December 5, 2005: Did you surf here from Google? Visit my new blog, Fantasy Fiction for Christians. 
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While reading articles on the Harry Potter phenomenon, I found myself intrigued by the “Christian” elements of children’s literature.
I assume most people have at least heard of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, part of C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia series, if not read the book or watched the movie versions on TV. Disney is releasing a movie version of the book in December, and the story is as old as time: the battle between good and evil.
Nutshell: Four kids (siblings) are living with a professor during WWII, and while exploring the house they find a spare room with a wardrobe. They walk through it and enter a mythical land called Narnia, ruled by a lion named Aslan and cursed by the White Witch. Similar to some people’s reaction to the name of Christ, one of the children, seduced by the White Witch, recoils at his name, while the other three feel delight.
Aslan is considered a Christ-like figure because he sacrificed himself to pay for the crimes of another and is resurrected from the dead. The witch is defeated, and good once again triumphs over evil. It is the sacrifice of the innocent in place of the guilty, some argue, that determines whether a work can be considered “Christian.”
David Van Biema, writing for TIME, says that the upcoming movie will have retained the book’s “Christian” element if four sentences from the book make it into the movie:
[E]ven Aslan’s sacrifice on a huge stone table (not a cross; and performed with a stone knife, Aztec-style), and his subsequent miraculous recovery could have been borrowed from any number of world religions.
It is the book’s explanation for this key sequence that makes it exclusively Christian. After Edmund Pevensie betrays Aslan and his brother and sisters, the Witch claims his blood in accordance to the laws of “Deep Magic.” Aslan concedes this and offers himself up in proxy, announcing glumly, “I have settled the claim on your brother’s blood.” Miraculously revived, he explains, “the Witch knew the Deep Magic. But if she could have looked a little further back…she would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards.”
This is Christianity in a kid-lit veil. (Source)
True, but there are many Hollywood movies that could be called “Christian” on that basis. For instance, actor Keanu Reeves (who comes to mind for some reason) has played Christ-like characters in which it’s up to him to “save the world” from destruction by sacrificing himself (Johnny Mnemonic, The Matrix, Constantine), and I certainly wouldn’t call those movies “Christian.”
I’ve read the Harry Potter books and found them to be very charming. As a Christian, however, I struggle with the magical elements of the series. I can appreciate the complexity of the plot, the emphasis of good over evil, and renewed love of reading among children, but I hesitate to call such literature, including the Narnia books, “Christian.”
Exploring these issues is much more interesting than complaining about politicians, don’t you think?
La Shawn: What makes certain books “Christian”? Or music? I think we as Christians do a disservice when we have various litmus tests in order to label something as Christian. We then fall into creating a false dichotomy between the sacred and secular. Are the Harry Potter books Christian? No. But do they contain thematic elements that are compatible with a Christian worldview? Absolutely. The same could be said about movies like The Matrix.
All that being said, if there was ever any books that could be called Christian, it would be the Chronicles of Narnia. C.S. Lewis was quite clear that he intended them to be a Christian allegory.
Peace,
Dignan
Comment by Dignan — 10.10.05 @ 9:35 am
Yours is the kind of comment I’m hoping this post will generate, Dignan. Thanks.
Comment by La Shawn — 10.10.05 @ 9:38 am
Edgar Alan Poe had a rule about what makes a good (short) story. The reader must enter into the plot with the “willing suspension of disbelief.” There is no link between “disbelief” and Christian belief.
Morality tales are import for all generations and Dr. Bennett’s “Book of Virtues” is a very good place to start. But every generation deserves it contemporary versions. Harry Potter is the current best example.
The “Christian” aspect, especially when Hollywood gets involved, really bothers me. The Bible stories need no improvement. Furthermore, I have never been caught up by the automatic “if its magic, it must be Satan” type of thinking.
I was dragged kicking and screaming to see “The Horse Whisperer.” If Redford wasn’t trying to pose himself as a nickle and dime version of the Messiah, I sure don’t know what other model he was using. Another example of the “hey, I’m Jesus!” type is Robin Williams, especially his Patch Adams role.
In sum, I don’t think that embedding Christian themes makes the work Christian.
Comment by heliotrope — 10.10.05 @ 9:42 am
I think you bring up the key point (regardless of what an author or director or writer says). If the key message of the movie, book, art form etc. can be attributed to other religions or beliefs…
I would hesitate to call it Christian.
