By: Kristin JeppsonGrace Mohs Caleb Tate

Jaren GoldstonJacklyn Ferrari

Paul Paul, originally known as Saul of Tarsus was an apostle. He taught and

spread the gospel of Christ and is considered one of the most important figures of Christianity today. He was originally named Saul and was a prominent persecutor of Christians. In Acts: 9 of the Bible,

While Paul was traveling from Jerusalem to Damascus during a mission of persecution, Jesus Christ appeared in a great light that

blinded him for three days. The books of the Bible titled, “Romans, First and Second Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians,

Colossians, First and Second Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus, Philemon and debatably Hebrews” are books considered to be written by Paul that Show him soon after spreading the word of God and the gospel that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God to areas of the world

such as Asia Minor and Europe.

Darth Vader Darth Vader, originally known as Anakin Skywalker was a Sith Lord. He

assassinated his master, Darth Sidious saving the galaxy from a tyrannical fate under the Galactic Empire and ultimately brought the balance to the

dark and light side of the force. He was originally named Anakin Skywalker and was a slave on the planet of Tatooine. He was discovered by Jedi and

was predicted by a Jedi master to become a prominent member of the jedi order. During his rise through the ranks of the Jedi, he was conflicted with hate and anxiety over loved ones dying around him and the possibility of

stopping any further loss brought him to the dark side. He then became one of the most powerful Sith Lords in existence, but saw his folly while

witnessing his master, Darth Sidious electrocuting his son, Luke Skywalker, to death. He killed his Master, but was fatally wounded in the process. Though

his body died, the force was so strong with him that he remained alive in spirit only and dwelt in the light side of the force from then on.

Similarities Although Darth Vader had two drastic transformations, both he and Paul, in the end, transformed from bad to good. They were

also, whether bad or good, both prominent and important figures in the world around them. Paul was a well-known

prosecutor of Christians and then became a well-known follower and evangelist of Christian teachings. Vader was a well-known Jedi, a well known Sith lord, and then a well-known master of

the force in his afterlife as well. They both also had major impacts on the world around them. Christianity wouldn’t exist in the west of the world if it weren’t for Paul’s evangelism. The far away galaxy long ago would have self destructed under Darth

Sidious’s rule if it weren’t for Darth Vader.

So What?“Using popular culture as a medium for theological reflection can

provide an important means of exploring essential questions about our existence in ways that connect with the symbols, concepts, and concerns of contemporary culture” (Lynch, pg. 41). From the book

“understanding theology and popular culture,” specifically chapter 2, “Why Should Theologians and Scholars of Religion Study Popular

Culture,” Gordon Lynch is saying that we can use both theology and popular culture in tandem to help tackle important question as to why we are here. The similarity between Paul the apostle and Darth Vader allows us to realize Paul’s true contribution to the world today. We can

appreciate how a person that was a prominent figure in his day, like Darth Vader in his, can have a complete transformation for good and

save the world from an evil fate.

Pivotal moment where Darth Vader is similar to Paul the Apostle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZ_j3s5xj8I

GodGod is a tough figure to describe. In Exodus 33:13,18 God describes himself to Moses as “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,… by no means

clearing the guilty” (34:5-7). Every day, God reveals himself to us, but in an abundance of varying ways. God is knowable for he created the universe and God is also forgiving of our sins, though sometimes

we can find ourselves being condemned for it at first. Perhaps the most well known qualities unique of God are his all knowing and all powerful abilities. Not one other person or figure will ever possess

those qualities, leaving God to be the most high. In addition, God is a guiding figure in our lives and He is someone we turn to when we

are suffering, sad, thankful, and more.

