How to Get Your Happy Feet to Heaven

By Lane Palmer of Dare 2 Share

I remember feeling the Happy Feet five years back—do you?  Big bad birds blasting out classic tunes and Frodo the monotone penguin turning his step up shame to the reason his colony was saved from the eeeeevil fishermen.

So when a film like that wins awards and sells boatloads of blue eyed plush toys, there is only one thing to do…

Make a sequel, of course!

But unfortunately, Happy Feet Two’s plot stays on thin ice for most of the film, and true to its penguin nature, never quite gets off the ground.

Sure there are a few chuckles here and there—notably the Krills known as Will and Bill as they go on an excellent adventure, and Robin Williams is always good for some refreshingly bizarre humor.  However in my opinion, we need a story that’s much higher up the food chain to shell out the cash for today’s movie tickets.

One facet of the Happy Feet Two that really jumped out of the CGI world into our culture is the storyline with The Mighty Sven.  He is a self-proclaimed penguin prophet who has learned to break out of his flightless destiny and master air travel. This god-like character preaches the gospel of self-sufficiency and every penguin’s ability to escape the bonds of gravity simply by believing in himself/herself.

Mumble’s son Erik, in a search for acceptance, falls under Sven’s spell of “you can do anything if you believe in yourself” nonsense.

Of course all along you know there is something very fishy about Sven, and in the end  you find out he was a lying Puffin just attempting to control people.

Doesn’t that sound very familiar?  For thousands of years self-proclaimed prophets have preached a message of positive thinking and salvation through effort, and millions of people have bought into their lies.

And trust me, there are Svens all around us even as you read this.  Which is why the Bible clearly warns us:

I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ^. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.

Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you.  I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed (Galatians 1:6-9).

These stern words are from the Apostle Paul to a church who had fallen prey to a false teaching that added good works to the message of grace.  Paul puts it this way in Ephesians 2:8-9:  “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.”

In God’s eyes, spreading the mistaken belief that we as humans can do anything in and of ourselves to earn salvation is akin to Tweeting a message to everyone you know that’s sure to delight the evil one -

#highway to hell

And things are no different 2000 years later.  In fact, most every religion in the world apart from Christianity, in one form or another, is the gospel of Sven - which is no “good news” at all! 

In the movie, Sven says: “If you want it, you must will it. If you will it, it will be yours.”

And in our world, religions all say - “If you want heaven/Nirvana/Paradise, you must do these things, if you do these things, it will be yours.”

But…thank God and praise God for Jesus Christ, who boldly proclaimed - “I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life…no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:12).

Maybe you’re feeling like a young, but perhaps, disillusioned penguin in search of meaning, purpose and value in the cold and oftentimes barren landscape of this world. Please do not be deceived by false teachers who are just “puffin” themselves up with a false and fatal message of religious nonsense that has eternal consequences.

Instead, find your true self in trusting in Jesus Christ alone as your only hope of salvation.  He lived the life we should have lived and died the death we deserved to die.  He shed His blood to purchase our salvation, so to add any “good works” to His indescribable sacrifice is like spitting in our Savior’s face.

And remember as well that you have friends who are mesmerized by this world’s gospel of Oprah Sven.  We love to think that if we put our minds to it, we can accomplish anything, but the Bible teaches that we can’t sing and dance our Happy Feet to heaven, so let’s rescue those trapped in the freezing cavern of deception!

Flashpoint: Ignite Into Action

Happy Feet Twois a perfect reminder that sometimes we can be trapped by this world’s false gospel that really appeals to our pride and sin nature.  Let’s use this opportunity afforded to us by the movie to reach out to our friends with the message that salvation is a free gift to anyone who trusts in Jesus Christ alone.

Accelerant: Fuel for THE Cause

Pray: Jesus, we praise you for being The Way, The Truth, and The Life, and for paying the penalty for our sins.  Thank you that we don’t have to earn our salvation through good works, which really aren’t “good” at all because they come from our selfish motivations.  Holy Spirit, empower us in THE Cause to help free our friends.

Read:Acts 4:12. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Get:  Looking for a simple way to start a conversation with your friends about the true message of the gospel? Check out the Dare 2 Share YouTube video Life in 6 Words: The GOSPEL. It provides a clear, compelling explanation of Jesus’ message. Then ask your friends who need Jesus to watch it and ask them what they think of it.