The Religion of the Force - Norman Geisler

At the same time I picked up Cosmos, I also picked up another less-known Geisler book called Religion of the Force. Both books were written in 1983 and both published by Quest publishing.

Just like in Cosmos, Geisler takes religious concepts currently (for 1983) in the media, and compares them with the Biblical worldview. In this case, Geisler puts his eye upon George Lucas and Star Wars.

The purpose of the brief book is to unveil what Geisler sees as the Eastern pantheistic philosophy that permeates Star Wars. One of the many contrasts is between the impersonal Force and the personal Father. Other topics covered include the Star Wars concept of salvation by self-reliance versus the Christian concept of salvation by God alone.

My only critique is that Geisler does not note the positive influence or the Christian analogies that Star Wars brings to the screen. Yes, the movie does portray what can be construed as an Eastern worldview. But, it nonetheless also brings Christian concepts of religion into play.

Or, at the very least, it brings up the concept of religion in general. Instead of lambasting a movie for portraying a view opposite the Christian belief, why don't we use the opportunity to continue the subject the movie brought up. Christians would do well not to expect movies that reflect Christian worldviews when they are created by non-Christians. Instead, we should take the movie at face value, and use the opportunity to explain why the Christian worldview is superior. In this way we can maintain our convictions and yet evangelize in a way that is culturally relevant.

As a postscript, if you wish to buy these books by Dr. Geisler...I would not recommend Amazon. For some reason, these books are priced by 3rd party sellers for nearly $200...and they sell from $5.95 at Impact Apologetics. Go figure.

The Religion of the Force - Norman Geisler