Author Dick Staub Finds Christian Wisdom
in George Lucas� Sci-Fi Mythology
CAN THERE REALLY BE A connection between the words �Christian� and �Jedi masters�? Author Dick Staub, a Seattle Pacific University
adjunct faculty member who teaches a theology course titled �The Culturally Savvy Christian,� clearly thinks so. The arrival of �Star Wars: Episode Three � Revenge of the Sith� has brought a wave of new Jedi-oriented books into bookstores. Among them, and selling quite steadily, is Staub�s own curiously titled volume: Christian Wisdom of the Jedi Masters (Jossey-Bass, 2005).
When Staub talks about his new book, he makes it clear that he�s not saying the �Star Wars� movies are �Christian movies.� And yet, in examining George Lucas� popular franchise,
he extracts insight and echoes of Christ�s teachings. He imitates the method of
the Apostle Paul, who once examined altars to popular-culture gods in the secular marketplace
and found evidence of God.
�Some people think I�m doing a �Christian� theology of �Star Wars,�� Staub observes, �which would be tough to do because, of course, �Star Wars� is Eastern in theology. What I am doing is picking up on the theme of Luke Skywalker as a clueless kid who finds his way through lessons
learned from mentors, and then showing how the same process and similar lessons lead to maturity in followers of Jesus.�
The book is receiving enthusiastic responses from readers as diverse as hardcore �Star Wars� fans and pastors with Ph.Ds. Recently, Staub learned that one young-adult reader who had struggled with his faith told his pastor
that the book �made God and religion understandable and relevant
to him.� The pastor then read the book, decided to use it as the focus of the church�s summer youth camps, and made it required reading
for an adult Bible study class.
�Revenge of the Sith� arrived in theatres after the publication of Christian Wisdom. So what is Staub�s opinion of the franchise�s operatic conclusion? �In Lucas� Eastern theology, the Jedi are supposed
to balance the Force, not favor one side over the other,� he says. �However, in his execution, I think Lucas ends up with a Judeo-Christian
story: Resist the dark side and you�ll reach your potential; fall under the dark side�s spell, and you�ll find you have been deceived and will live a lesser life.�
Editor�s note: Christian Wisdom can be purchased
at barnesandnoble.com or amazon.com.
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