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Star Wars Jesus: A Spiritual Commentary on the Reality of the Force
A spiritual commentary on the reality of the Force in 101 entries that chronologically follow the movies in the order they were originally released. Winner of Honorable Mention in Writer's Digest Book Award in the category of Inspiration.
- GenresScience Fiction
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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June 6, 2024
A SERIES OF APPLICATIONS OF “STAR WARS” TO CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES
Author Caleb Grimes wrote in the Introduction to this 2007 book, “For many of us, watching Star Wars is like attending Sunday school… Star Wars does inform… our perspective on life, and, for many of us, these movies contain the images and metaphors that we look to as we go through tough times. For example, when … [we] become angry, we often remember … when Yoda says, ‘Anger, fear, aggression—these are paths to the dark side.’ We think of this scene before we ever think of Jesus saying, ‘My peace I give to you,’ or ‘Love your enemies.’ … This probably upsets some religious leaders, but it is the truth… It is not un-Christian to handle anger this way, but it is post-Christian in the sense that individuals in the western world no longer come from a distinctly Christian background… Star Wars is a mythical fairy tale that teaches many of us right from wrong, good from evil, just like Sunday school.” (Pg. xix)
He continues, “A myth story is typically a fantastical story about a hero who learn about and uses supernatural power to conquer problems. Through this vehicle, myths often teach natural and social truths… it is clear that [George Lucas] never intended the ideas within this series to be its own belief system. In fact, if taken as a belief system in and of itself, the philosophy behind Star Wars fails. This does not prevent us, however, from looking for those places where the Force might be real in our lives. For this reason, it is my purpose here to show where Jesus is already present in the Star Wars films. As such, this book seeks to say yes to everything in Star Wars that resonates with the person of Jesus, before it clarifies where the two diverge and points out the gaps that remain in our interpretation of the Force as it applies to our own world.” (Pg. xx)
He notes, “Ben Kenobi learned to listen to the Force during all those years in the desert. If we do this carelessly, without learning how to listen to God, we become superstitious about random events and false signs. The right way is to learn to recognize the Holy Spirit moving in a similar way to how Star Wars depicts the Force moving… Christian circles tend to call it looking for an open door or being led.” (Pg. 28)
He suggests, “So where exactly is the common ground between this Zen-sounding concept of the Force and a true God?... If God exists, then he undoubtedly created the world, and so this mystical energy resonates with the creation story in Genesis… In Star Wars terms… the Force is not a literal metaphor for God, but for his image in the Jedi and in the Star Wars universe. The idea of the Force is its mystical, unseen existence.” (Pg. 37)
He points out, “‘The Force will be with you … always’ … This quote and, May the Force be with you’ are Star Wars blessings to each other. In my religious tradition the priest says, ‘The Lord be with you’ to which the congregation responds, ‘and also with you.’ … It is not just similar in text and meaning, it is similar in intent. This is an exercise in faith. We believe that our saying these words is an actual blessing upon people. If we are only flesh and blood, it is a silly thing to say. If we believe that we can ask God to bless people by being present with them and that he will do our asking---this is saying quite a lot about who humans are and what we can do.” (Pg. 65)
He states, “in Episode IV: A New Hope, there is an interesting parallel to Christianity in comparison of the early Christian church to a small band of Rebels who see, to conquer an evil Empire that is worlds larger… one small band of Rebels… believes that good still exists and that it is worth attacking in the darkness to defend a cause. The early church believed in the reality of Christ and persevered despite the intolerance of the Roman world… death and persecution were also to be expected. The chances of success for Christ’s early church and for the Rebels were probably about equal. Translation: Would you be willing to be shot from point-blank range so that someone else could have the freedom to know about Jesus?” (Pg. 78)