Comment by Renee — 10.10.05 @ 10:06 am
“In sum, I don’t think that embedding Christian themes makes the work Christian.”
I agree heliotrope, there are numerous films, stories and the like that carry seemingly “Christian” themes or symbolism, especially super-hero comics and movies. The entire notion of the super hero is predicated upon the notion of self sacrifice and protecting the innocent. Even Superman was killed and then ressurrected in the comic series. If you look close enough, you can find Christian references all over the place, but does it make the work Christian? I think it depends on the author’s intent.
Can’t wait to see the new movie on Narnia, I remember first seeing the movie of the Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe as a kid. I loved it then and am sure it will be great now!
Comment by Jerry McClellan — 10.10.05 @ 10:07 am
Lewis was relatively careful about magic in most of his stories (big exception in Dawn Treader, but I’m talking about in general). Aslan, Christ-figure who was creator or the world and son of God (oops, son of the “Emperor over the Sea”) has supernatural powers. The good people in the story just generally don’t perform magic (again, excepting in Dawn Treader). Lewis was a little friendlier than some Christians would like towards astronomy-as-sign (which is not quite the same astrology), but I’d expect that he felt justified there because of the star of the wise men in Bethlehem and because Jesus’ insistence that “the sign of the Son of Man” would appear in the sky before his return.
Comment by WeekendFisher — 10.10.05 @ 10:08 am
Renee writes: If the key message of the movie, book, art form etc. can be attributed to other religions or beliefs…I would hesitate to call it Christian.
*** And I wouldn’t, and neither would Lewis. Lewis was plain that he thought that other religions pre-figured Christianity and that their myths that foreshadowed Christ were, in some “shadow of things to come” sense, hallowed by that connection. That’s an ancient thought going back at least to the apologies of Justin Martyr and to the Preparatorio Evangelica (hope I spelled that right, I’m not looking it up right now). Just as Christians see Judaism fulfilled in Christ, we see the true hopes of all mankind fulfilled in Christ — and these hopes are universal.
Comment by WeekendFisher — 10.10.05 @ 10:15 am
I would still hesitate Weekender but thank for all the words
Comment by Renee — 10.10.05 @ 10:20 am
Renee - I’d like to know what the hesitations are. Genuinely curious.
Thanks,
WF
Comment by WeekendFisher — 10.10.05 @ 10:33 am
Before we get too far with this I think we should establish exactly what the Bible says about magic, witchcraft, and the like. I know we all think we know what it says be sometimes it helps to state the obvious. And how does what the Bible says apply to the characters in a world made up by a writer?
Some other questions. Are Christians the only ones who can integrate Christian themes into their work? Is there a standard manner in which Christian themes are to be integrated into any given project? Why should we struggle to label something Christian or not Christian?
Comment by Samantha — 10.10.05 @ 10:35 am
Check this out
La Shawn is blogging about ‘Christian’ Elements in Fiction. I’ve blogged recently about Christians and the sci fi/fantasy genre of books.
Trackback by Uncle Sam's Cabin — 10.10.05 @ 11:02 am
Christian or not, I ate up The Chronicles of Narnia when I was in fifth grade. The BBC productions of several of the books were fairly well done and I’m looking forward to the release of the film come Christmas. Allegory or not, the books are great entertainment.
As for Harry Potter, I suppose I’ve crossed the age of interest, though that seems an unfitting excuse seeing as how many of my friends and relatives much older than me are so into the books.
Comment by Mike M. — 10.10.05 @ 11:09 am
Harry Potter might be spiritual, but unless there are specific references to Jesus on the Cross, it isn’t Christian.
There seems to be more and more spiritual literature and evoking of the Holy Spirit. Da Vinci Code is one of the worst examples of this.
Unfortunately, all of this Holy Spirit stuff isn’t leading back to Jesus on the Cross—-the very center of Christianity.
All these new books about the Holy Spirit and, and experiential “spiritual” experiences……are not valid Christianity IMHO.
……especially when they exclude the Father and the Son, as well as any mention of the risen Christ.—— I don’t know about Harry Potter. But, I’ve actually read Da Vinci Code, and I feel that was very damaging to mainstream Christianity.
