Jack Bauer and Christianity: An Unlikely Parallel

For those of you who have not had the pleasure of following along with the adventures of Jack Bauer in the hit TV show 24, this blog may not make as much sense as it could had you viewed the show. For the record, the parallel/analogy drawn in this blog is not my original ideas, but how my Cultural Perspectives professor chose to introduce the class.

For those of you who haven't seen the show, Jack Bauer is like a modern-day MacGyver in the words of my teacher, only he uses his considerable intellect and ingenuity to kill people (terrorists in particular). So keeping that in mind, here is how the story unfolds from the season premier last night. WARNING: IF YOU ARE WAITING UNTIL SEASON 6 OF 24 COMES OUT ON DVD, READ NO FARTHER, AS SOME PLOT LINES ARE GIVEN AWAY.

The story begins as Jack Bauer is released from a Chinese prison, where he had been tortured for two years, and is only a shell of the man he once was. However, he was released only to be turned over to terrorists, in an attempt to bargain for the lives of thousands of US citizens. The terrorists handcuffed Jack to a chair, and proceeded to stab him with knives and long needles, pouring acid on the open wounds. Just as a terrorist was about to cut off one of Jack's fingers, he received a phone call, drawing him away from the room. While his interrogator was out of the room, Jack managed to yank the heart rate monitor from his arm, causing the monitor to flatline. Thinking he had died, his captor came to check on him. As he leaned over to examine the monitor, Jack suddenly head-butted him, and then sank his teeth into the man's jugular, killing him in a creative, if gruesome, fashion.

What does this have to do with anything you may ask, especially in a Bible school? Allow me to explain, as my teacher did. You see, Jack Bauer does not see the world in the same way as a normal human does. Where most people would see their impending death, with no chance of escape, Jack saw opportunity. It is because he is able to view events and situations from a different perspective that he is able to save his own life time after time. Where others see nothing but despair, Jack sees hope. In much the same way, we as Christians are called to view the world from a different perspective. For example, where society sees a wedding as revolving around the latest fashions and decorations as bridal shows will attest to (which, incidentally, is a field trip offered in this class, one which I will not participate in), the Christian sees a wedding as a celebration of the entering into a covenant relationship between two people. Christians are called to view people as Jesus views them: with compassion and love, not judgment and condemnation. Once again, this relates to my practicum at the Mustard Seed this semester, as I must look past outer appearances and habits and view the street people as my fellow brothers and sisters. So far, this has been much easier than anticipated, although I have only worked there for a grand total of one afternoon now. So there you have it: a lesson in Christianity learned from a one-man killing machine.