Star Wars Wants To Be
Posted: April 16th, 2008, 1:25 am
HEALING SHELTER MINISTRIES #123i Written 14APR08 http://groups.msn.com/AHealingShelter/welcome.msnw
No Wonder: Part Nine—Star Wars Wants To Be
by dave c
"As I looked, "thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze (Da 1:9; NIV).
Just recently I had an acquaintance of several years express surprise at my confession that I really like science fiction books and movies. I can still remember sci-fi stories that I read when I was eleven years old. Wells, Heinlein, Orwell, Clark, Asimov, Star Wars, Star Trek, Dr. Who and countless other authors and Hollywood/TV productions—I am attracted to them all. Science fiction provides a seductive venue for worlds of the imagination that operate outside the governing laws of biology and physics...and it provides a place to explore creative cultural/social/personal philosophies and approaches to lives of “what if” that fall outside our day to day norms. This can be good, or this can be bad. In college art classes we were taught that there can be good art about good subjects, good art about bad subjects, bad art about good subjects, and bad art about bad subjects. This observation can prove very useful when evaluating and discussing any aspect of communication.
Having inherited my fascination with science fiction, my son and I were waiting for the morning school bus a few years ago and talking about Episode III, when it struck me that the Bible is in reality what Star Wars wants to be. When I told him that, he asked me what in the world I meant. Here’s the deal: Star Wars (and many other sci-fi adventures) builds its plot lines out of an imagined universe that contains an ancient moral/ethical code that permeates all that exists—this “force” is the source of phenomenal powers for either good, or evil. While the Star Wars universe contains much that is familiar to the viewer, it is also an imaginary stage for many strange and wonderful sentient beings that are very different from ourselves. It is a story of personal relationships (love and hate, victory and failure), and of consequences for actions, and of cosmic conflict.
I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end (Ec 3:10&11; NIV).
The fact is, we really, actually, and literally live in a world that is permeated by another, most wondrous existence that does operate by laws that exceed the laws of space and matter and energies and time. This other existence is eternally older and it providentially trumps this life at every turn of events. Ultimate Good exists and it is in conflict with parasitic evil that will end only with the cessation of time, itself. The truth is, there really are sentient beings all around us who are far more powerful than us and who are made up of ethereal stuff that defies the forces governing our fleshly, material bodies. Life as we know it really is the unfolding of personal relationships that bear cosmic and eternal consequences.
Ironically, many devotees of science fiction (the very ones who crave an existence that is more exciting than the superficiality of this life) reject reality as described and defined by the Bible because they have pre-judged Scripture as poetic metaphor, mythical non-sense, or boring diatribe. I would offer those addicted to sci-fi movies and books, those who are video game junkies, and those who search the skies for extraterrestrials, that there is nothing more extraordinary, more awesome, or more wonderful than the real reality of Truth itself. I would also offer that what sparks science fiction’s appeal is its growth from out of humanity’s intuitive sense that there is more to life than meets the eye...much, much more (Ro 1:20; 2:13-15).
Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory (1Ti 3:16; NIV).
Not surprisingly, a significant percentage of popular science fiction writers and readers of the past hundred years have been self avowed agnostics and atheists. Could it be that they pursue the fantasy of their fictions as an attempt to satisfy a tug at hearts and minds that this life is but a gate to an eternity that is far beyond anything that we can imagine? I find it interesting that, on the one hand, many who nominally claim faith in the saving grace of Jesus Christ work diligently to remove anything and everything of the miraculous from their practiced religion and prayers—on the other hand, many of those who categorically reject Christianity and all that it entails are absolutely fascinated by things of the imagination that exceed the parameters of our daily experience. While salvation is not to be found in the pages read and minutes watched of science fiction, perhaps they are an expression of a desire for spiritual enlightenment, a need for overcoming the evil from within and from without our lives, and a quest for the eternal. I am reminded of a song a friend sang many years ago: “Everybody’s looking for Jesus…”. They just don’t always know it. The great commission tells us that it’s up to believers to make the connection.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen (Ep 3:20&21; NIV).