He says, “Think of monks, and how they practice being quiet… They meditate and are thoughtful… The Jedi are like this, and this peacefulness helps them focus in times of action. The Tao concept from which Lucas draws this is the virtue of contentment. My definition of contentment is a conscious practice of naming those things that God has given to me… and thanking him for each one individually… I realize that God is providing for me and that I lack nothing…. Peace… starts with us as individuals. Operating from a peaceful center is the Jedi way.” (Pg. 93)
He asserts, “In the end, we must all have a presence in the spirit world, much as we see in Star Wars. A new Christian may experience an emotional downer when he or she realizes Christians are not to practice divination, sorcery, or witchcraft, or even to try to command, bind, or toss out demons without asking Jesus… Often, we realize that the use of the Force is not as direct, not as known, and not as magical as we see in movies or read in books. Many Christians lose their faith at this point. Of course, many Christians may also lose their faith in churches that ignore the spiritual nature of whom God has created us to be.” (Pg. 136-137)
He argues, “The reason why myths like Star Wars are so good for us is that they tend to put good and bad into a very clear light. In the everyday world, the lines are a bit more cloudy. We all have a little good and a little bad in us, and it is easy sometimes to get confused with right and wrong to the point we don’t even think they exist. Myth stories bring us back, show us clearly the good and the bad, and help us to realign our perspectives.” (Pg. 141)
He points out, “The Emperor fails to understand that the difference between rage and righteous anger is love. Many people in America today do not want to read the Bible enough to understand that God sometimes gets angry and kills people who do things against him. God is not just the all-accepting, warm, fuzzy, politically correct God that they pick and choose him to be. This knowledge does not change our love for those with whom God is angry. How could we ever determine who those people are? And, contrary to the belier of terrorists and mobs, we are not God’s weapon.” (Pg. 175)
He states, “Myth resonates truth to us… and we love Star Wars for it. If Jesus is real, he is the true myth… and Star Wars says a lot about his character. The real stickler is this, if the claims that Jesus made about himself are true, then no amount of saying, ‘You believe what you want and I’ll believe what I want’ is going to help any of us. We cannot make Jesus untrue for ourselves or anyone else simply by saying and thinking that he is not true.” (Pg. 196)
He suggests, “Even if you think that life transforms into pure energy, it is just unhealthy in this universe or the Star Wars universe not to mourn the dead, and not to miss the dead. What does this phrase, ‘transform into the Force’ mean? Supposedly Jedi, Sith, and everyone else who dies become particles of light, part of a mystic whole, increasing the energy of the Force. Obi-Wan and Yoda and Qui-Gon before them find ways to collect their particles and materialize after their physical death. A Christian way to see this… is that God made us as individuals, and the Bible supports the view that we stay that way after we die.” (Pg. 221)
He argues, “In the original trilogy, Luke Skywalker is the most likely Jesus figure… he is the human who performs miracles and points to wondrous signs, so to speak, by his use of the Force. These works he accomplishes through the teaching of Ben Kenobi—Holy Spirit000and Yoda---Father… just like Jesus, he sacrifices himself for his friends… Was Luke killed and resurrected like the Christ? No, but… Luke descending into darkness and then emerging victoriously into the light… one might argue, is very savior-like… The gospel of Luke Skywalker is that of learning to use a supernatural power that is available to all, much like the gospel of Christ…” (Pg. 241)
He concludes, “here are a couple of things in Star Wars that are not very helpful and potentially dangerous to the eternity of your soul if accepted as real. The idea of power, light, energy, the Force without the one-true God to create it is at the top of the list. It is a very nice idea to just have an energy that we can learn to tap into. However… if followed to its natural conclusion, this is a very detrimental line of thought… The second beautiful yet dangerous thing is not being in touch with our sin. Clinging to the light side of the Force … is admirable but faulty if there is no understanding of those things we do … that go against what God tells us is healthy for us to do and be… Finally, it is very possible to worship the Force, and in so doing we misplace the purpose of the Force in the way that the Force is written about in this book… The purpose of the Force in our world---the reason it exists and is good to learn about and use---is love.” (Pg. 251-252)
This is an excellent interpretation and application of the Star Wars films for Christians.
