The Gospel According to Star Wars

      It has been a great week for me. I have waited years to see the completion of the Star Wars story. Revenge of the Sith did not disappoint me.

      However, I read something quite disheartening in the newspaper. A church in the area is hosting a Bible study entitled “The Gospel According to Star Wars.” If I remember correctly, the article mentioned previous studies such as “The Gospel According to the Lord of the Rings” and “The Gospel According to the Matrix.”

      I guess I should not be surprised at this. Several months ago, I saw some Bible class material that promised to teach our young people about the Gospel and Christian living by going through the Lord of the Rings story. Next to that was another set of materials promising to do the same thing using Harry Potter. I have even seen some churches of Christ promoting an Andy Griffith Bible study.

      Let me be completely up front. I am not a go-to-conventions, dress-up-like-Yoda, or learn-to-speak-Wookie fan, but I am the kind of fan who has taught my kids to say, “I am a Jedi, like my father before me.” I am not opposed to drawing on the story for a good sermon illustration, but the Gospel according to Star Wars? What are we coming to?

      My question is this: Whatever happened to the Gospel according to the Gospel? Regrettably even Christians have gotten into the mindset that God’s word is simply not enough. We have to prop it up with pop-culture. We have to dress it up and make it pretty to draw people to it. We are even worse when we talk about teaching our kids. The Gospel all by itself is boring. We have to make it fun and exciting. Jesus said some nice things. But if we can show people the immortal wisdom of Obi-wan Kenobi, Albus Dumbledore, Gandalf, Morpheus or even Andy Griffith, we can do some real teaching.

      In John 6:44-45, Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught of God.’ Everybody who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.”

      God draws us to Him through the Word of Jesus Christ. We must simply realize that God’s gospel is powerful enough to save people (Romans 1:16-17). His Gospel does not need our pop-culture trappings to make it attractive. In fact, when we decorate it with modern culture, we will find ourselves to be in the regrettable situation described in Galatians 1:6-7. We will have deserted the real Gospel for that which is not really a gospel at all.

      If you are into the Star Wars story, go see the movie. Enjoy it. In fact, I would be happy for you to take me with you. But please, do not weaken Christ’s powerful Gospel with it.

Edwin L. Crozier