No Wonder: Part Nine—Star Wars Wants To Be
by dave c
"As I looked, "thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze (Da 1:9; NIV).
Just recently I had an acquaintance of several years express surprise at my confession that I really like science fiction books and movies. I can still remember sci-fi stories that I read when I was eleven years old. Wells, Heinlein, Orwell, Clark, Asimov, Star Wars, Star Trek, Dr. Who and countless other authors and Hollywood/TV productions—I am attracted to them all. Science fiction provides a seductive venue for worlds of the imagination that operate outside the governing laws of biology and physics...and it provides a place to explore creative cultural/social/personal philosophies and approaches to lives of “what if” that fall outside our day to day norms. This can be good, or this can be bad. In college art classes we were taught that there can be good art about good subjects, good art about bad subjects, bad art about good subjects, and bad art about bad subjects. This observation can prove very useful when evaluating and discussing any aspect of communication.
Having inherited my fascination with science fiction, my son and I were waiting for the morning school bus a few years ago and talking about Episode III, when it struck me that the Bible is in reality what Star Wars wants to be. When I told him that, he asked me what in the world I meant. Here’s the deal: Star Wars (and many other sci-fi adventures) builds its plot lines out of an imagined universe that contains an ancient moral/ethical code that permeates all that exists—this “force” is the source of phenomenal powers for either good, or evil. While the Star Wars universe contains much that is familiar to the viewer, it is also an imaginary stage for many strange and wonderful sentient beings that are very different from ourselves. It is a story of personal relationships (love and hate, victory and failure), and of consequences for actions, and of cosmic conflict.
I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end (Ec 3:10&11; NIV).
The fact is, we really, actually, and literally live in a world that is permeated by another, most wondrous existence that does operate by laws that exceed the laws of space and matter and energies and time. This other existence is eternally older and it providentially trumps this life at every turn of events. Ultimate Good exists and it is in conflict with parasitic evil that will end only with the cessation of time, itself. The truth is, there really are sentient beings all around us who are far more powerful than us and who are made up of ethereal stuff that defies the forces governing our fleshly, material bodies. Life as we know it really is the unfolding of personal relationships that bear cosmic and eternal consequences.
Ironically, many devotees of science fiction (the very ones who crave an existence that is more exciting than the superficiality of this life) reject reality as described and defined by the Bible because they have pre-judged Scripture as poetic metaphor, mythical non-sense, or boring diatribe. I would offer those addicted to sci-fi movies and books, those who are video game junkies, and those who search the skies for extraterrestrials, that there is nothing more extraordinary, more awesome, or more wonderful than the real reality of Truth itself. I would also offer that what sparks science fiction’s appeal is its growth from out of humanity’s intuitive sense that there is more to life than meets the eye...much, much more (Ro 1:20; 2:13-15).
Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory (1Ti 3:16; NIV).
Not surprisingly, a significant percentage of popular science fiction writers and readers of the past hundred years have been self avowed agnostics and atheists. Could it be that they pursue the fantasy of their fictions as an attempt to satisfy a tug at hearts and minds that this life is but a gate to an eternity that is far beyond anything that we can imagine? I find it interesting that, on the one hand, many who nominally claim faith in the saving grace of Jesus Christ work diligently to remove anything and everything of the miraculous from their practiced religion and prayers—on the other hand, many of those who categorically reject Christianity and all that it entails are absolutely fascinated by things of the imagination that exceed the parameters of our daily experience. While salvation is not to be found in the pages read and minutes watched of science fiction, perhaps they are an expression of a desire for spiritual enlightenment, a need for overcoming the evil from within and from without our lives, and a quest for the eternal. I am reminded of a song a friend sang many years ago: “Everybody’s looking for Jesus…”. They just don’t always know it. The great commission tells us that it’s up to believers to make the connection.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen (Ep 3:20&21; NIV).