The Theology of Star Wars

The final installment of the Star Wars prequel film series, entitled Revenge of the Sith, just hit the theaters last weekend, and I saw it yesterday- all 2 hours and 26 minutes of it.

The entire Star Wars series is packed full of theological metaphors- the force, the dark side, as well as the host of characters whom one could easily say parallel certain figures of faith. The Jedi masters and their paduans (or disciples), the morally conflicted Anakin Skywalker, who is seduced by the dark side to serve the evil Sith lord, who had cleverly disguised himself as a leader of the Republic; Padme, the mother figure who eloped with Anakin who would quietly give birth to the one who would restore balance to the force and bring peace to the galaxy.

Then you have the ancient order of the Jedi Knights, committed to the ways of peace and justice, but ready to give their lives for others or for the good of the force. The jedi, and members of what would become "the rebellion" movement, against the corrupt evil empire are thrust into a sort of diasporra after being betrayed by a certain leader of the senate with a dark personality.

In Episode III, Revenge of the Sith, we see the tide beginning to turn on the jedi, and momentum swinging to the dark side with all of its de-humanizing evil.

One of the most powerful scenes in the film was when Obi Wan Kenobi, the wise jedi master, and his former disciple, Anakin were engaged in a fierce lightsaber battle. All the while they are hovering over a river of lava, evoking the metaphorical imagery of Dante's Inferno.

Obi Wan and Anakin exchange blows with the lightsabers, while all the while engaging in a deep ontological argument. Obi Wan finally corners Anakin and shouts "You were the chosen one!" I will not say what happens next in case you have not seen the film yet, but it is a crucial turning point in the story, because it is one of the final steps in Anakin's slippery path down to the dark side.

One familiar with the Christian gospel narratives, cannot help but think of how Jesus was betrayed by one of his chosen disciples, then ultimately sent to die for what he believed, taught, and lived. His other disciples- even the most promising of them like Peter and John all abandoned Jesus at his crucial hour, but he still loved them and modeled the way of peace for them.

Also in the mix you have the wise, almost buddha-like figure of Yoda- the oldest and most advanced of the jedi knights. Yoda's diminuitive, frail appearance is deceiving because he is strong in the force (and pretty darn good with that light saber too!). Yoda's words are filled with existential pearls of wisdom like:

"Try not...Do or do not."

"Search your feelings...do not give in to hate and fear, for they lead to the dark side..."

"Trust the force...you do not succeed, because you do not believe..."

When I heard some of these words of wisdom I was reminded of Jesus teaching the disciples about faith- like when he walked on water and told Peter to come to him; or when he promised them the Holy Spirit, and said that they would have the power to do far more than ever imagined if they trusted the Holy Spirit to guide them.

Another favorite Star Wars moment for me is in The Empire Strikes Back, when Luke Skywalker is training with Yoda in the swampy jungles of Dagobah. After schooling young Luke in the ways of the jedi, Yoda brings him to a dark cave. He encourages Luke to venture into the cave. Yoda says to Luke "You will not need your weapon...you will only find what you bring in..." still Luke insists on bringing his lightsaber into the dark cave. Soon Luke encounters a vision of Darth Vader. Luke draws his lightsaber first and lashes out at Vader. His mask falls to the ground revealing Luke's own image behind the mask.

That scene reminded me of how we can be our own worst enemy when we allow fear and temptation to dominate our heart and mind.

The whole saga is filled with thelogical metaphors and deep characters struggling to make sense of good and evil in a conflicted and confusing universe. So even though the setting is in "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..." its' story speaks to the human story today through parable-like stories and rich metaphorical symbolism.

May peace (and the force) be with you always,


John

The Heart of Christianity

Marcus Borg, in his recent book The Heart of Christianity, thoughtfully discusses how many people have felt alienated or marginalized by religion that emphasizes literalism, intolerance, and exclusivity. He regards this previous approach as the earlier paradigm, and asserts that it is outmoded and must be replaced by a more inclusive, affirming, metaphorical, and diverse approach. He points to a new, or emerging vision of faith- "...a new way of seeing Christianity," as he puts it.

He writes that "... there is no single right way of understanding Christianity and no single right way of being Christian."

Borg outlines four meanings of faith that are different lenses through which people have interpreted the faith over the years- for better or worse:

assensus- or assent- a matter of the head- Borg believes the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counterreformation adopted and informed this perspective; also he believes they were informed by Enlightenment ideals and quest for factual verification of Christian belief. He writes that

:…for many modern people, faith as assensus has become primary precisely because the central claims of Christianity have become questionable...faith as belief is relatively impotent, relatively powerless. (30)

fiducia- or “trust”- radical trust in God. Borg cites Kierkegaard’s metaphor of faith as trust being like “floating in an ocean.” (citing a passage from Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling) Faith as “trusting in the buoyancy of God.” In this perspective, the opposite of faith is anxiety or worry.

fidelitas- faithfulness to God in a covenant relationship- “radical centering in God.” Opposites of this meaning are covenant-breaking and idolatry. The ten commandments and the Great Commandment prime examples of faith as fidelitas.

visio- vision- “…seeing the whole; seeing what is.” Cites H. Richard Neibuhr’s The Responsible Self. The responding self more aptly describes this concept according to Borg. “...seeing reality as gracious.”

Faith as believing- Borg asserts that “the pre-modern meanings of English words believe and believing and Latin word credo very different from what believing has come to mean in our time.” Credo “does not mean ‘I hereby agree to the literal-factual truth of the following statements.’ Rather its Latin roots combine to mean ‘I give my heart to.” The word itself is possibly related to French term cri de couer (cry of my heart)- meaning "a passionate belief that comes from the heart...Given the pre-modern meaning of ‘believe,’ to believe in God is to belove God.” (39-41)

I read that and it really resonated with me. We often get so cerebral when talking about belief, that it is important to get back to experiencing faith as a matter of the heart.

