Buzz Lightyear and the Eternality of God

One of my favorite theologians to consult with from time to time is a guy named Buzz Lightyear. Yes, Buzz Lightyear. Why are you looking at me like that? Do you have a problem with the theology of Buzz Lightyear? You might be surprised by what Buzz believes. I suppose some of you are asking, “Who is Buzz Lightyear?” 

Buzz Lightyear is the animated character made famous by Pixar’s movie called Toy Story. Everybody loves Buzz Lightyear and his friends Sheriff Woody, Rex, Hamm, Slinky Dog, and Mr. Potato Head. Buzz is famous for saying, “To infinity and beyond!” even though his friends don’t exactly know what he means by it. According to the “experts,” the phrase has deep philosophical and mathematical meaning. 

The standard definition of “to infinity and beyond” suggests something is “without limits.” In everyday language we say, for example, “the sky is the limit” when we want to describe something that is limitless. A few Harvard eggheads investigated the origin of the Buzz Lightyear quote and traced it back to limits. According to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, "Buzz Lightyear is a metaphor of a function which approaches a certain number but never actually reaches it," whatever that means. Mathematically, there is nothing beyond infinity, right?

Buzz Lightyear’s friends may never completely understand him, nor shall we. Perhaps Buzz raises more questions with his quip than answers. However, “to infinity and beyond” reminds me of another attribute of God we must talk about on our way to answering this question: “What is God really like?” 

In a word: God is eternal. If anything or anyone is truly beyond infinity, it is God. As the psalmist says, "From everlasting to everlasting, you are God" (Psalm 90:2).