Mack Bolan books: Escapism or Something More?

One of my pastimes during my high school years was reading the Mack Bolan adventure book series and its spin-off titles Able Team and Phoenix Force. I have to admit that it's still a guilty pleasure to this day. So when I spotted the above book at a Book Sale outlet recently (and for Php15!), I couldn't help but buy it.

Why do I like reading these books? It's gritty, graphically violent just this side of gratuitous, and unapologetic about its theme of primal (even politically incorrect) justice. Should I, as a Christian, be even reading stuff like this?



My friend Robert said that it's good reading for just relaxing the mind after a hard day's work, which is mostly cerebral by the way. But why is it relaxing? Shouldn't these thrillers make me more tense, setting my pulse and heart rates racing? I believe part of it is that I enjoy a good testosterone-pumping adventure. Spies, commandos, vigilantes, these are the adventurers of the present day that I love to watch onscreen or read about. 

But I sense something more. In these novels, as well as in movies and TV shows of the same genre, the world is shown for what it is: Mostly evil and ugly, but with a few people who are willing to fight for the good and the right. I enjoy the action . . . okay, the violence . . . not for itself, but because it is towards the end of enforcing justice. Personally, I don't enjoy action/violence that is wanton and/or gratuitous -- violence for violence's sake, as it were. This is why I enjoyed the movie The Punisher (2004) starring Thomas Jane, while I disliked Punisher War Zone (2008) that stars Ray Stevenson which has violence that I felt was too much.

Over and above these, the enjoyment is in seeing the bad guys get their just desserts. The more untouchable and more violent the bad guy is, the more gratifying it is to see him/her being dealt with violently -- possibly the same violence they had inflicted on innocent others.

Is this Christian? What would Jesus do? Jesus forgave His enemies -- that's all of us who ever sinned -- and gave His life to pay the penalty that should have been ours. When He did so, He opened the door for anyone who is sick of living his sinful life to come to Him and be forgiven. As His follower, I, too, should forgive those who would sin against me; for my Lord has died for him/her too. But this is a limited-time offer. The merciful and righteous God will stay His hand to give all the chance to repent, but not forever. Anyone who would still resist and reject Him at His second coming will be dealt with the same violence that they inflicted on others until all creation is cleansed of evil (Revelation 19:11-21).

Why do I enjoy these violent adventure books? They reflect a hope in me that these evil people will be punished for their wickedness, and the innocent will be saved from their machinations. And while God does not allow me to dispense His righteous vengeance, He does task me to uphold His justice however I can, within the parameters of law -- legal and moral. And I trust Him to dispense true and righteous retributive justice in His time.

I don't read these to escape the bitter realities of our world. Trust me, that is impossible because the world in these books are far worse than most ordinary people experience. No, these books remind me that evil will not be ultimately triumphant, that someone will always be there to oppose evil. And though Mack Bolan and others like him -- Harry Callahan (aka Dirty Harry), Frank Castle (aka the Punisher), Paul Kersey (of the Death Wish series), John Rambo, John McClane (of the Die Hard series), Jack Bauer (of the 24 series) -- are fictional characters and couldn't entirely save the world if they were real, their exploits point to a yearning in the human heart for retributive justice and restoration of peace and order. And this yearning will ultimately be fulfilled by Christ whose sword will cut down all His enemies until they are all subdued under His feet.