January 13th, 2008 by Bradley Hagan
Star Wars is a complex movie, but after you strip away the music, the monsters, the Millennium Falcon, and the multitude of other characters, special effects, gadgets, and space ships, you are actually left with a very simple concept, good versus evil. George Lucas made this very hard to miss, right down to the good guys wearing white and the bad guys black. However, now that I am a believer in Christ, I have a radically different view of who is evil (depraved) and who, if anyone, is good. This is vital to understand if we are to know our position before a holy God. So, for the purposes of this blog, I am going to judge the morality of Star Wars’ characters by Jesus’ standard. (more…)
January 4th, 2008 by Bradley Hagan
In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker crash lands his X-wing fighter in Dagobah and begins his training with Yoda, the Jedi Master. His training comprises various physical and mental conditioning including using the Force to move rocks without physically lifting them. Later on, Luke needs to use the Force to lift his X-wing fighter (weighing several tons) out of the swamp it has sunk into. Luke, recognizing the feat required, says doubtfully “All right, I’ll give it a try.” Yoda emphatically retorts “No! Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.” As a Christian, I now think of this statement in terms of what it takes to be saved from God’s wrath. My Christian modification is “Do (trust in God’s grace), or do not (trust in God’s grace). There is no try (to trust in God’s grace). (more…)
August 3rd, 2007 by Bradley Hagan
The Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Rome is my favorite book of the bible. It’s an amazing God-breathed epistle that is a gold mine of deep theology. At different times in my life, dozens of verses and passages have greatly encouraged me. I especially like the “chains” found in this letter, verses that link thoughts together through words. For example, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the first born among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called, those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” – Romans 8:29-30. Let’s look at another one, “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our suffering, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” – Romans 5:3-4. Maybe that is why a certain warning from Yoda in Empire Strikes Back resonates with me. During Luke Skywalker’s training, the wrinkled green Jedi cautions Luke, “Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.” (more…)
June 6th, 2007 by Bradley Hagan
It seems like I have heard a lot of talk lately about how bad television is for you. The attitude often being that if you have the choice to do anything besides watch TV, then by all means do it. However, like any other of God’s gifts, TV can be greatly profitable if used wisely. So, what is wisely? Some would say that a few channels like the History or the Discovery are somewhat beneficial, but even time dedicated to these should be in strict moderation. But what about the Sci-Fi channel? Can anything of value possibly come from there? It can if it starts with the phrase “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…”! (more…)
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