I also appreciated what Borg writes about "thin places," where we encounter the divine in our lives at key times, and are encouraged on our spiritual journey by gaining a renewed sense of vision.

Marcus Borg outlines five key traits of Jesus, one of them being a "Jewish mystic," as well as several others acknowledging his spiritual awareness and leadership.

Missing from Borg's list of Jesus' roles are two prominent ones- "Son of God" and "Savior" or "Messiah." That would be one of my primary critiques of the book and of Borg's writings in general is that he seems to deliberately refrain from acknowledging Jesus by any of these terms. Instead, Borg refers to him as Jesus of Nazareth, or as a Jewish mystic.

Borg also has some pretty interesting views on Christian doctrines such as original sin, the atonement- which Borg rejects; Jesus' resurrection- which he -only acknowledges as happening or being important in a metaphorical sense, as well as alluding to questioning the divinity of Jesus.

Marcus Borg also articulates what I believe to be a pretty cynical view on prayer. He holds to the theological notion that God is "not an interventionist." I agree in part if by interventionist you mean God as a sort of divine Santa Claus doling out reward or punishment. I believe that God is active in in the lives of all humanity and not just as some sort of metaphorical divine placebo either- but in a very real, present way.

I was very skeptical of these claims, and of the Jesus Seminars in general, which he participated in along with Robert Funk, John Dominic Crossan, John Cobb, and other liberal theologians and scholars.

In the remainder of the book, Borg further unpacks this new vision, for a more progressive, inclusive faith. He speaks of the richness of metaphor in texts of faith, and how literalists have misinterpreted and misused scripture over the course of history to further their own agendas. All the while, certain aspects of scripture are conveniently overlooked by such literalists (such as the fullness of meaning in loving one's neighbor).

I have found renewed spiritual vitality through reading this excellent, timely, and thought-provoking book by Marcus Borg.

His emphasis on faith as a journey of questions rather than an arrival at false certitude, spoke powerfully to me on my journey, as I have struggled with these same questions and been mostly unsatisfied by the simplistic, prescriptive "answers" that are so often formulaicly put forth by literalist and fundamentalist Christians and many people who consider themselves religious.

I look forward to continuing the journey!

Peace in the Lord,

John

On being a progressive person of faith

More and more, as I talk with friends, family members, and acquaintences I am hearing a similar theme about faith and spirituality:

-a deep sense of alienation and profound lack of authenticity in many churches and religious congregations today

-an increasing curiosity and hunger for a deeper sense of spiritual meaning and fulfillment

-exploration of alternative spiritual experiences, gatherings and practices

This trend has really fascinated me. The young adult generation of Americans consider themselves deeply spiritual, but often reject religion as "out-of-touch," "irrelevant," "too political," or somehow inauthentic.

Transformation, renewal and spiritual growth are what most people of faith strive for, but one of the major stumbling blocks of faith groups today is that all too often they have moved away from a sense being a community of people committed to a spiritual movement. Instead, all too many have turned back to a sort of survival mentality, of focusing on keeping a building open; only reaching out to people just like them; and not being willing to take bold risks to seek growth, renewal and new life. This phenomena is true across many denominations and faith groups over the past forty years in particular.

There are several unique types of congregations and spiritual gatherings that are growing rapidly and taking hold in many communities. The first is the surge of independent congregations- many of them ultra-Conservative, fundamentalist churches who have packaged themselves in culturally appealing wrapping, while all the while they force feed biblical literalism, intolerance of diversity, gender inequality, and sexual discrimination. This movement has sadly broadened the divide, in many ways, between progressive people with spiritual hunger, and those wanting easy, pat answers to deep existential questions of life.

A more promising movement is the Progressive Christian movement. Led by innovative minds such as Marcus Borg, Nancy Ammerman, John Shelby Spong, John Dominic Crossan and others, this movement embraces diversity, strongly emphasizes social justice, as well as living in the mystery and rich paradox of faith. It rejects easy answers, overly simplistic literalism and prescriptive approaches in favor of viewing faith as an organic movement of the divine rather than an institution.

The Center for Progressive Christianity is a grassroots organization committed to progressive faith from a Christian perspective that is inclusive of people of diverse backgrounds, lifestyles and faiths. Jim Adams, president and founder of the TCPC, helps promote what Marcus Borg describes as a new vision or new paradigm for the Christian faith. This perspective acknowledges the deep metaphors of the narratives of faith, while seeing faith as a journey of questions rather than one of false certitude or assurance.

Another movement, that, I believe, holds very promising possibilities for spiritual growth and vitality is the Emerging Church movement. This movement of progressive Christian evangelicals (yes one can be both progressive and a Christian evangelical), shares a new vision for experiencing the mystery of spirituality through the lens of the Christian faith.

There is a whole spectrum of belief within this movement, but there is a common vision for innovative approaches to spirituality as a movement of the Spirit, and a move away from prescriptive, literalist or reductionist approaches to Christian faith.

Some of the more innovative leaders in this movement are Brian McLaren of Cedar Ridge Community Church in Maryland, Dan Kimball of Vintage Faith Church in California, and Erwin Raphael McManus of Mosaic Community, also in California.

The common thread is an openness to innovation, creativity, and living in the experiential mystery of faith.

A third promising movement of faith is the progressive social justice movement of Jim Wallis, author of God's Politics, and founder of Sojourners. Wallis affirms that being a person of faith and being committed wholeheartedly to peace and social justice can go hand in hand.

As we continue the journey, let's keep the conversation going...

Peace in the name of all that is holy to you,


John