Daniel Debs - The Dark Knight Devotionals: Finding Biblical Truth In The World Of Batman

T HE D ARK K NIGHT
D EVOTIONALS

T HE D ARK K NIGHT
D EVOTIONALS

Finding Biblical Truth in the World of Batman

Daniel V. Debs

2018 Daniel V. Debs

The Dark Knight Devotionals

Finding Biblical Truth in the World of Batman

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Elm Hill, an imprint of Thomas Nelson. Elm Hill and Thomas Nelson are registered trademarks of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

Publishers Note: The sole purpose of this work is to present a study and analysis of the biblical parallels of Christian values found by the author in the Batman stories. This work does not intend to replicate or recreate any part of the story in any of the Batman series.

Elm Hill titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail .

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version). Copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are from the New King James Version. 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018958987

ISBN 978-1-595558657 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-595558633 (eBook)

Information about External Hyperlinks in this ebook

Please note that footnotes in this ebook may contain hyperlinks to external websites as part of bibliographic citations. These hyperlinks have not been activated by the publisher, who cannot verify the accuracy of these links beyond the date of publication.

Batman and related characters and elements are a registered

trademark of DC Comics and Warner Brothers.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To my wife Teairra, thank you for your constant encouragement and prayers!

To Mom and Dad and my brother Steve for their love and support.

To my cousins, Thom and Jenn, who provided valuable feedback and prayers throughout this project, thank you!

To Bob Kane and Bill Finger for creating one of the most enduring fictional characters of our time.

Finally and most importantly, thank you to God for saving us all through Jesus Christ, the greatest Hero in the history of the universe

C ONTENTS

H eroes our culture, as well as the many ancient cultures that have preceded us, has been enamored with tales of heroic acts and mighty figures who perform them. From the Greek gods to classic literature, human beings seemingly have an intrinsic desire to save and to be saved. This has only continued in our day and age. Since before World War II, the most recurring genre of heroic fiction has been superhero comic books. Superheroes have permeated our popular culture for several decades, the last fifteen years or so in particular. One character especially has always been at the forefront Bruce Wayne, the Batman.

Debuting in 1939, Batman was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. The famous backstory goes like this. Bruce Wayne, son of wealthy Gotham surgeon Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne, witnesses his parents murder in front of him by a man with a gun. Devastated and traumatized, Bruce dedicates his life to avenging his parents and preventing similar tragedies from harming anyone else. After traveling around the world and honing his body and mind, Bruce concocts the Batman, a new persona through whom he can traverse Gothams underworld and help rid the city of the evil that took his parents lives.

Superheroes and comic books dont seem like the place youd find parallels of Christian values. True, comics like most media in this world, can be full of glorified sin. They can be sexually suggestive or perverse, portray too much violence, or lead impressionable readers down the wrong path. But there are also surprisingly poignant lessons to be found in various stories, some built on the same universal truths found in the Bible.

Even when it is unintentional on the creators parts, a superhero comic cant help but reflect in some way, the ultimate Hero, if the title characters are indeed doing good deeds. True heroism was defined when God came to earth in the form of His Son and He took the punishment for our sins in order to save us. Jesus performed the greatest heroic act the universe will ever see and saved countless souls from perdition. He did this out of great love for us all.

Batman is a character that, as previously mentioned, has been around for decades. He has been handled by numerous writers and artists in different media. While the character has sometimes been portrayed as a crazy person only motivated by revenge (he does dress up as a bat after all; irrational behavior in the real world), in most stories Bruce Wayne is just a man trying to save the city he loves, a place incapable of saving itself. What is the driving motivation then? Love, for Gotham and its people, his friends and to honor his parents memory.

Jesus says this in John 15:13 (ESV), Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

In a small way, we see this attitude reflected in many Batman stories, a willingness to sacrifice himself to save others. If it takes his life to save someone else, he will risk it. One example is found in The Dark Knight, a film this devotional will explore in further detail. Batman sacrifices his reputation in order to give Gotham a chance against corruption and evil. Another instance is found in The Dark Knight Rises. Batman is preparing to save his city from Bane, a masked terrorist, when Catwoman beseeches him to reconsider.

You dont owe these people anymore, she says, referring to Gotham City. Youve given them everything.

Batman looks at her stoically. Not everything. Not yet. In that moment, he knows he could die but its worth it to save his city. Bruce Waynes entire life reflects John 15:13. What he really wanted for his life was unimportant as long as Gotham needed saving.

There are lines also that Batman wont cross. He gruffly tells Catwoman, No guns; no killing! when she tries to fire at one of Banes cronies. In the comic entitled Batman: Vengeance of Bane, which is the villains debut, Bane confronts Batman for the first time and is perplexed. Witnessing Batman save a burglar from falling off a rooftop, Bane says, You do not kill. That is strange. A creature cloaked in nightmare. A figure of terror in a city of terror. And yet you will not break the Sixth Commandment. Batman wont take a life nor will he allow one to be taken.