With the new Star Wars movie setting records, it is a good opportunity to note the connections between Star Wars and the Bible. We can readily see the following parallels between the Star Wars epic and the Biblical story:
- There is a cosmic battle going on between the forces of good and evil
- New “bad guys” keep emerging on the world stage
- There are always those who are “seduced by the dark side of the Force” (consider Islamist terrorists today, who twist what should be the positive force of religion into something very dark and evil)
- The “bad guys” often appear to be dominant, while the good people are often a ragtag assortment of obscure individuals on the margins of society
- Nevertheless, good people can triumph over enormous obstacles when they draw on a higher power
- Light will ultimately prevail over the darkness
At the same time, we can note the following key differences between Star Wars and the Biblical message:
- In Star Wars, the Force is an impersonal cosmic energy field; but the God of the Bible is a God who wills the good and who acts decisively on our behalf
- In Star Wars, the victory is won in a fashion typical for an action-adventure film – through a big battle with lots of explosions. In the Bible, victory is won in a perhaps surprising fashion – through the self-giving love of Jesus Christ, who takes the full force of evil upon himself on the cross, in order to rescue humanity out of evil.
- In Star Wars, the sinners are generally destroyed. In the Bible, sinners are redeemed.
Star Wars is one of those movies that provides an opportunity for theological conversation. It is an entertaining movie – and a chance to consider the far larger and real answer to evil that is given to us in God’s Word!
Sunday’s Scripture Readings:
Isaiah 60:1–6
Matthew 2:1–12
