

This latter area code philosophy is not new. Since Adam and Eve left the garden humanity has been transient, and by necessity people have had to identify with new people or places. Often transience is forced upon us, and with pain we may choose to accept a new people as our own. Once it happened that one chose to identify with a community not because of sorrow, but to remove it. We read about it in the gospel of John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Jesus, the eternal Word of God, second person of the Trinity, agent of creation, became flesh. He adopted our area code. He chose to be one of us, to walk with us. He set up camp with us.

This imagery is loaded with allusions to the tabernacle in Exodus. When God rescued Israel out of Egypt he instructed them to build a tabernacle so that he could dwell with them, right at the center of all the tribes in the encampment. God’s plan was not just to deliver his people, it was to dwell with them. So the Word became flesh.

Perhaps this year at Christmas you feel isolated—like no one gets you or knows your pain. Maybe it’s worse than that, maybe you feel like no one takes time to really identify with you and get to know you. As you think of the incarnation this year be encouraged: Jesus adopted your area code. He took on flesh to identify with and represent you, and he did it to reveal the glory of God. John recorded this so that people would read it and believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died for their sins and rose again, and by believing would have life in his name. If the Word didn’t become flesh, we would have no such hope.

John goes on to point out that as the second person of the Trinity Jesus uniquely gives us a vision of the glory of God. That glory is the Father’s glory, and it is full of grace and truth. These two nouns are not chosen at random. What do sinners like us need? Grace from God to forgive and transform us and truth to build our lives upon. Jesus is full of both. The Word became flesh so we could receive God’s grace. He purchased that grace for us on the cross. Jesus did not come to condemn the world, but to save the world. The Word became flesh to show us the truth. The truth doesn’t ignore sin, but deals with it. The truth isn’t dependent on our emotions or whims, but rather is a function of God’s eternally unchanging character. We all need grace and truth, and Jesus is the one place we can get both.

Long ago Martin Luther reflected on the Word becoming flesh: “It would not be out of place for us still to weep with joy.” This year at Christmas you may be suffering, but even so the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Take heart, he chose to identity with us! Jesus adopted our area code, and offers us grace and truth through faith in him. This is a reason to weep with joy. Merry Christmas!

It would not be out of place for us still to weep with joy.
Martin Luther
Christmas on a Sunday?!

December 12, 2022
Let me plead with you: worship Jesus with the gathered body of Christ on Christmas day.

This year, as happens from time to time, Christmas falls on a Sunday. Regrettably, church attendance on Christmas day is much lower than normal.

Why is this the case? In the best case scenarios, the intertia of family gatherings and traditions simply outweigh the priority of corporate worship. We are busy and tired, so getting to church with x kids + cousins is just too much. In the worst case scenarios, we love and value our presents and our traditions more than Jesus.

I would like to offer a counter-cultural voice this year: make going to church on Christmas day a priority for your family. Here are four reasons to worship with the church on Christmas day:
1. Attending church on Christmas keeps the focus on Jesus. The point of Christmas is to celebrate the eternal Word becoming flesh to save sinners. Worshipping with the church will help you and your family keep Christ the central focus of your Christmas celebration.
2. Attending church on Christmas teaches our families that Jesus and his mission are more important than presents and food. It’s hard enough as it is to keep our children focused on Christ in the midst of all the gift giving. When we skip church on Christmas day we unintentionally imply that other things are more important than Jesus and his mission.
3. Attending church on Christmas encourages the body of Christ, especially those without earthly family. It’s easy to forget, but the church family is the family that will last for eternity. Earthly families are a blessing and important in our lives, but some of us have had to say goodbye to parents or siblings in order to follow Christ. Others have lost love ones and for them the holidays are especially hard. We encourage those without families when we gather with them on a Christmas Sunday.
4. Attending church on Christmas proves that we can say no to culture. Sometimes we just need to say no to cultural habits to remind ourselves that our agenda isn’t written by our society. From a cultural perspective, Santa overran Jesus many years ago. We can’t change that, but we can make sure it doens’t happen with the culture in our homes.
You might object: “We have a family tradition on Christmas morning. What does it say to my family to choose church over them?” Certainly travel plans and family schedules may mean that some can’t attend corporate worship on Christmas day. But many of us have a choice. I implore you to make the choice with God at the center of your priorities.

Please don’t misunderstand me. Our families are a blessing; Christmas is a unique time to share the gospel with many family members. Presents are a blessing; we give gifts because God has given us the gift of a Savior in Jesus and eternal life in him. Traditions are a blessing; they help us honor those who have gone before us. But Jesus must have the first place in our heart, and if we love him we will love his bride.

Charles Spurgeon reminds us that there is something special about the gathered body of Christ:

The saints in their corporate capacity are a holy temple unto the Lord.

While all believers are a temple of the Spirit, there is a sense in which the gathered body uniquely displays the glory of God. This line of thinking is confirmed by Peter in 1 Peter 2:5 when he refers to believers as “living stones, a spiritual house….” As you evaluate your plans for Christmas, consider this question: Are we holy to the Lord, or to ourselves?

I humbly ask you, especially husbands and fathers, to make this Christmas about Jesus the Christ, and bring your family to worship with the gathered church on December 25th.