Geeks for God

We are avid fans who are excited to explore the Truth in theology while connecting with other geeks.

Fandom with a purpose

ABOUT US

We celebrate seeking the truth in the stories we tell

Humans have a deep need to understand our universe. Sometimes we use fantastic stories to help us make sense of our daily existence and probe into our deepest questions and desires. Other times we use popular culture to escape a reality we can't endure and don't understand. Stories delivered well captivate the senses and inspire the imagination. The greatest challenge of any storyteller is to deliver the essence of an important truth in a way that resonates on an emotional and spiritual level.

Geeks for God is an effort to highlight the hope we have in faith. Careful examination of the truth doesn't have to be a boring scholarly exercise. Instead, we facilitate simple, fun, and interconnected exchanges that lead to real conversations about God, Humanity, and Hope for the future.

Seeking Truth

Equipping Geeks to find real hope in a complex world

Pursuing what is true is one of the most enduring, essential, and relatable human efforts. We go to great lengths to observe, catalog, and test what we can to determine how our universe is put together. Such scholarship is represented well by both new and familiar fields of scientific studies such as Math, Physics, and Chemistry. The same spirit of scholarship is also reflected in the study of Theology. Science is still many generations from being able to explain every facet of the mechanics of the universe and even farther from being able to apply the full depth of such knowledge.

In the meantime, humans incorporate some of the knowledge we've already collected to tell stories that help us pass the time and inspire new ideas. Likewise learning about how science and math point to a creator affects how we view the universe and our place in it. However, many people don't often see the world from an interdisciplinary perspective, but Geeks are curious people who ask big questions like "Who would win in a fight between Batman and Darth Vader?" and spend hours debating the merits of each perspective. Geeks for God purposely asks questions that help us understand what we have already learned as we pursue Truth.

Image of Loki gasping for air after being beaten in the floor by the Hulk with caption Puny god at the top of the image

What is Truth?

In the movie "Everything, Everywhere, All at Once" one family is thrust into an improbable situation involving multiple realities that are no longer isolated from each other. While familiar franchises like Marvel, DC, Sliders, Doctor Who, and Rick and Morty have been experimenting with this concept for a while, this story takes a step back and forces the characters to confront what the existence of multiple but equally valid realities means, rather than simply running through an infinite hallway of variety.

Antagonist "Jojo" (Joy) can see all of the versions of her collective realities and needs help interpreting the significance of existence where every good and bad version of her lives all cancels each other. She looks at her finite life and sees hopelessness because she perceives that there is no truth.

Jojo creates a collage in which she pours "everything" she had looked to for meaning, and it becomes a "bagel" of nothingness that functions as a black hole, a physical portal to the void. Pre-resolution Jojo justified acts of violence and apathy on others because nothing had offered her any meaning or joy.

There are holes in Jojo's conclusion that she doesn't understand. In a multi-verse story, each choice produces variant versions of realities. Where correct choices are rewarded with comfort and wrong choices are punished Jojo doesn't see how without truth, bothering to exist at all is worth the effort.

It doesn't occur to Jojo that God stands outside of time and space. Through every human choice in every version of reality, God's character is unchanged. Finding meaning in comfort is different than finding meaning in a relationship with God. Ultimately, Jojo learns that her identity as her mother's daughter is enough, because no matter what she did or who she was she could not escape her mother's love.

Photo: Loki gasps for air after being beaten into the floor by the Hulk. Moments before Loki ridiculed the Hulk by saying that the Hulk was a mindless beast and that he was a god. The following experiment that the Hulk facilitated was concluded with efficient precision. The outcome of this determined that Hulk was not mindless and the value of Loki's claims of divinity were significantly overstated.

How Can We Know Truth?

In the action movie "Avengers", based on the stories and characters from Marvel Comics, the Norse "god" Loki is leading an invasion against Earth. In the movie, Loki has a monologue where he demands that a crowd of people bow to him. After a show of force, the crowd complies. As Loki wades through the crowd he explains that humanity craves subjugation. One man stands up and offers a simple rebuttal, "Not to men like you". As Loki raises his staff to strike the man as an example, the blast from his staff is directed back at him by the shield of Captain America who jumps in front of the man an instant before he is struck down. The redirected blast knocks Loki face down on the ground.

Lies do not invite inquiry because that would expose the falsehood and show the counterfeit as a worthless copy. While Loki does have enhanced abilities he is repeatedly exposed as the trickster he really is. People who depend on lies will use ridicule, intimidation, blackmail, and violence to keep the lie intact.

Geeks for God is a safe place for people to use curiosity, intellect, logic, passion, and observations to question who God is and discover how the real God is different from other deities.

Image of Shepard Book abord the spaceship Serenity with caption space Missionary at the top of the image

How Can We Share Truth?

Popular culture is exploding into every new media. The stories depicted in these narratives showcase important questions that must be acknowledged. While not every person is called to carry light into the farthest-flung places, each of us is expected to carry a light once we've found it. Fandom has rich examples for geeks to prompt conversations about their faith.

