This is a little bit of family fun that was completely improvised. Like most loud families, we get into moments like this and we all try to upstage each other to see who can force the most laughs.
By the end we discover Cruz’s faith is richer because of Star Wars Stormtroopers?! To be fair, I don’t know many preachers whose spirituality is not informed by coffee, especially a smooth espresso roast.
So this should be a fun video, no matter if you like coffee, Stormtroopers, or just good family banter. I have taken the opportunity to write a piece that I’ve wanted to share for quite some time. Enjoy the family fun! If you have a coffee break, enjoy my piece on the myth behind Star Wars.
Video: Cruz, Coffee, & Stormtroopers
The new Star Wars Episodes are tracking the story of a Stormtrooper who defects and joins the Rebel Alliance, known as Finn. Some aspects of his story that might seem familiar for a good reason.
i. One of the key plots in Star Wars is the Hero’s Journey
1. Star Wars is based on a mythological framework. Carl Jung was a psychologist and a contemporary of Sigmund Freud. They both were fathers of psychology. However, Jung also studies anthropology and spirituality. He proposes that there are common stories and characters in various myths worldwide.
2. Joseph Campbell takes Jung’s ideas, and traces a common myth that he believes is found in various histories, the Hero’s Journey. This is easy to find on the internet. Because these sites may often be spiritual in nature, I would recommend exploring reputable sites, at least ones with an .edu at the end of the address.
3. It is “common knowledge,” but it may not be well-known, that Campbell and George Lucas consult together at the end of the first movies (Episodes IV-VI). Once Jung and Campbell are better understood, variations of this plot and its archetypes (characters) are repeatedly visible in Star Wars. Bear in mind that Jung, Campbell, and Lucas consider these myths to be a universal or global stories.
4. What are the implications of such a grand-scale framework for categorizing all of the myths and spiritual stories in the world, including The Story of our Lord? This question is difficult to answer because there are so many different world views. I will just explore a couple of answers that are actually at odds, although many people find themselves somewhere in between.
ii. There is a reality in our age known as pluralism
1. Pluralism should not be confused with the polytheism of the ancient world, when many deities were worshipped. Polytheism could be multiple religions over a vast area like the ancient Roman Empire. It could also mean many deities in one religion, like the Greek Pantheon. The key is that each ancient territory usually adopts a primary religion.
2. “Religious pluralism, on the other hand, is the belief that the differences between the religions are not a matter of truth and falsehood, but of different perceptions of the one truth; that to speak of religious beliefs as true or false is inadmissible. Religious belief is a private matter” (note 1). Religious pluralism is different than polytheism, because we are no longer seeing a predominant regional religion. We’re seeing many religions rise, many forms of spirituality, including people classified as “nones” (no religion).
3. Pluralism postulates that every religion is special, so the unintended consequence is that no religion is. Pluralism fits with frameworks like Campbell’s Hero’s Journey and Star Wars. Almost everything that I have stated so far is being taught in our public schools and colleges. I became aware of this in seminary. There is a Christian response that should be considered.
iii. There is a phenomenon known as preparatio evangelica
1. There is evidence over time of other cultures that seem to be prepped to receive the Full Gospel. This phenomenon is as old as Christianity. Some of the Early Church Fathers compare the truths in the Greek philosophies with those of the Hebrews and Primitive Church. A preparatio evangelica is “God’s work in the pre-Christian heart that prepares a person to receive and respond to the gospel message” (note 2). This should not be confused with the protoevangelium, the first Gospel message found in Genesis 3.15.
Whole people groups are often ready to receive the Gospel before any Christians reach them. For instance, although there are many differences between Muslims, Jews, and Christians, there is at least one similarity. Islam emerges after Christianity and Judaism as one of the earliest monotheistic faiths (believing in one deity). In the ancient world, a one-deity religion is rare. So is a monotheistic religion experiencing a preparatio evangelica?
2. Then there is the question of ancient writings that are not scriptural (non-canonical). Other books are quoted in the Bible. Numbers has a quote from the Book of the Wars of the Lord. Joshua and David quote from the Book of Jashur. Matthew and Luke are using some source that Mark does not use, the Quelle (the source or “Q”), or an Apostolic Tradition. Jude quotes from a couple of outside sources. His story of the fight between the archangel Michael and the devil is from the book the Assumption of Moses. His account of Enoch’s sermon is from the book of 1 Enoch.
John uses the term Logos, perhaps expanding on the Greek philosophy of the Ephesian known as Heraclitus, who teaches the wisdom of Logos nearly 500 years earlier (note 3). Paul not only quotes the Greeks when he preaches on Mars Hill, but at least 4 times in the NT.
