Theological Reflections on Star Wars

My mom took me to see the original Star Wars film for the first time when I was eight. It was 1977 and the film had been in theaters for less than a month. From the opening fanfare to the final crescendo the movie hooked me right to the heart. I sat transfixed as blaster fights, exotic aliens, quirky droids, harrowing escapes, and an epic final space battle transported my imagination permanently to a place it had never been. Riding home that night, the backseat of my mom’s car became the cockpit of an X-wing fighter. 

I had know clue back then that Star Wars would still be interesting to me in my mid-forties. In the new Star Wars culture that followed the original movie's release, I became an eager citizen. I played with the toys. I read the comic books. I passed on all the rumors. Later, I played the video games, read the novels, and even wrote my own fan-fiction stories. Nowadays, I’m not the biggest Star Wars nut I know: I don’t dress up or train as a Jedi. But, I do get together with a group of guys pretty regularly to play a Star Wars themed board game. It's like I never really got out of my mom's backseat — although for the record, I did move out of her house.

Now with the advent of a new Star Wars film, Episode VII: The Force Awakens, all that excitement is reaching fever pitch again. And I'm not alone. Why are we so invested in this grand saga? I think it's because we see in it reflections of God's own grand story, the ultimate saga. That's what pulls us in to great stories. Many have written about the theology of Star Wars, yet it's worthwhile to have another look as you prepare for new Star Wars experiences and new questions. Our friends at Think Christian are pretty “geeked” about these kinds of questions! Whether or not you’re a “big” Star Wars fan, you might enjoy “A Theology of Star Wars,” a new ebook from Think Christian. It tackles interesting ideas about the scale of hope in the original film, the theme of rebirth in the Empire Strikes Back, suggests there's something good about Ewoks, and much more. To get the ebook just subscribe to TC. 

If you're like me, you're counting down the days until the new movie's release. And maybe, like me, you want your mom to take you to see it. 

May God's Spirit be with you ... always.