A lot of believers shy away from theology and worldview discussions. They
all seem so heady and boring. A lot of people don't feel "smart enough" to
engage in wrestling with issues of theology. Others feel the whole thing is too
abstract. That's why it should come as no surprise how
researchers from Ligonier Ministries and Lifeway Research found evangelical
Christians hold to some heretical beliefs. In a recent study, 70% of those who
would be defined as evangelical agreed with the statement that Jesus was the
first and greatest creation of God.
1 That's a heresy that
separates Christians from non-Christian sects, such as the Jehovah's
Witnesses.
So, yes, theology is a big deal. But sometimes it isn't the concept that's
difficult or boring; I find a lot of people are interested once we're in a
conversation about theological issues. It may be the presentation that's
problematic. If we added a bit of fun into our question, it may become more
engaging.
Would Nightcrawler be blue in Heaven?
As a recent example, I offer a question a friend asked me the other day on
Twitter: "in his glorified body, would Marvel's Nightcrawler still be fuzzy &
blue?" For those unfamiliar, Nightcrawler is a character from the Marvel X-Men
franchise, all of which are defined as genetic mutants that give them super
abilities. One byproduct of Nightcrawler's (his given name is Kurt Wagner)
mutation is his decidedly unhuman-like appearance: blue fur, three digits on
each hand, and a tail among other things.
Here's the thing, though. When we start thinking through the question, we begin
to learn something about what it means to be made in the image of God. For
example, if Kurt's mutation is a genetic defect, either natural like the
skeletal dysplasia that causes dwarfism or environmental, like the damage
thalidomide inflicted on developing babies, then one may assume it is a
consequence of sin. When the heavens and earth are renewed (2 Peter 3:13, Rev.
21:1), those consequences will be removed (Rom. 8:21). I believe one can infer
from these passages that thalidomide babies or those suffering from dwarfism
will have perfectly healthy bodies as they would have been without their
afflictions.

There's another possibility. What if this "mutation" is given to Kurt by
design? In other words, what if it isn't a bug but a feature? For example,
height doesn't run in my family. I'm only 5'6". I don't at all expect to be 6
feet tall in my resurrection body. My height has been given to me by God and it
has contributed to the person I am today. If Kurt's blue, fuzzy appearance falls
into that kind of category, then one would expect him to be blue and fuzzy for
eternity!
Of course, one of the benefits of the new creation is that people won't be so
shallow as to judge others by their physical appearance first. We will relate to
one another in perfect relational love (John 17:20-21) and we will be "partakers
in the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4). We will see one another much more like the
way God sees us.
The question isn't as strange as it first appears. In the comics, Wagner is
actually a Roman Catholic priest and holds to orthodox positions on salvation
and redemption. Making the connection from Wagner reading "I am the Resurrection
and the Life" to "what kind of resurrection body would this individual have if
he really existed" is a small step.
What Does This Mean for Me?
These are the kinds of thoughtful discussions one can engage in even starting
with a "silly" question. But we don't have to stop even there. Here are
few more thoughts given the framework I've laid out above: how does something
like plastic surgery fit into one's resurrected body? If surgeries are
corrective, then they fall into the former category. That may not be the case if
they're simply trying to fit some current standard of beauty, though. Just as I
don't believe I'll be six foot tall in heaven, I find it hard to hold that
someone's breast augmentation would become a permanent part of their anatomy. As
I said, I don't think the physical will be the primary way we judge one another.
But then, what does that say for tattoos?
I'll let the reader wrestle with those issues. I do want to encourage you to
think about ways you might be able to make theology a bit more fun by asking
"silly" questions. You might get a surprisingly good conversation out of it!
References