Customer Reviews

Star Wars Jesus - A spiritual commentary on the reality of the Force

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Although there are several books out looking at the spiritual dimension of the Star Wars movies, and although there is even a subsection of Christian ones, this one has the most insight and usefulness. The author does not stick with just one or a few of the movies but takes on all six. Christians will be amazed to see how much inspiring spiritual truth can be found in these films, some of the most popular ever created. I daresay this book could be used along with the films as a devotional. I think non-Christian readers will be challenged. It is de rigeur to find Eastern thought in the works of George Lucas. But a "strong reading" such as Grimes supplies is going to turn the world upside down for a lot fans.

Here is a must read, especially for Star Wars fans! The author definitely knows "his stuff" on this one! I would have never considered some of the things that the author discusses, and it was refreshing to see new ideas and thoughts!
I think this would be an excellent book for all ages, but would really help with teenagers as a way to reach out to them and share Christ with them!
All Star Wars fans should read this book! Well, done Mr. Grimes!

Obviously written by a star wars fan and someone who has done a lot of thinking about the movies, the force, and how it all fits into faith in the Christ. It's a good read and will challenge your thinking and give you new insights into star wars and faith. It kept my interest and challenged my thinking. If you love star wars you should read this book.

This book is comprised of 101 entries, each an observation on the Star Wars movies and their religious significance, especially as it pertains to Christianity. The entries do not have to be read in a particular order, and the style of writing is easy, but mature and accessible.

Analytical Review: This is a well-written and very well-organized book. If you want a particular commentary on any aspect of the Star Wars films, the chronological order of the book makes that very easy to access. It is not a "preachy" book, it does not intend to convert the reader to Christianity, merely to illustrate the bold similarities that the Star Wars films have with Christianity. It is respectfully enthusiastic about Christianity and Stars Wars. Themes of Toaism, and Buddhism take a very small role in the book, but overall it is well done, and readable. Recommended for Star Wars fans or those interested in science fiction and religion.

Those interested in a more academically challenging book should read John McDowell's work - it is more nuanced in some ways, but not as well organized or easy to read as this book.

Star Wars Jesus is a book about the "spiritual reality of the Force" by Caleb Grimes. It goes through numerous scenes from each Star Wars film (sans Clone Wars) and provides spiritual commentary. I have read through the "A New Hope" section and I have to say, it's fascinating.

The book is divided into easy to digest, small sections - a few pages at a time to review individual sections / scenes from the Star Wars films. In each section, Grimes reviews individual scenes describing Biblical parallels. The comparisons are apt, descriptive, and make you seriously think. It is difficult to describe without providing examples.

In Section 23, Grimes discusses the scene where Luke is approached by the ghost of Obi Wan Kenobi while flying in his X-Wing to destroy the Death Star. Ben Kenobi tells him to trust in the Force, not in his equipment. What does Luke do? He trusts in the Force an dnot in man. This entire scene is used as an analogy to trust in the Lord. Kenobi, Grimes compares to the Holy Spirit - the internal action of the Lord. Luke is like any one of us. We're in a true struggle with an enemy that is far greater than us. An enemy that is trying to destroy us and everything that matters to us. What do we need to do to handle an enemy that is this much greater than us? Trust in the Lord. As Grimes likes to point out, Force is much like the presence of the Lord in our life.

He's right. The Force and the presence of the Lord are similar. The parallels are there and worth noting.

Christ is everywhere, whether you realize it or not. All throughout art. All throughout literature. All throughout movies, including Star Wars. His truth is written on the hearts of all men. What this book does is remind us of that simple truth.

What it also does is provides us a way to discuss the truth of Christ with Star Wars fans who may not know Him just yet. It shows metaphors for Christ, His truth, and the Lord in a language in which they speak. I can see this as a useful tool, an interesting study, and something that I'm seriously considering reaching out to the author to turn into something for a Bible study group.

The book's title reflects a statement at the beginning of the "Hidden Bonus Entry" (not shown in the Table of Contents) which is that "this whole book is dedicated to those places in Star Wars where Jesus shows up figuratively, philosophically, and in all other wise". It is through Grimes' passionate commentary that Jesus shows up, some of it opening you to the presence, power, even conviction, of the Holy Spirit. The book's subtitle (A Spiritual Commentary on the Reality of the Force) is reflected in multiple ways in the text, but needs clarification. The Force in Star Wars is not the reality Grimes is talking about. It is taken as a metaphor for realities from a Christian perspective. On the one hand, there is the reality of the image of God in us which is able to create. Here Dorothy Sayers' book The Mind of the Maker is used for exposition (see Entry 7). On the other hand, there is the reality of the Holy Spirit who is the true and personal "force" behind the Christian way of life. These two realities are intimately compatible, and further expressed in Entry 14 in relation to "feeling the force". It is said that feeling the force is a good metaphor for both "the Holy Spirit's work in us as we worship" and "creative work", the latter being defined as "anything from the realm of banking to fine art to dirt-bike racing; anything under the sun."

