Missiology at the Movies: Subversive Messages from Avatar

Les Taylor

James Cameron’s critically acclaimed and commercially successful 2009 feature movie, Avatar, contains a number of subversive missiological messages. Those familiar with the film will be aware of the technological advancements of 2154 to have enabled humankind to not only travel to the planet of Pandora. They have also genetically engineered bodies of Pandora’ humanoid inhabitants, the Na'vi, that are remotely operated by humans. While looking exactly like them, these avatars are regarded as outsiders by the Na’vi. Those operating them must not only learn how to speak, but also to see like the Na'vi. Once this has been achieved, other ethical challenge face avatar drivers. This paper suggests some of the subversive missiological messages of Avatar which I argue to be of interest to mission practitioners, trainers, and mobilizers alike.(AFMI)