A couple of days ago I saw a disturbing movie, The Dark Knight Rises. It was a sequel to an equally disturbing The Dark Knight. Unlike other films, these movies achieved their fame through their villains rather than their hero. While the villains epitomized evil, they were also complex characters, who were very eloquent and espoused a philosophy that celebrated as most natural the worst of human nature and at the same time embraced the vanity of any kind of virtue. This is the heart of a philosophy known as Nihilism, popularized in the second-half of the nineteenth century by the German philosopher Frederich Nietzsche.

Nihilists believe that there is no real substance to traditional social, political, moral, and religious values. It denies that those values have any objective validity or that they impose any binding obligations. Indeed, it postulates that they could at times have negative consequence.

Nietzsche, as well as the villains in Batman, namely, the Joker and Bane, saw most people in society as effectively nihilists themselves. Many, if not most, probably wouldn't admit to it, but Nietzsche saw that the old values and old morality simply didn't have the same power that they once did. It is here that he announced the "death of God," arguing that the traditional source of ultimate and transcendental value, God, no longer mattered in modern culture and was effectively dead to us. He regarded this "death of God" as being ultimately a good thing for society. Nietzsche believed that traditional moral values, and in particular those stemming from traditional Christianity, were ultimately harmful to humanity. Thus, the removal of their primary support should lead to their downfall — and that could only be a good thing. Nihilists look at the death of God and conclude that, without any perfect source of absolute, universal, and transcendent values, then there can be no real values at all. It is in recognizing and embracing this that the individual becomes a kind of "superman," unbeholden to any value or virtue except their own primal nature and desire. Thus, the Joker, and then Bane, are presented as this kind of nihilistic "superman," feared by the others, who see them as "pure evil."

Thus, Nihilists celebrate what the Bible condemns. In Genesis 6, we find the outcome of the philosophy of Nihilism gone to seed: "Every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time" (Genesis 6:5). The result was a world filled with corruption and violence (Genesis 6:12-13). At the heart of this evil was people doing everything as they saw fit, without values and contrary to virtue. I believe in the Genesis account the "Nephilim" were the corrupt and powerful leaders that led the people into increasingly violent acts. While they were destroyed in the flood, such leaders would appear in the generations after the flood (Genesis 6:4).

So, in the current movie, the villain tells everyone in Gotham to do whatever they want, even to steal, kill, and destroy. Interestingly, this is Jesus' description of the antichrist, who "comes only to steal and kill and destroy" (John 10:10).

Listen, O heavens! Pay attention, earth!
    This is what the Lord says:
“The children I raised and cared for
    have rebelled against me.
Even an ox knows its owner,
    and a donkey recognizes its master’s care—
but Israel doesn’t know its master.
    My people don’t recognize my care for them" (Isaiah 1:2-3).

This an apt description of those that reject their Maker. They are lower than work animals, for at least these recognize their owner and master. When Isaiah is commissioned in chapter 6, he would be preaching to a people that had rejected their Maker:

‘Listen carefully, but do not understand.
    Watch closely, but learn nothing.’
Harden the hearts of these people.
    Plug their ears and shut their eyes.
That way, they will not see with their eyes,
    nor hear with their ears,
nor understand with their hearts
    and turn to me for healing" (Isaiah 6:9-10).

Then I said, “Lord, how long will this go on?” And he replied, “Until their towns are empty, their houses are deserted, and the whole country is a wasteland; until the Lord has sent everyone away, and the entire land of Israel lies deserted. If even a tenth—a remnant—survive, it will be invaded again and burned (Isaiah 6:11-13).

This is why I never like Isaiah 6 being used as a primary passage to encourage evangelism and missions. Isaiah 6 is a commission for Isaiah to preach condemnation, not salvation, but Jesus came to save and not condemn. Therefore, our intent is to "go and make disciples," not to "harden the hearts of these people."

The message of nihilism is a message of independence from God. While the scenario presented in the movie seems over the top, the philosophy that brings such self-destruction is not far from our present reality. With a society elevating "self-esteem," "being your own man," "being your own woman," "looking out for yourself," and a sin nature that gladly accomodates such a view of life, we may be moving again toward a kind of nihilistic, narcissistic (i.e. self-absorbed) way of thinking that seeks to use God rather than worship and serve Him.

Soon people will help others not because of God's command but in order to feel better about themselves or to gain recognition from others. Ministry will no longer be a sacrifice of service but a means to secure a steady income, discounted services, and an alternative to failure in other pursuits. The character and mission of the church will not be much different from any other business seeking to profit and grow.

The median salary of a pastor in America today is $85,500 (source: http://www1.salary.com/Pastor-Salary.html). The median income in Amerca is $46,300 (source: http://www.mybudget360.com/how-much-does-the-average-american-make-breaking-down-the-us-household-income-numbers/). Thus, pastors make twice the median income of most Americans. I only mention this to demonstrate that the old belief that most pastors are poor is a thing of the past. They do quite well and better than most.

While it may seem like I'm picking on pastors here, many will need to give an account for their affluence. But pastors aside, Christians today would do well to reflect on their own priorities. Just as we can't just blame the government for setting a poor example of fiscal responsibility, so we can't just blame pastors for setting a poor example of Christian priorities, even though there are a number of stand-out exceptions.

But I want us to stop making excuses for ourselves because we think that we are better or not much worse than our leaders. As we read the Scriptures, they serve as a mirror for our own lives and our own priorities, for which we are ultimately accountable to God. Therefore, let us stop and reflect, humbling ourselves before God, repenting of our self-centered pursuits, and reordering our lives to align with the priorities of God.