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Morality beyond the stars
Mike Starkey discovers quite unexpected theological depths in the faith of the Jedi
The Gospel According to Star Wars: Faith, hope and the Force
Westminster John Knox Press £8.99 (978-0-664-23142-2) Church Times Bookshop £8.10 IN THE 2001 UK Census, 390,000 people said their religion was “Jedi”. The film series in which the mystical Jedi knights appear, Star Wars, is a phenomenon of popular culture, with revenues in excess of $4.3 billion. Released between 1977 and 2005, the six movies have been accompanied by a vast range of Star Wars games, novels, and toys. So were the 390,000 wags claim-ing to be devout Jedi simply having a joke at the expense of the Census compilers? Or is there, in fact, something deeply religious about Star Wars, with its potent dramatisation of good and evil, and its vision of a universal energy field, the “Force”, behind all things? John McDowell lectures in theology at Edinburgh University. He is one of a growing band of academics who take the apparent trivia of popular culture seriously, as a window into the beliefs and values of contemporary society. After all, the creator of Star Wars, George Lucas, never intended the films to be mere escapist entertainment: he hoped they would be a vehicle for moral education. Frankly, the author shows greater intimacy with the world portrayed in the six movies than is strictly healthy for a grown man. His encyclopaedic range of reference feels less like that of an academic from Scotland, and more like that of a native of Naboo or Alderaan. This book has to be the most detailed and serious analysis of Star Wars to date. But it works. I had expected a simplistic “This is what Star Wars says . . . This is what the Bible says . . . ” format. Instead, McDowell unpacks the spiritual and moral vision of Star Wars on its own terms, drawing illuminating comparisons with Christianity, Eastern faiths, and other historical and cultural movements along the way. As a certain Jedi master might say: “A model theological analysis of pop culture written, he has.” The Revd Mike Starkey is Vicar of Holy Trinity, Twickenham. To order this book, email the details to Church Times Bookshop (please mention "Church Times Bookshop price") |
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