3. If these quotes are in the Bible, then we must conclude that the quotes become inspired, like any other verses of the Bible! That does not mean that the books the quotes come from are sacred or canonical (note 4). If God can use quotes from uninspired writings (songs, histories, philosophies, etc.) to point people to the True Story, then can He do the same today?
iv. Is the Hero’s Myth a type of preparatio evangelica
1. The philosophy of pluralism looks at these cultural stories that seem similar to ours, and places us all on an equal plain. Pluralism uses Finn, Star Wars, and the Hero’s Journey to declare that Christianity is just another common myth – a retelling of the Hero’s Journey. Are we so jaded in the West (Western Europe and America), to think that our philosophies can explain away Christianity?
2. About 1/3 of the earth’s population is now Christian. Billions have gravitated to our Story. They have not forgotten their stories, myths, philosophies, and histories. In fact, many of their truths have helped them to recognize ours, as if charting a course toward their true harbor in the Christian faith. Think about it personally. Would anyone ever ask you to forget your personal testimony? No, it is the journey that led you to the Cross.
Pluralism says Jesus is just another example of the Hero’s Journey (probably a form of the “scapegoat” archetype).
The Spirit’s preparatio evangelica allows people groups to discover glimpses of truth, that often prepare them to receive the True Story (The Way, The Truth, The Life).
note 3: Daniel W. Graham, “Heraclitus,” in The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2015), ed. Edward N. Zalta, accessed March 3, 2018, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/heraclitus/.
Texts, KJV: Acts 2.41-42; Matthew 18.18-20; Acts 4.31 (Matt 6.9-13; Luke 11.2-4; John 17)
Featuring the sketches of Cruz
Last week I explored Lent and Fasting in Dialogue with a local Associate Pastor, Christopher Jarvis. This week, I would like to continue with another key ingredient to Christian seasons like this, Prayer Practices. I will address only one key question. Do we maintain a private devotional life versus corporate prayers when we gather with others?
When I speak on corporate prayer, I generally get pushback in 3 areas:
1) First, there are Scriptures that speak of praying alone
I agree, but I have to point out that these Scriptures are usually in reaction against the outlandish public prayers of the religious leaders in the days of Christ. Also, we should bear in mind that there are more passages related to corporate prayer in the NT than to individual prayer, or personal prayer.
2) Another point of contention is that when we gather to pray, shouldn’t we be doing something more, like taking action?
I must admit, I have struggled with this at times. For four years, I have been part of a group of pastors who meet weekly for prayer. In those first few months, I thought, “This is great, let’s storm the city!” Over time, I began to realize that the end is not something that our combined prayers produce. The end is our combined prayers. That’s all. As the Body of Christ, we must learn to pray together.
3) A third area of pushback is generally a very valid one
Some of my parishioners over the years have had genuine fears of group settings for various reasons. As ministers, we should be sensitive to these real issues, and accommodating in any way possible.
Call to Action: Consider ways to pray together with other believers in this season. Attend special services in your congregation, make family prayer commitments, visit community prayer events, attend a Good Friday Service, etc.
Acts 2.41-42: Doctrine, Fellowship, Breaking Bread, and Prayers (see note 1). What is the Church known for? Luke seems to be showing us things that the Early Church (EC) is known for. Do we keep on continuing steadfastly in the mission that God has called us to? How do we share our time and our lives?
i. The EC made the church a place of prayer
The word prayers means prayer, but it can also mean a place for prayers. We want to have a private devotional life, but the EC also has ways of praying together in community.
ii. There is power in praying together
Matthew 18.18-20: You don’t need more than 2-3 to have church. You don’t need more than 2-3 to have a prayer meeting. You don’t need more than 2-3 to agree together to get your prayers to be answered. You can pray together and God will show up.
Acts 4.31:This beautiful prayer is recorded in verses 24-30. In Matthew, Jesus says 2 people are a quorum to get something done in the Spirit-realm. In Acts 4 a number of people come together to pray, and it is so powerful that God literally sends an earthquake to shake the building where they’re assembling. The power of God is manifested in a miraculous way.
iii. Do we miss something by not praying together?
The verb prayer indicates an on-going prayer, in verse 31. They are filled and the house is shaken while they are still praying. “It would seem from these passages that, in addition to the initial experience of being filled, there may be subsequent fresh fillings from the Holy Spirit” (J. Rodman Williams, see note 2). We need to be consistently praying in the Holy Spirit. We also need to be consistently praying together. Are we missing a blessing by not sharing time together in prayer?
iv. When we pray together we learn how to pray
Jesus teaches his Disciple how to pray the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6.9-13; Luke 11.2-4). Jesus prays for His Disciples in John 17, one the most magnificent prayers of His that is recorded. It’s all about the unity Christ has with the Father being shared among the Disciples. So there’s something powerful about us joining together in prayer.
. . . Are we being challenged to grow in our prayer life?
note 1: Adapted from Rev. Jared V. Ingle, Marks of the Spirit-Filled Community: Prayers (sermon presented during Worship Service MT. ZION F.W.C., Traverse City, MI, June 12, 2016).
note 2: J. Rodman Williams, Renewal Theology: Salvation, the Holy Spirit, and Christian Living (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1990), 202.
JVI | Cruz decorating the Christmas Tree | 11.22.18
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