Yoda Yoda, a legendary Jedi master and, according to starwars.com, is “…

wise and powerful, he trained Jedi for over 800 years, playing integral roles in the Clone Wars, the instruction of Luke Skywalker,

and unlocking the immorality”. He is arguably the most powerful and wisest Jedi Master in the galaxy. Yoda trained many Jedi’s, including

the most notable Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker. Yoda oversaw many battles and defeated evil, such as the Dark Jedi. In addition to this, Yoda had a talent for sensing the future and this added to his

profound knowledge of the Force. Many view Yoda as a grandfather figure for he trains the Jedi’s to their extremes, yet also possesses a

comforting and caring side. Many Jedi’s have gone to Yoda for advice and have grown more confident because of this.

Similarities It is without a doubt that both Yoda and God posses similar attributes. Their all-knowing wisdom that stems from their experiences since the beginning of time is possibly the best

correlation God and Yoda have with each other. One of Yoda’s most famous lines from the Star Wars franchise is “Fear leads to anger,

anger leads to hate, hate...leads to suffering." Yoda, being a guiding figure to the Jedi’s and emphasizing the importance of good in the

world, is similar to that of God’s desire for good to rule in the world. The Bible states that, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of

power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7 ESV). Both God and Yoda promote peace and oppose hate. They are full of endless

wisdom and guidance that have helped shape the lives of people and characters.

So What?Though the connections of figures in the Bible to characters in the Star

Wars movies were not directly deliberate, the idea of leaving the characters up to some interpretation is what makes theology connect

to popular culture in this instance. Gordon Lynch explains the importance of “writing theology in an accessible way for a wider

audience” (Lynch, 93). Star Wars, because of its popularity, has the ability to connect to a large audience because of the varying ways one

can interpret the movie and its characters. In this instance, as a Catholic, I have interpreted the movie through scenes in the Bible and its characters. Lynch writes about the importance of theology being as inclusive as possible, and the connection one can have to the message in Star Wars no matter their religious affiliation proves that theology

can have a connection to popular culture.

Moment where Yoda is similar to God:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVJyf5yKxuo

Satan In mainstream Christianity, Satan stands for “The opposer” who at one

point in time was an angel that fell from the ranks of Heaven to become God’s rival. Satan has become the personification of evil and whenever his

name is spoken there are always fears that come with the name. Many know Satan as the Serpent that tempted Adam and Eve in The Garden of

Eden which brought forth sin in the Book of Genesis. There are many stories of Satan in many books and about his demonic possessions of good people and waging war against God. The Book of Daniel prophesized the

tribulational period and states that Satan will be bound to Earth for a thousand years where in time Armageddon will begin where Good and Evil

will have one final battle once and for all, where Satan and his followers will be defeated and a new Earth in addition to a new Heaven will be

created where there is no mortal sin. (Revelation 20 NKJV) Satan is the enemy of God that constantly is at odds with all that is good and holy.

Darth Sidious Also known as Emperor Palpatine, he is one of the most feared in Star Wars lore and has had a mission for over a thousand years to overthrow the Republic and the Jedi Order. At a young age, he killed his father and lead a double life under his mentor Darth Plagueis who he eventually murdered as well when he felt he was more than sufficient to be the leader of the Dark side. Being so powerful and deceitful, he was able to conceal his true intentions and power to all for

years. He orchestrated the Clone Wars and is also well known to have converted Luke Skywalker, or better known as Darth Vader, to the Dark Side with the

temptation of being able to save his wife if he harnessed the power of the Dark Side. Palpatine eventually abandoned his light hearted ways to rule with terror

and helped to create the Death Star, which is what the Star Wars universe is based upon and are always led to destroy. Eventually, Palpatine meets his

demise with the takeover and destruction of the Death Star and his former adversary Darth Vader killing him once he realizes the destruction that has been

created as a result of his ways.

Similarities We find that in the Bible Satan is at constant battle with God,

eventually with the prophecies leading to a huge war that God eventually wins. The story of Star Wars is very similar in the sense that

Palpatine wages war with the Clone Wars that lasts for countless amounts of years, and eventually good overcomes evil with the

eventual demise of Palpatine and seemingly no more terror (sin in terms of Armageddon) with this instance. Also, Palpatine is also well known in the stories of Star Wars as being the “serpent” that sways Luke into coming over to the dark side. The other idea that is similar with biblical stories is how when you think of God you think of Satin and with Satin comes terror and fear. In the Star Wars universe, you

think the exact same way. With Star Wars comes Luke Skywalker which also comes Emperor Palpatine and his reign of terror and fear.

So What?If we go to Lynch, in the first chapter he talks about functionalist and substantive points

of view. (23) in this section he states that substantive point of view for religion is considered having a deity/supernatural force that guides these “core elements” of a religion to be what it is. That is exactly what Star Wars is composed of. We have the dark side and the deity/supernatural force being Darth Sideous and his followers like Darth Vader and then we have the good side where the deity is known normally as

being Yoda and his followers being Luke and the primary gang. The interesting approach is that this is a touchy aspect of modern culture as anything could almost be considered a religion, but if you dive a little deeper into the lore of Star Wars and these figures, you begin to see that they played with the substantive point of view by splitting

two factions apart and having key figures be the leaders who also happen to not just have supernatural powers, but be the strongest foes/allies you could have on your side. The Star Wars lore is all based around a fantasy religion in this instance being the Jedi.

Looking further into the substantive approach it fits closely with what Star Wars represents and how it was created with these important figures that many in this

universe praise at the head of it all.

Moment where Darth Sidious is similar to Satan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dATuq8O3920

Samuel Samuel was a child who was able to find favor with the Lord. (1 Samuel 2:26) He served under Eli - Eli’s sons were meant to continue Eli’s legacy as the priest, but both were “wicked” and “immoral.” (1 Samuel 2:17)

Samuel heard someone calling him in the night and realized it was God, who was giving him a message to tell Eli: that He would “judge his family forever because…his sons blasphemed God, and he failed to restrain them.” (1 Samuel 3: 13) From that point, Israel began to recognize Samuel’s significance, and God continued to reveal His

word through Samuel. (1 Samuel 3: 19-21)

While the Israelites were at war with the Philistines, Israel was defeated, and they brought the ark of the covenant into their camp. (1 Samuel 4: 3) The Philistines became afraid, yet Israel was defeated once again,

losing 30,000 men. (1 Samuel 4: 10) Eli’s sons were killed, the ark of the covenant was captured - upon this news Eli fell backwards and died. (1 Samuel 4: 17-18)

Samuel became the new leader of Israel upon the death of Eli and remained a leader throughout his life. (1 Samuel 7: 16) Samuel’s sons, much like Eli’s sons, were disobedient to the ways of the Lord. (1 Samuel 8: 3)

Despite Samuel sending a message to the people of Israel that replacing him as King would result in peril, they continued to refuse Samuel as their leader and asked him for a new leader – the Lord told Samuel to “Listen to

them and give them a king.” (1 Samuel 8: 5-21)

The Lord told Samuel, “I will send you a man…Anoint him ruler over my people Israel; he will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines.” 1 Samuel 9: 15) That man was Saul. Samuel anointed Saul, and God “changed Saul’s

heart.” (1 Samuel 10)

…..During Samuel’s farewell speech to Israel, he showed the people and helped them realize that he was their true King all along, the one and only sent by God to rule over them, and regardless of the fact that he was always on their side, they rejected him

and embraced Saul instead. (1 Samuel 12) He warned them that if they “persisted in this evil” there would be consequences, and that they should continue from this point to listen to the word of God. (1 Samuel 12: 20-24)

Saul went on to rule Israel for over forty years, and went against the Lord’s command – so Samuel called him out for doing “a

foolish thing.” (1 Samuel 13: 11-13) Eventually, the Lord communicated to Samuel that He regretted making Saul king. (1 Samuel 15: 11) Samuel confronted Saul and refused to take Saul back since he had rejected the Lord’s word, and Samuel killed Agag, the Amalekite king. (1 Samuel 15: 33) Finally, it is stated in the bible that “Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again,

though Samuel mourned for him.” (1 Samuel 15:35)

The Lord then sent for Samuel to go to Jesse of Bethlehem, for one of his sons would be the next king, and Samuel was to anoint the son that the Lord would point out to him. (1 Samuel 16: 1-3) Upon seeing the sons, the Lord had to note to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height…the Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:17) The Lord chose the youngest brother, the one tending sheep – and his name

was David.

Saul heard that the Lord was with David, and that he was a fine young man. (1 Samuel 16: 18) David went on to be amazingly successful under Saul’s troops, and was well loved by Israel and Judah. Saul feared David because he knew the Lord was with

him, and began to live a life attempting to take David down. Eventually, Saul is able to use a medium to call to Samuel. (1 Samuel 28: 14) Samuel shared with him that the Lord had given his kingdom to David, who had favor with the Lord, unlike Saul. (1

Samuel 28: 17) Eventually, out of fear, Saul falls on his sword and dies .

Obi-Wan Kenobi Originally a student under Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi’s contribution to the Star Wars saga really began with

his defeat of the Sith Lord, Darth Maul. After this he became a true Jedi, and reversed roles by becoming a Jedi Master (teacher) to Anakin Skywalker. During this time he goes on great missions and becomes a war hero, despite the fact that he

was nearly defeated in a battle with the new Sith Lord, County Dooku.

As the saga continues, Obi-Wan is forced to realize the truth about Anakin Skywalker when it is revealed to Obi-Wan that Anakin led a mass-murder of every Jedi in the Jedi Temple. Anakin is now the Sith apprentice, Darth Vader, and Obi-Wan

confronts him and supposedly defeats him – until Vader is rescued by Sidious and is re-born.

Years later, now known as Ben Kenobi, he approaches Luke Skywalker, Anakin’s son, to train him as a Jedi. Even though Kenobi tells Luke that Vader is his fathers murderer, Luke doesn’t agree to follow Obi-Wan until his aunt and uncle are killed by Vader’s troops. He begins training Luke to use the force, and on a journey to Alderaan to continue this training, Obi-Wan

and Luke (now joined by Han Solo and Chewbacca) in the Millennium Falcon are attacked by an Imperial ship. Obi-Wan is able to distract Darth Vader enough so that the rest can escape, but he is struck by Vader and disappears.

Throughout the final installments of the Star Wars saga, Obi-Wan is present as a spirit, helping Luke throughout the rest of

his training and his journey. He eventually reveals to Luke that Darth Vader was his father all along, and is seen at the end of the final installment of the original trilogy during the celebration of the Death Star being destroyed with Yoda and Anakin.

Overall, Obi-Wan is known as one of the greatest heroes in the Star Wars story, and is thought of as one of the ultimate Jedi masters. His impact to this story is always present and he seems to assume the role (especially in the later films) as the wise,

respectable trainer who continues his legacy by bestowing his knowledge and skill into his training of Luke Skywalker.

Similarities Though there are differences in the lives of Samuel and Obi-Wan Kenobi, their stories are overwhelmingly similar,

and the core of their lives and legacies share a striking resemblance. From living their lives as “chosen” ones to deliver a special plan, to their partnerships with other important contributors to their societies that turned evil, so

many portions of each of their stories are the same. Both Obi-Wan and Samuel were such important figures to their significant societies, even though both were questioned by their people at one point or another, both were ended up

being eternally recognized as great and significant leaders.

Upon the death of Eli, Samuel began his life as the new leader of Israel – much like when Obi-Wan proved himself and was able to surpass his teacher, Qui-Gon Jinn and become the new Jedi Master. During Samuel’s life, he

struggled with Saul, who was once a great King but lost favor with the Lord and turned to a “dark” side – much like Anakin, Obi-Wan’s student who was once great and good, until he used his power to turn to the dark side. Ultimately Obi-Wan defeats Darth Sidious and Samuel defeats Agag, leading to the next steps in each of these leaders’ legacies.

The Lord instructed Samuel to seek out the next great ruler, and he found David – who came from a humble background, and ended up being one of the greatest and most significant powers in the bible. This is much like Obi-

Wan seeking out Luke Skywalker, who lived on a small farm and eventually became a great Jedi-master who ultimately defeated Darth Vader. It was because of fear of David’s power that Saul ended up being his own downfall.

Eventually Darth Vader meets his end at the hands of Luke as well.

It is also significant in the Bible that Samuel returns in a vision to Saul, as in the Star Wars saga Obi-Wan returns in visions after his death as well. Overall, both Samuel and Obi-Wan share similar stories and similar traits. Both died as

respected individuals, who were able to pass their legacy on to some of the most important characters of their respective “stories,” who would ultimately defeat each of their respective companions who turned evil.

Relations in our Text In their work, “Raising Cain, Fleeing Egypt, and Fighting the

Philistines”, Mark McEntire and Joel Emerson so adequately sum up the heart of Samuel’s story when they state, “The failures of

Saul, whether they are his fault or the result of Samuel’s manipulation, set the stage for Israel’s greatest King.” (McEntire & Emerson, pg. 50) This is directly related to the idea that Obi-Wan was able to overcome the turmoil Anakin led him to when he recognized Luke was the next great Jedi who would be the new and extremely significant leader. In the Bible, Samuel is significantly known as one of the first great rulers – he truly paved the way for David, possibly one of the most important

people in the Bible. (McEntire & Emerson, pg. 52-53)

PIVOTAL MOMENT WHERE OBI-WAN KENOBI IS SIMILAR TO SAMUEL:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsM-fpkK2aQ

Luke SkywalkerLuke skywalker, son of Anakin Skywalker (Darth

Vader), was adopted by a family on Tatooine, the same planet his father was raised as well. The Star Wars saga takes him from a teenage boy to a Jedi saving the Galaxy several times from the Galactic

Empire either by leading a rebel fleet to destroying the Empire’s super weapon or personally facing the sith lords (Vader and Sidious). He is the epitome of good and, besides having brief points of struggle in his mastering of the force and focus on the bigger

picture of winning the war, he lives for the salvation of others.

Jesus

Born to his earthy parents in a manger. Jesus is tempted by the devil a lot throughout the Bible but never gives into Satan. He had a perfectly compassionate nature

and was full of kindness, selflessness and order. He was put on Earth as part of the triune God – along with the

Father and Holy Spirit – and his earthly life was dedicated to a mission, which he fulfilled. By living a

sin-less life and dying on the cross, he was resurrected after three days and conquered death.

Similarities

Luke was raised on a farm by his aunt and uncle while Darth Vader was his real father, just as Jesus was born to Mary and Joseph while God was his real father. Luke was tempted by the dark side just as Jesus was tempted by Satan. Luke also

had followers that believed he was the foundation of achieving a better tomorrow and who also had faith in him and the force just like Jesus had his disciples and still does to this day.The Dark side is our temptations with belief in Jesus that he'll lead us to a better tomorrow. Luke is viewed as the same in this universe.

So What?Mathew 26 Verse 52: Then Jesus says to him “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.”

This verse is a pivotal example of how Jesus’ life is so similar to Luke’s. In the following scene from Star Wars, Darth Sidious tempts

Luke by saying, “Pick up your lightsaber and strike me down with it.” Both Jesus and Luke resist temptation, and are triumphant in what

the missions they set out to fulfill. You can see in the essay “Jesus of the Moon: Nick Cave’s Christology” how Jesus Christ can become a

familiar figure in our popular culture. Just like Nick Cave relates himself to Jesus, we can do the same through the character of Luke

Skywalker in Star Wars. As already seen, Luke possesses Jesus Christ-like traits that we can all learn from and apply to our own

lives. (Colbartson 127-137).

Moment where Luke is similar to Jesus:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqaiKmm8gsY