Perspective

Right or Wrong, Black or White, Good or Evil... I saw the new Star Wars movie this weekend and I was struck by two quotes.. Late in the movie, Anakin(Darth Vader) says to Obi Wan: " From my perspective the Jedi are evil" and when you think about it... the only thing that differentiates the two sides was faith in the future. Both believe they are doing the right thing. Who am I to judge? The hinge point is not solely based on actions, it was based on what you believe the intent for the future is about coupled with an "instinctive" view of what is right. Is that instinct coupled with our desire to reach out to God? I think so...

The other quote that jumped out at me was Yoda speaking to Anakin Skywalker earlier in the movie.. and the "master jedi" said: "you should not be afraid of death, death is only a part of life... you should be happy when your loved ones pass on and join the force".... I know, I know.. Here I go again, trying to ground my theology in pop culture.. it is a flawed approach... I get that, but I think there is some relevance to listening to the voice of these artists. The writers, producers and directors of a film series like Star Wars are trying for something that may be beyond them... They are on one level trying to make money.. just like we all are. But on some other level, they are trying to make a statement which influences the world. Entertainment and Art linked with metaphors addressing theology and deep doctrinal divides.. Causality vs Predestination.. does it sound familiar? it does to me.. I wrote a personal journal entry like this last year after a marathon viewing of The Matrix trilogy. I even bought a study guide and reread the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy looking and analyzing the Christian themes after a similar marathon event.... It was an amazing study for me...

The preview scenes shown in my trip to the theater were for an upcoming release of "Chronicles of Narnia" Wow I am excited for that. It will be a tremendous opportunity to reach out and talk with my friends about Christianity directly... using the stories of CS Lewis as a discussion point.