I recently read a book called The Jedi Path which is a history and description of how the Jedi Order from Star Wars was created and how it was run. Although Star Wars is not a story intentionally made to be a Christian allegory, many themes do demonstrate Christ-like morals, actions, ideas, and principles. For all of you Star Wars fans, and even those who know little about these popular movies and books, you will find the resounding truth in Star Wars to be very encouraging.
In the world of Star Wars there is an organization called the Jedi Order. This order consists of various beings who are gifted with the Force and have chosen to live their lives as Jedi to keep peace and defend the galaxy from any evil or unjust force that might arise. In one section of The Jedi Path it states that “Any being, regardless of homeworld, species, wealth, or social status of his or her family, can be born with the ability to touch the Force” (Wallace, 141). Now this sounds familiar, doesn’t it? It is a similar statement to that of CBE’s mission statement, “all believers—without regard to gender, ethnicity or class—must exercise their God-given gifts.”
The second half of the CBE mission statement, “with equal authority and equal responsibility in church, home and world” is also reflected in the Jedi Order. As each being is trained as a Jedi by others more experienced than themselves their specific giftings and talents are brought out and then recognized and encouraged by the other Jedi around them. Some of these gifts may be defending the galaxy as a Jedi knight, becoming a peacemaker, negotiator, traveling, gathering information, seeking out those who may become Jedi in the future, training other Jedi, being a counselor, or studying and learning. All these gifts and more are desired by the Jedi Order and encouraged in each being who manifests them. “These beings have a gift, and if we don’t teach them how to use it, the Jedi Order is responsible for squandering that gift” (Wallace, 141).
Those are pretty formidable words, but in essence the church is supposed to work the same way. If Christians see our brothers and sisters displaying gifts that will glorify God, they should encourage them to do so and bless them with as much wisdom and knowledge as they are able. God shows no distinction between race, gender, or status when calling people into the Kingdom. The Holy Spirit bestows gifts to all God’s children and desires to see them used for Kingdom work. The Force in Star Wars is a reflection of this. “The Force can call anyone, and is thus the very definition of egalitarian” (Wallace, 143).
Unfortunately, there are those who do not believe this way, and in the world of Star Wars the most apposed to it is the Sith. Lucasfilm also made a book similar to The Jedi Path, called The Book of Sith, which recounts the history of the Jedi’s strongest opposing force and manifestation of the dark side, the Sith. At one point in time in the history of the Sith legacy, one Sith lord created a Brotherhood of Darkness that gave rank and power to many Sith, wanting to give many the opportunity to rule. All were power hungry and sought benefits only for themselves, this Brotherhood ultimately failed and was called by later Sith a “false egalitarianism” (68).
Later on the Sith created a new way of distributing power called the Rule of Two. This rule states that, “One Sith must contain all the power of the dark side. One Master must decide how that power shall be used. Sharing power is an act of weakness and a violation of the Sith Code” (66). This is what we see in the Star Wars movies. There is one master and one apprentice and then there is everyone else who serves the master and apprentice and does their bidding. If the master’s apprentice is killed, he or she will choose another to take that one’s place. If the apprentice becomes stronger, which is completely accepted in the Sith Code, then he or she will kill the master and become the new master and Sith Lord.
For the Sith, the Rule of Two became the arena for their ultimate downfall. This is often the way things play out in our world as well. When one or two people greedily hold all the power, it becomes the means for their own destruction.
The Jedi Order demonstrates the truth of what it means to uplift each other and encourage one another in the gifts and callings that the Holy Spirit gives to the Children of God. The Force does not choose any being based on who that being is, but on the manifestation of the Force itself. God does not call anyone into salvation and redemption based on who they are, but on the grounds of Christ Jesus’ work and sacrifice on the cross for the sins of all humankind.
Works Cited
Wallace, Daniel. Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side. San Francisco: Chronicle, 2013. Print.
Wallace, Daniel. The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle, 2010. Print.