I appreciated that Grimes saw the connection with the Holy Spirit and reinforces it in several places throughout the book. Here's a sample from Entry 69: "Qui-Gon teaches Obi-Wan to learn that to understand a situation he must not ignore the living Force. For us, this is like learning to discern a direction in which the Holy Spirit might be leading us, or how we receive council from God." Grimes is also open to the supernatural gifts of the Spirit and wonders how Jedi powers are similar to them. He sees the world of the supernatural as "the nugget of truth that real life witches and wizards seek" (Entry 14, page 57). Regarding occult magicians, this may be true; however, many occultists are naturalists seeking self-empowerment and desired effects through the use of what they consider to be natural metaphysical laws. They prefer the term "paranormal" to the term "supernatural". Entry 45 (related to The Empire Strikes Back) also brings up occult activities such as divination, sorcery, and witchcraft and states: "To use witchcraft and sorcery, etc., is wrong because we are not able to see behind this part of the Force to understand its evil. For a deeper explanation of this topic, read Catherine Edwards Sanders' book, The Charm of Wicca" [sic, Wicca's Charm (2005)]. What "the Force" represents here is unclear (Grimes should have clarified this), and Sanders doesn't use the term (I've read her book). She reports that a couple inexperienced Wiccans said they were trying to "channel energy" through a friend to "knock down a mental wall" and "felt a flutter of unprotected power" (Wicca's Charm, page 104). The result was "problems with voices and visions" from apparently "unwanted spirits", so an older, more experienced Wiccan was consulted to help properly shield from such negativity. Demonic activity is a biblical reality, but one that Sanders did not focus on, preferring to let the Wiccans speak for themselves. The wonderworking power of the Holy Spirit as manifest through a submitted, obedient Christian is superior to, and can overcome, any natural or demonic power from whatever source.

I also appreciated Grimes' commentary in Entry 38 as to 1) Why the dark and the light sides of the Force cannot be part of one power, 2) Why neither the Jedi nor the Sith are, or can be, one with the Force, and 3) Why the Force cannot be divine. I agree that good and evil are not opposites, although I would have worded some things differently and distinguished between the goodness of being (ontology) and the goodness of doing (ethics). In terms of the former, I would have said that neither God nor creatures are the source of their own goodness (being) because God is uncaused and creatures are God-caused. Good is eternal in God, without beginning or end, whereas evil is not eternal because it has a beginning and therefore can have an end. This means that there is more good than evil and good is more powerful than evil. It also means, as mysterious as it is, that good is the ultimate cause of evil, even if we say that it was good creatures and not God who caused it. A lot to think about here, but Grimes' commentary shows that he is aware of these truths. I further appreciated Grimes' focus on the need for spiritual disciplines in the Christian's life to help overcome the dark side (sinful nature) within and increase the influence of the Holy Spirit. Entry 99 discusses the spiritual disciplines and recommends Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster as "the classic portal". I second the recommendation.

One thing that makes Grimes' book stand out from other Star Wars commentaries, Christian or otherwise, is the way he approaches all six films in the order in which they were released, beginning with the classic trilogy and continuing through the prequel trilogy. Each movie is also approached chronologically, the author discussing certain scenes in the order of their appearance while occasionally providing entries on certain important general themes before delving back into the specifics of the film under discussion. One gets not only spiritual commentary but social and political commentary as well. The time he has spent contemplating the classic trilogy is shown by the fact that Episodes IV - VI receive well over half (68) of the entries, although the ones for the prequel trilogy are no lesser in quality.

One does not have to agree with Grimes on every point, or way of expression of certain points, to appreciate the book. It is a welcome commentary for Christian fans of Star Wars and highly recommended.

The person I bought this for said they could not put it down. It was cleverly written with some great analogies to use as demonstrations for messages.

I did find this book pretty fascinating to read. C. Grimes brings up many good points in the book as he tries to compare the Star Wars characters and scenes in relation to Christianity. For me, though, I don't think he went deep enough into it. It was almost too basic. If one really gets into the deeper levels of Star Wars, one has thought of a lot of these ideas. Maybe he should have dug a little deeper. I read it thinking "He's writing at the 100 level class (to use a college class analogy), when he should probably be at the 200 or 300 level." Don't get me wrong, it isn't a bad thing; maybe not everyone over-analyzes these movies like I do and apparently he has. I won't say I've always looked at Star Wars in a totally "Christian" perspective, but it is there and there are parallels. I also don't think the "philosophy" of Star Wars is necessarily as flawed as he presents it. To be honest, Yoda's "Death is a natural part of life" speech got me through my grandfathers funeral. Not that I wasn't sad when he died; it is just that on many levels Yoda's right. You rejoice in the fact that they died because they are no longer suffering; that they are in a better place and they affected your life with the time you had with them. To not rejoice in the memories you have of them on some levels goes against what I think Yoda was trying to teach in that moment. Don't be afraid one is going to die, or join the force as it were. They were on this plane for the amount of time they were meant to be, to do the things they were supposed to do. Do not mourn them or miss them because they are gone; they finished their work, whether they are 1 week old or in the case of my grandfather, 94 years old.
Obviously, this will get you thinking about the movies. It will force you to look at them in a different light. And, of course, this is his take on them. So, I will not knock him for it. I actually agree with him on the vast majority of it. And there were a few points raised where I actually said "I never looked at it that way." This is the first book like this I've read about Star Wars. I read a pair on the philosphy of the Matrix movies, but that is obviously a bit of a different sort of movie. Still, I am not disappointed I read this, I just can't compare it to other "Star Wars Philosophy" books. So, I guess, if you are into the philosphical slant on movies, pick this up and read it. It may not change your life, but it will make you think.

As a free thinking Secular Humanist and a fan of Star Wars (my son calls me a fan boy), to quote William Shatner "Get a Life". Sometimes, and a lot of the time, a movie is just that, a MOVIE! It the author would like to send me a copy to review I am willing to give an open minded review of this book, until then it's just a movie.