Author Caleb Grimes wrote in the Introduction to this 2007 book, “For many of us, watching Star Wars is like attending Sunday school… Star Wars does inform… our perspective on life, and, for many of us, these movies contain the images and metaphors that we look to as we go through tough times. For example, when … [we] become angry, we often remember … when Yoda says, ‘Anger, fear, aggression—these are paths to the dark side.’ We think of this scene before we ever think of Jesus saying, ‘My peace I give to you,’ or ‘Love your enemies.’ … This probably upsets some religious leaders, but it is the truth… It is not un-Christian to handle anger this way, but it is post-Christian in the sense that individuals in the western world no longer come from a distinctly Christian background… Star Wars is a mythical fairy tale that teaches many of us right from wrong, good from evil, just like Sunday school.” (Pg. xix)
He continues, “A myth story is typically a fantastical story about a hero who learn about and uses supernatural power to conquer problems. Through this vehicle, myths often teach natural and social truths… it is clear that [George Lucas] never intended the ideas within this series to be its own belief system. In fact, if taken as a belief system in and of itself, the philosophy behind Star Wars fails. This does not prevent us, however, from looking for those places where the Force might be real in our lives. For this reason, it is my purpose here to show where Jesus is already present in the Star Wars films. As such, this book seeks to say yes to everything in Star Wars that resonates with the person of Jesus, before it clarifies where the two diverge and points out the gaps that remain in our interpretation of the Force as it applies to our own world.” (Pg. xx)
He notes, “Ben Kenobi learned to listen to the Force during all those years in the desert. If we do this carelessly, without learning how to listen to God, we become superstitious about random events and false signs. The right way is to learn to recognize the Holy Spirit moving in a similar way to how Star Wars depicts the Force moving… Christian circles tend to call it looking for an open door or being led.” (Pg. 28)
He suggests, “So where exactly is the common ground between this Zen-sounding concept of the Force and a true God?... If God exists, then he undoubtedly created the world, and so this mystical energy resonates with the creation story in Genesis… In Star Wars terms… the Force is not a literal metaphor for God, but for his image in the Jedi and in the Star Wars universe. The idea of the Force is its mystical, unseen existence.” (Pg. 37)
He points out, “‘The Force will be with you … always’ … This quote and, May the Force be with you’ are Star Wars blessings to each other. In my religious tradition the priest says, ‘The Lord be with you’ to which the congregation responds, ‘and also with you.’ … It is not just similar in text and meaning, it is similar in intent. This is an exercise in faith. We believe that our saying these words is an actual blessing upon people. If we are only flesh and blood, it is a silly thing to say. If we believe that we can ask God to bless people by being present with them and that he will do our asking---this is saying quite a lot about who humans are and what we can do.” (Pg. 65)
He states, “in Episode IV: A New Hope, there is an interesting parallel to Christianity in comparison of the early Christian church to a small band of Rebels who see, to conquer an evil Empire that is worlds larger… one small band of Rebels… believes that good still exists and that it is worth attacking in the darkness to defend a cause. The early church believed in the reality of Christ and persevered despite the intolerance of the Roman world… death and persecution were also to be expected. The chances of success for Christ’s early church and for the Rebels were probably about equal. Translation: Would you be willing to be shot from point-blank range so that someone else could have the freedom to know about Jesus?” (Pg. 78)
He says, “Think of monks, and how they practice being quiet… They meditate and are thoughtful… The Jedi are like this, and this peacefulness helps them focus in times of action. The Tao concept from which Lucas draws this is the virtue of contentment. My definition of contentment is a conscious practice of naming those things that God has given to me… and thanking him for each one individually… I realize that God is providing for me and that I lack nothing…. Peace… starts with us as individuals. Operating from a peaceful center is the Jedi way.” (Pg. 93)
He asserts, “In the end, we must all have a presence in the spirit world, much as we see in Star Wars. A new Christian may experience an emotional downer when he or she realizes Christians are not to practice divination, sorcery, or witchcraft, or even to try to command, bind, or toss out demons without asking Jesus… Often, we realize that the use of the Force is not as direct, not as known, and not as magical as we see in movies or read in books. Many Christians lose their faith at this point. Of course, many Christians may also lose their faith in churches that ignore the spiritual nature of whom God has created us to be.” (Pg. 136-137)
He argues, “The reason why myths like Star Wars are so good for us is that they tend to put good and bad into a very clear light. In the everyday world, the lines are a bit more cloudy. We all have a little good and a little bad in us, and it is easy sometimes to get confused with right and wrong to the point we don’t even think they exist. Myth stories bring us back, show us clearly the good and the bad, and help us to realign our perspectives.” (Pg. 141)
