Frail Heroes

Saw the new Mission Impossible movie last month. I’ve seen all the old ones, and so something really struck me about this newest installment. There are several scenes in this movie where the hero is … scared.

We see Tom Cruise’s character about to jump off a building into a dumpster, but he is reticent. In fact, he’s just plain unwilling. In other scenes we learn that Jeremy Renner’s character is nervous about engaging in heroic activities.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen the old M.I. movies, so correct me if my memory is faulty, but I don’t think the heroes in them were ever scared. So why are they now? Because times have changed. People no longer want (or can even believe in) perfect, indestructible heroes. What we’re looking for today are frail heroes. People we can relate to, but who are a little more noble and adventurous than us.

And if that’s true for movies, what does it say for churches?