God on the Streets of Gotham: What the Big Screen Batman Can Teach Us about God and Ourselves [Paperback]

Paul Asay (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 16, 2012

What do God and the Caped Crusader have in common? While Batman is a secular superhero patrolling the fictional streets of Gotham City, the Caped Crusader is one whose story creates multiple opportunities for believers to talk about the redemptive spiritual truths of Christianity. While the book touches on Batman’s many incarnations over the last 70 years in print, on television, and at the local Cineplex for the enjoyment of Batman fans everywhere, it primarily focuses on Christopher Nolan’s two wildly popular and critically acclaimed movies—movies that not only introduced a new generation to a darker Batman, but are also loaded with spiritual meaning and redemptive metaphors.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Books (May 16, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 141436640X
• ISBN-13: 978-1414366401
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 0.7 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #202,430 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Paul Asay is associate editor at Plugged In, a ministry that reaches more than six million people with movie reviews that help people understand popular cultural trends and how they intersect with spiritual issues. Paul is an award-winning journalist who covered religion at The (Colorado Springs) Gazette and whose work has been published by such outlets as The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Youth Worker Journal and Beliefnet.com. Paul has a special interest in the unexpected ways faith and media intersect. He lives in Colorado Springs with his wife, Wendy, and two children. Feel free to check out his website at www.paulasay.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars God and Batman - It works May 22, 2012

By aggiewriter70

Format:Paperback

Holy Wow, Batman, look at that - it is Jesus down there!

One wonders if Batman's partner in crime-solving, the boy wonder, Robin, did actually tell the caped crusader that - what Batman would have said and done?What Batman talk to Jesus? Would Batman tip his `hat' to Jesus out of respect?

Batman is for good and not evil, and so is Jesus.

Wait? What? Did this reviewer just compare the Dark Knight to Jesus? No, not exactly.

The fictional character of Batman has been made into a character who is everything good - he is strong, brave and has the cool powerful toys to get rid of evil. At the same time, his character isn't always that nice - and seems to be a bit brooding - hence the nickname, the Dark Knight.

But like most things, if we really look hard enough, a valuable Christian life lesson can be learned from them - even Batman.

Paul Asay, associate editor at Plugged In, believes so anyway, and hence the purpose of his book, to be releases in June by Tyndale House Publishing, "God on the Streets of Gotham."

The book will be released just in time for the opening of "The Dark Knight Rises," the supposed final chapter in the recent Batman film trilogy. Asay's pen takes the readers on a discovery of some spiritual truths that can be found in the story of Batman.

Not wanting to be a spoiler, all this reviewer will say is that Asay is following God's most ultimate command to us - taking His Word to the streets - of Gotham, Cochran, Hawkinsville, Eastman ... etc. In "God on the Streets of Gotham," Asay takes a look at the challenges that Batman faces, and looks at the persecution that Batman goes through because of his own convictions to do good and stay away from evil. Asay throws in a little more analogies and illustrations that pinpoint these issues to some that Christians face today.

Basically, Asay is smart. He uses the storyline of Batman - something that kids, youth and adults are watching and can remember - and crochets in the spiritual lessons that could be applied to real time, real life.

And it works. This reviewer won't look at Batman in the same way again.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars on walking a tightrope successfully... August 14, 2012

By brenten gilbert

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Whenever I write about anything that touches the world of comic book superheroes, I feel I should explain that I didn't read a lot of comic books growing up. Certainly not Batman. If I got comic books at all, it was usually a Kool-Aid Man special or maybe even a Disney comic book. I did watch The Super Friends TV show that Asay references here and I have seen the first 2 of Nolan's Dark Knight movies. Okay, comic book credentials aside, I do have plenty to say about finding spiritual insights in the midst of pop culture. Lots of people do that - I do that - and lots of people overreach when they try. As such, I get pretty nervous around books like this... they can go so terribly wrong, so terribly fast.

Fortunately, Paul Asay doesn't stray from the realm of reasonable comparison and illustration. In fact, he doesn't even come across as preachy. This book feels as much like a memoir as it does a thesis-driven collection of essays. Asay is steeped in the Batman culture, clearly having spent many more hours with his head between the pages of comic book panels than I. But he writes in such a way that you don't need to have that rich historical perspective of the caped crusader to enjoy or even follow along. He provides an interesting perspective, hits his points well, and offers readers an enjoyable conversation. You probably won't get too excited by this book without at least a passing interest in Batman, but that's really all you need.

-from trudatmusic[dot]com[slash]raw

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book July 19, 2012

By Lisa M Zatezalo

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I ordered this to use as a study guide for my youth group at church. With the release of the Dark Knight Rises I thought it would be a good way to tie in current culture with God's word. So far the book has been everything I was hoping it would be. I'm enjoying it and I think the kids are too. I would like to see a study guide with discussion questions!