Title: Star Wars Jesus: A Spiritual Commentary On The Reality Of The Force
Author: Caleb Grimes
ISBN: 1579218849
Publisher: Winepress Publishing
Copyright: 2006
Reviewed by lazypadawan.
The book is another in a long line of Christian analyses of the Star Wars films and perhaps one of the best to date. Each "chapter" is about each of the films, featuring a series of short essays about various scenes. Most of the essays are written as though Grimes is just sitting there in the room with you talking about the movie while you're watching it. His point overall is that despite much being made of Star Wars' Eastern influences, there are a lot of Christian influences as well. Not only was the book an engaging discussion about faith, it was also a very engaging discussion about Star Wars. He brings up points rarely considered before, taking on things from a fresh perspective. He really does understand the films and while you may not agree with every point he makes, it's nice to see someone who's a genuine fan dissect it all. All six movies are covered, with the classic trilogy taking up about half of the book, and with Revenge of the Sith taking up quite a bit of the prequel trilogy section. Grimes's denomination -- if he belongs to one -- is never mentioned. Some of his essays and observations don't involve religion at all. For that reason, it may be hard for some readers to fully understand where Grimes is coming from when it comes to religion or the times when he discusses other topics. Still, he refrains from shoehorning themes in Star Wars into his worldview and vice versa. Even if you are not religious or a Christian, you might enjoy reading Star Wars Jesus.
