More than Superheroes,  Tim Redfield

Captain Marvel and Gender Debate

I mentioned in my video review that some people were upset about the Captain Marvel movie. They wrongly assumed that it was going to have a feminist agenda, pushing the idea that women are superior to men. Understandable– no one wants to be told they’re inferior.

Gender Roles in Scripture

Similarly, some get upset when the scripture talks about Gender Roles. There’s much to be said on this topic, but my point is this:


God speaks about the idea that the genders are different, and we should highlight our differences. He made Adam and Eve to be different and to meet each other’s needs- one can be better at one task, and vice versa.

We create problems when we:

  • assign certain tasks to genders when God doesn’t assign those tasks
  • rank certain tasks as being better than other tasks (for example, CEO of a major corporation trumping a stay-at-home dad)
  • speak of gender equality rather than gender differences (ability vs. approach: even if men and women are performing the same task, they will approach it differently)

The Physical Comparison

Gender differences are accentuated in sports. God created men to be physically bigger, stronger and faster. This is being displayed right now as transgender athletes begin to win in women’s sports. People that were born men saying that they’re women are being allowed to compete as women.

And it should surprise no one that they’re winning.

This physical comparison is also displayed in Captain Marvel. In the beginning, Yon-Rogg (a man) is sparring with Captain Marvel (a woman).

Yon-Rogg wins.

Not a big surprise when one considers gender differences.

Captain Marvel’s Weapon- Not Gender

Later, after Captain Marvel begins to use her full superpowers, Yon-Rogg sees he is outmatched. He tries to convince her to fight him without her powers, she sees no reason to do that, blasts him with a beam generated from her hand, she wins, everyone cheers.

The reason she is more powerful is not because of gender- it’s because of her superpowers. Consider this situation: A man faces a woman holding a stun gun. He realizes he can’t win because she has a weapon that can disable him. He tries to convince her to put down the stun gun and she simply shoots him to win. She didn’t win because of gender. She won because of the weapon.

Scripture Celebrates our Differences

The Bible speaks about using our different gifts for the good of God’s kingdom. We celebrate that God made us who we are.

Psalm 139:14 says, “I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made.” Paul talks in many places about using our different gifts. God blesses us with these gifts.

Romans 12:6 says, “According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts.”

Jesus used his abilities to save us from our sin. As we live in our forgiveness, we use our abilities to serve God and to serve others. Celebrate our differences and use them to serve God.

I am a Lutheran pastor who is currently serving at Trinity in Belle Plaine, MN. My wife is Megan and my daughter is Elizabeth "Libby". I have two dogs (Labradors) - Samson and Charlie. In my spare time, I train for and run in marathons, I cheer for the Green Bay Packers, and I love the Comic Book genre of entertainment.

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