Faith and the Force

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This article was published 04/03/2020 (2338 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

What does Star Wars have to do with the story of Jesus’ passion, crucifixion and resurrection?

A lot, according to James Christie — and he invites people interested in the connection between the two stories to join him for a three-week Lenten study at Westminster United Church.

For people who saw the first movies when they came out in the 1970s and early ’80s, “Star Wars is something they grew up with,” said Christie, professor of dialogue theology at the University of Winnipeg.

This foundational myth is also a good entrance into the Christian story for them and for others who saw the movies later, he said.

“How is Jesus a new hope for own era, and every era?” he asked. “What is the response of empires and authorities to his message? And how does that lead to Calvary?”

Through the series, titled “Questions of faith, with a nod to Star Wars,” Christie wants to invite people to “reflect on the passion and resurrection narratives and see what they mean,” today, and also help them put “imagination back into the story.”

He also wants to go back to the story and address questions people might have “head-on.”

That includes whether or not the resurrection is true; if the Bible can be believed when the various accounts of the crucifixion story don’t line up; what makes the Christian story different from any other religious story; and who was Jesus, and what was his mission?

“These are questions that arise in every generation,” Christie said, although he noted not every generation gets to view them through the lens of Star Wars.

The series kicks off March 4 with A New Hope: Jesus of Nazareth—what we know of him and how. March 11 is The Empire Strikes Back: the passion narratives and their implications. And March 25 is The Return of the Jedi: The Resurrection in context, for today and beyond.

Westminster United Church is located at 745 Westminster Ave. The sessions are all free and start at 7 p.m. in the lecture hall. To register, call the church office at 204-784-1330 or email info@westminsterchurch.org.

faith@freepress.mb.ca

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