He points out, “The Emperor fails to understand that the difference between rage and righteous anger is love. Many people in America today do not want to read the Bible enough to understand that God sometimes gets angry and kills people who do things against him. God is not just the all-accepting, warm, fuzzy, politically correct God that they pick and choose him to be. This knowledge does not change our love for those with whom God is angry. How could we ever determine who those people are? And, contrary to the belier of terrorists and mobs, we are not God’s weapon.” (Pg. 175)
He states, “Myth resonates truth to us… and we love Star Wars for it. If Jesus is real, he is the true myth… and Star Wars says a lot about his character. The real stickler is this, if the claims that Jesus made about himself are true, then no amount of saying, ‘You believe what you want and I’ll believe what I want’ is going to help any of us. We cannot make Jesus untrue for ourselves or anyone else simply by saying and thinking that he is not true.” (Pg. 196)
He suggests, “Even if you think that life transforms into pure energy, it is just unhealthy in this universe or the Star Wars universe not to mourn the dead, and not to miss the dead. What does this phrase, ‘transform into the Force’ mean? Supposedly Jedi, Sith, and everyone else who dies become particles of light, part of a mystic whole, increasing the energy of the Force. Obi-Wan and Yoda and Qui-Gon before them find ways to collect their particles and materialize after their physical death. A Christian way to see this… is that God made us as individuals, and the Bible supports the view that we stay that way after we die.” (Pg. 221)
He argues, “In the original trilogy, Luke Skywalker is the most likely Jesus figure… he is the human who performs miracles and points to wondrous signs, so to speak, by his use of the Force. These works he accomplishes through the teaching of Ben Kenobi—Holy Spirit000and Yoda---Father… just like Jesus, he sacrifices himself for his friends… Was Luke killed and resurrected like the Christ? No, but… Luke descending into darkness and then emerging victoriously into the light… one might argue, is very savior-like… The gospel of Luke Skywalker is that of learning to use a supernatural power that is available to all, much like the gospel of Christ…” (Pg. 241)
He concludes, “here are a couple of things in Star Wars that are not very helpful and potentially dangerous to the eternity of your soul if accepted as real. The idea of power, light, energy, the Force without the one-true God to create it is at the top of the list. It is a very nice idea to just have an energy that we can learn to tap into. However… if followed to its natural conclusion, this is a very detrimental line of thought… The second beautiful yet dangerous thing is not being in touch with our sin. Clinging to the light side of the Force … is admirable but faulty if there is no understanding of those things we do … that go against what God tells us is healthy for us to do and be… Finally, it is very possible to worship the Force, and in so doing we misplace the purpose of the Force in the way that the Force is written about in this book… The purpose of the Force in our world---the reason it exists and is good to learn about and use---is love.” (Pg. 251-252)
This is an excellent interpretation and application of the Star Wars films for Christians.
April 27, 2015
In fairness, this should be on my "partially read and never going to finish" shelf--but that doesn't exist. I got about 80 pages in, but was mostly just bored by it. I picked up the book in the first place because it turned up in a search for some other thing I was looking for at the library, and I thought it sounded somewhat amusing. But mostly Grimes just spends a lot of time recounting scenes and details from Star Wars (he goes through all six movies, apparently, starting with 'A New Hope') and then adds some bland commentary about how the scenes reflect Biblical principles about God, or how they fall short of the real message of Jesus, or whatever. It just seemed like the possibilities were so much greater, and the commentary could have been so much more challenging and insightful. But Grimes seemed to have more trivial knowledge of Star Wars than actual spiritual insight.
February 22, 2024
The correlation between Star Wars and our Religious beliefs
Fascinating to read. The analysis of Star Wars, The Light & Dark side of the Force, Luke, Anikan, Obi Wan, Palpatine, The Sith, Jedi and our beliefs all come together in the 6 part series of Star Wars. Clasd8c good vs evil, God and his Deciples vs the Devil and his minions. Is it all no more than a myth, where does faith come into play. What to believe and what is deceiving? It all made me take a different perspective on my own beliefs. I do not think we ever mature in our ability to believe in a all knowing God, vs our ability to make choices about our own individual lives. Is there a Grand Plan? In the end it's something to think about and who are we anyway. It's just possible there is more truth in the myth than just being a myth. We should seek the truth and therefore know ourselves and our purposes. This book does a lot more than make you think about Star Wars.
Fascinating to read. The analysis of Star Wars, The Light & Dark side of the Force, Luke, Anikan, Obi Wan, Palpatine, The Sith, Jedi and our beliefs all come together in the 6 part series of Star Wars. Clasd8c good vs evil, God and his Deciples vs the Devil and his minions. Is it all no more than a myth, where does faith come into play. What to believe and what is deceiving? It all made me take a different perspective on my own beliefs. I do not think we ever mature in our ability to believe in a all knowing God, vs our ability to make choices about our own individual lives. Is there a Grand Plan? In the end it's something to think about and who are we anyway. It's just possible there is more truth in the myth than just being a myth. We should seek the truth and therefore know ourselves and our purposes. This book does a lot more than make you think about Star Wars.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews