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May the Farce Be With You

Taking 'Star Wars' too seriously and Christianity not seriously enough

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TsL0DO-c1E?rel=0&w=480&h=360]

James C. passes this along:

The force is strong in Berlin.

A church in the German capital invited “Star Wars” fans to attend a special service Sunday themed on the sci-fi blockbuster in an attempt to attract more young people into the pews.

About 500 people heeded the call and attended the service, some carrying light saber props or wearing Darth Vader masks. It was more than twice as many as usually come to Zion Church on a Sunday.

“We were very happy to see so many people in the church today,” said Protestant pastor Lucas Ludewig said after the service. “It’s great that there are subjects that people are interested in. They trust us to make them part of the church service without making it too Christian or too Star Wars, but to find a good compromise.”

Says James C., “Taking ‘Star Wars’ too seriously and Christianity not seriously enough…is this not the West today? The quotes in the article are almost parodic.”

If a church teaches its children that Christianity is like a comic book, it should not be surprised when they grow up to put away childish things — including the faith. As with most things, we should look to Hank Hill (above) for spiritual guidance.

UPDATE: A megachurch in New Jersey:

Pastor Tim Lucas was 6 years old when the first Star Wars movie came out, and he remembers, in the Christmases that followed, replacing the tiny figures in his mother’s Nativity scene with Han Solo, Princess Leia and R2D2.

“I didn’t care about the star of Bethlehem,” said Lucas, the lead pastor at Morristown-based Liquid Church. “I cared about the Death Star.”

Now, Lucas — no relation to George, sadly — is doing the same thing on a wider scale as a new installment of the franchise is about to hit theaters. Services in the coming Sundays at Liquid Churches around New Jersey will weave the Star Wars story together with Biblical theology in what they’re calling a “Cosmic Christmas.”

This Sunday, Lucas will deliver his second weekly sermon dressed as Han Solo, reading from the Bible and playing Star Wars clips that are thematically similar (instead of a choir, dancing Storm Troopers; instead of Santa, Darth Santa).

And on Christmas Eve, Cosmic Christmas is culminating in a live, Star Wars-inspired live performance with costumed characters; at the end, instead of lighting candles, congregants will wield glow sticks shaped like light sabers.

Says the website of Liquid Church: “Tired of man-made religion? So are we.”

From www.liquidchurch.com
From www.liquidchurch.com
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