John C. McDowell

Bringing critical attention to a particular set of Science Fiction and Fantasy films--Larry and Andy Wachowski's The Matrix, George Lucas' Star Wars saga, and Joss Whedon's Avengers--this book utilises a wide-ranging set of critical tools to illuminate their political ideologies, while also examining any resistant and complicating turns or byways the films may provide. What they all have in common ideologically is that they--or at least the genres they belong to--tend to be regarded as belonging to politically conservative frames of sociocultural reference. With the Star Wars saga, however, this idea is shown to be superficial and weak.

The Ideologies of Star Wars, The Matrix and The Avengers

The Politics of Big Fantasy

Star Wars is one of the most beloved movie series of all time, and in this book John McDowell explores the many spiritual themes that weave throughout the six films. From the Force to the dark side, the issues discussed in the films have a moral and spiritual complexity that, if paid attention to, can help us better understand our place in the world and our relation to others and to God. George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, did not intend for his films to be mere entertainment, McDowell argues. Rather, he hoped his films would be used as a vehicle for moral education.

Faith, Hope, and the Force

The Gospel according to Star Wars

George Lucas spoke about the didactic role of cinema and about his own work being presented through the "moral megaphone" of the film industry. A considerable body of scholarship on the six-part Star Wars series argues (unconvincingly) that the franchise promoted neo-conservatism in American culture from the late 1970s onward. But there is much in Lucas' grand space opera to suggest something more ideologically complex is going on. This book challenges the view of the saga as an unambiguously violent text exemplifying reactionary politics, and discusses the films' identity politics with regard to race and gender.

Identity Politics in George Lucas' Star Wars

McDowell explores the many spiritual themes that weave throughout the six films and shows the moral and spiritual complexity of the movies. The author contends that George Lucas, creator of the series, did not intend for his films to be mere entertainment.

The Gospel According to Star Wars

Ashley Cocksworth

"The T&T Clark Handbook to Christian Prayer is a theological companion to the practice of prayer and a resource for thinking theologically about prayer. The thirty-seven essays are organised into four parts. The first part reaches back to the biblical foundations of prayer. Each of the chapters in the second part breathes new life into classical doctrinal loci by investigating the doctrines of God, creation, Christology, pneumatology, providence, eschatology, and the Christian life from the perspective of prayer. The chapters in the third part explore the writings of some of the great theorisers of prayer in the Christian tradition. The final part gathers a set of creative and critical conversations on prayer from a variety of contemporary perspectives. Overall, this Handbook is seeking articulation of a theologically expansive approach to prayer - one that is deeply biblical, energetically doctrinal, historically rooted, and relevant to a whole host of critical questions and concerns facing the world"--

John C. McDowell

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