Christian Wisdom of the Jedi Masters
by Dick Staub
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Book Summary Information
Author: Dick StaubEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-03-25
ISBN: 0787978949
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: Jossey-Bass
Book Reviews of Christian Wisdom of the Jedi Masters
Book Review: A Unique Integration of Theology and Culture
Summary: 5 Stars
At the end of the 20th century, Paul Tillich tried to integrate theology and culture so that a world come of age could connect with Christian faith. While his attempt was brave, his failure may be explained by a departure from the concrete and radical teachings of Jesus, favoring instead the obscure language of ambiguous religion.
Dick Staub's book is successful precisely because his integration of Christian theology, history, philosophy, culture and biblical text embodied within the popular Star War myth retains the radical claims of Jesus for thinking and living Christianly.
As I read the book, I felt I was immersed in a meditation or devotional guide for the day. The reader is introdcued to mini-vignettes of church history, world culture, spirituality, history, politics and philosophy as the Jedi story is woven throughout the book. At other times I felt as though I was offered a study guide in refreshing language into the basics of Christianity with no requirement of prior religious knowledge.
Whether part of the Jedi following or not, Christian Wisdom of the Jedi Masters assures the reader that her quest for spiritual reality is only superceded by God's historic seeking of all humanity through the cross of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is conveyed to both mainline liberal, conservative evangelical or for most others who are spared the use of religious labels---all of whom desire spiritual fulfillment created by the nihilism of North American consumerism barely challenged by an equally commodified Christian(?) church.
What Dick Staub has accomplished is a new paradigm for communicating the historic Gospel story of God's love for the world. His book is an effective interplay of both medium and message without the one subsuming the other. Its fast-paced, succinct medium written humanly and vulnerably strips away the usual barriers that often accompany usual theological discourse. At the same time, its message is precisely retained without regrettably dumbed-down reduction that often characterizes today's religious parlance in a misguided attempt to trade off truth for "relevance."
All future 21st century theological discourse is now challenged to grapple with Staub's linguistic paradigm when confronted with contextualizing the Gospel into an increasingly post-human culture.
Paul O. Bischoff, Ph.D.
Wheaton, Illinois
Summary of Christian Wisdom of the Jedi Masters
Written by award-winning radio personality Dick Staub, this compelling book is filled with anecdotes from the Star Wars films that serve as a launching pad into rediscovering authentic Christianity. Christian Wisdom of the Jedi Masters also contains quotes from revered ?Jedi Christians? such as Thomas Merton, Teresa of Avila, the Apostle Paul, G. K. Chesterton, and other theologians, mystics, writers, and philosophers. The author sheds new light on the struggles and challenges of living faithfully in postmodern life and offers a reintroduction to what C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien called the ?one true myth,? Christianity.Dick Staub starts his book by describing the key difference between the Christian faith and the Force of the Star Wars films. In Star Wars, the Force itself is the energy field that "surrounds and penetrates us? [and] binds the galaxy together." But in our world, Staub points out that a Christian believes in one true Lord over all things - including the Force itself, a Lord of the Force, if you will. So with this subtle but important point made, the rest of the book takes a journey of exploration, looking in detail at how a Jedi learning the ways of The Force can be readily compared to a Christian learning the ways of the Lord of the Force.
The interesting aspect of this book though, is not the primary conceit of using the Jedi mythology to explore Christianity. Instead it is the wealth of ideas Staub brings to the table from a variety of sources as he takes us on the journey. The title of the book may presuppose and even help ensure a select demographic, but in truth Staub's book comes across as a fireside chat that would be of interest to many, weaving together elements from Star Wars, the Bible, academia, psychology, and so on to make his underlying point, which is to live a fully-engaged Christian life. For example, in a discussion that starts with a quote from Yoda: "Always two there are, a master and an apprentice," Staub follows up with an obvious Biblical parallel on discipleship from the Book of John, but then takes it further, discussing the Jewish tradition of how a rabbi chooses and trains the next generation of teachers that will succeed him, a more detailed description of how Jesus discipled his own followers, and ending with an off-the-wall but thoroughly on-point illustration from the field of engineering that demonstrates the value of correctly applied knowledge from those we should look to as potential mentors.
By the end of the book, we are reminded of the commonality of belief systems (fictional or otherwise.) All seek to give us our place in the universe, and equip us with the knowledge necessary for a successful journey. Staub's book starts with the myth of the Jedi system, but it's true end is an invitation to become a Christian Jedi, following what he calls the "one true myth" of the Lord of the Force.--Ed Dobeas
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