Pop culture offers temporary comfort to a world in need
Pop culture provides common ground to exchange ideas
Pop culture is a tool to explore humanity's biggest and most enduring questions

In the iconic space-western television series "Firefly" Shepard Book chooses to remain with the crew of Serenity even though he struggles with the decision upon learning that they are outlaws. He demonstrates the importance of connecting to people exactly where they are and by sharing his faith by example.

Getting Started

Geek to Geek

Geeks are passionate people with a wide range of interests. In a group of Geeks, many of these interests are likely to intersect. When this happens the rest of the world falls away and time flies by effortlessly. While no two geeks have the same level of interest and exposure to popular culture it is important to have meaningful conversations when possible. Once people start talking about their interests understanding the priorities, passions, and problems of the other person is a natural result of an authentic dialog. Recognizing these moments as opportunities to build bridges in faith is essential.

Our faith is grounded in the truth that there is a God and a relationship with Him is possible. Elements that make up popular culture are a response to the needs of that group on an individual and social level. In 1954 Abraham Maslow famously codified the hierarchy of human needs, which led to many significant insights into what motivates certain behaviours. Since then our world has grown increasingly more complex and more difficult to navigate and predict. In this environment, it is easy to become isolated and become numb to the troubles that punctuate a constantly connected modern lifestyle. Our hope is not dependent on the events depicted in the news, but rather on the reality of the person and character of God.

Image of Evey Hammond standing in front of a mirror with caption at top of image first disciple

How Can We Speak Truth?

St. Francis of Acci once said that we should preach a sermon every day and if necessary, we should use words. In a hyper-connected society, we have so many options for what content we choose to consume. As a result, our attention spans have gotten shorter and tolerance for silence is nearly vanished. When we speak with purpose to each other we must do so as effectively as possible.

Pop culture provides conversational shortcuts like archetypes and metaphors
Pop culture is a starting point
Pop culture uses fiction to make deeper statements

In the dystopian near future action movie V for Vendetta, Evey Hammond is thrust back into a conflict that had already destroyed her family and her childhood. As she converses with V she shares an important insight that she learned from her father; Writers use lies to tell the truth. While Evey's part in the story isn't her choice, she understands V's motives. Ultimately, the choice to support or reject V's effort to free his people from an oppresive regime does fall to Evey. Popular culture itself isn't truth it is just widely disseminated. Even so, there is truth hidden in the fiction that Geeks for God can use to illuminate important aspects of faith.

Getting Organized

Building a Geek Team

Geek is a label that many worthy of the term wear with pride. While super Geeks do exist, most of us have defined areas of interest. This means that in order to speak truth to a larger circle of like-minded geeks it is essential to build a community of other geeks who are equipped to speak Truth plainly with conviction, faith, and love. Building such a group may happen quickly or require years of patient inquiry.

The important element is to acknowledge that just as no one person has a patent on the truth none of us are called to share truth alone. Sometimes it isn't the message but the person themselves that allows others to see the truth. Geeks for God is about providing a human connection to point others to God and help others to ask probing questions that reveal who God is.

How Can We Apply Truth?

In the Television series Stargate Dr. Daniel Jackson, Col. Jack O'Neill, and the military begin exploring other worlds connected by the Stargate network. As they pursue this effort two more members of their team join the SG-1 group, Capt. Carter and Teal'c. Together the group explores the galaxy one planet at a time often revealing false gods as parasites who enslave their followers through fear and lies. In the series, the team frees people from the influence of these parasites by exposing the false gods through truth, reasoning, courage, and action.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

We're happy to answer your questions. In the meantime, here are a few items you might find helpful.

What is the goal of Geeks for God?

Opportunities to share the Truth with others are all around us. GFG is a platform for Geeks to connect to others, share ideas for facilitating conversations about faith, receive encouragement, and offer support for carrying light out into the world. Our goal is to provide resources to geeks to reach other geeks grounded in truth with love about the character of God and point toward a relationship with Him.
What resources can GFG provide?

We are currently in the intial phase of this outreach. Much of our contributions will be in the form of blog posts providing situtational insights and ideas for initiating meaningful dialog with like-minded fellow geeks.
How did Geeks for God begin?

A group of geeks were having lunch in a Thai restuarant. While waiting for the food to arrive one of the geeks noticed some of the religious decore adorning the space and inquired if anyone in the group understood the signifance of the item. The coversation began to include examples televison and films from popular culture. As the conversation grew it became apperatent that exploring the complex apsect of theology using accessable cultural examples has merit. "Geeks for God" is an attempt to present the gospel using references from popular culture.
How can I support GFG?

There are many ways to support this effort. The most effective way to partner with GFG is to use the contact form below on drop us a quick note. We're really nice and like hearing from others who understand the aim and importance of this intiative.

CONTACT

We hope you found what you needed here. However, if you have additional comments or questions, please email us.