Comment by Glamchild — 10.10.05 @ 11:27 am
I never got all the way through The Chronicles of Narnia, but I have read Lewis’ Space Trilogy, and there are many aspects of that story that have decidedly Christian themes, particularly in the latter two books.
I have also read all six Potter novels, and there doesn’t seem to be much about religion of any sort in any of them. Magic is presented, not as a substitute for religion, but as a discipline which must be learned and studied for one to be able to use it in a beneficial manner…though certain wizards, with less regard for the effects of their magic on others, turn towards evil purposes. This is similar to the presentation of magic in other fantasy works; Rick Cook’s “Wizardry” series comes to mind.
Comment by Erbo — 10.10.05 @ 11:53 am
Elements of faith were intentionally included in movies like The Matrix, but done in an ecumenical fashion. You can read more about this at:
http://whatisthematrix.warnerbros.com/rl_cmp/new_phil_wakeup.html
Many movie writers consult ecumenical spiritualists when developing their scripts. They intentionally want to capture more audience by leveraging it. George Lucas did this with his Star Wars series of films.
Personally I’m not into material that features a hero that attends a school of witchcraft.
Comment by Darnell aka IndependentConservative — 10.10.05 @ 12:03 pm
I like what Glamchild and Darnell have said about it. While I can’t argue that there can be effective use of signposts to prepare someone to understand Christ, I think that unless there is that clarification somewhere connected to the thing, it’s like throwing ideas into the air, hoping they’ll land somewhere receptive. That’s best case scenario anyway. Unfortunately I think the truth lies somewhere between very talented authors merely knowing how to press buttons and a whole lot of Christians all too ready to allow those buttons to be pushed.
Some Christians look for demons behind every corner, and others look for angels the same way. I don’t see the point in working to draw a parallel between works of entertainment and Scripture when we already have Scripture by which everything else can be measured.
I think it was Hank Haanegraaf who said in response to a caller’s question about a certain false teacher…”Yes, there could be good things within [blank’s] teaching, but why would I slog through a sewer in order to find one pearl?”
Literary works may have value in themselves, but the hours spent trying to draw parallels between Harry Potter and Christianity, and discussing if it is something that Christians should be spending time and money on show their worth in how they cause dissentions and take time away from studying Scripture itself, something desperately needed by the average Christian today.
Comment by Mark La Roi — 10.10.05 @ 12:18 pm
Not sure whether you’ve read The Magician’s Nephew, in which the land of Narnia is actually created. I read it to my oldest a few years ago (and got more out of it than she did). The creation sequence is actually very much an allegorical telling of Genesis 1. Aslan speaks (sings) and his song creates light and life.
The character of Aslan isn’t just Christ-like. He’s intended to be the personification of God.
Comment by GearDaddy — 10.10.05 @ 12:26 pm
Excellent way to state it Mark.
Comment by Renee — 10.10.05 @ 12:29 pm
Whatsoever things are good, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report think on these things. That is the way we have determined what is acceptable in children’s literature.
We want to cultivate an appetite for the good things that way they when are confronted with that which is a counterfeit they will reject it becvause they have tasted the real thing. Books of the genre claim a “good” that is counterfeit”. Our 6 children have not missed them at all. They have however tasted that which is truly good and have a strong appetite for more.
“Taste and see that the Lord is good.”
Spunky
Comment by spunkyhomeschool — 10.10.05 @ 12:39 pm
Let’s remember that “Christ-like” is not the same and saying that a character IS Christ. Neo in The Matrix has Christ-like attributes, but I certainly don’t want to call him Christ, especially when he’s blowing away innocents with those big guns. Aslan IS Christ; Lewis intended all the Narnian Chronicles to be directly correlated to Bible stories. A better example than Neo of Christ-like would be J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Many characters have Christ-like dimensions (Gandalf, Aragorn, Frodo, Sam, and others) but none of them are supposed to be Christ.
Too often in contemporary film and books, Christian themes are mixed in willy-nilly with Eastern mysticism, Kabbala and other philosophies/theologies. It’s supposed to make them “deep” or something, but those who are writing them really don’t understand. The only reason LOTR worked as a film, despite Peter Jackson and Ian Holms athestic statements, was that Tolkien infused the whole tale, from beginning to end, with his deep religious conviction. This is not to say that Harry Potter can’t be fun and have good themes to teach kids - it’s just not the same.
On magic, I have no problem with it in kid’s books unless it is being used to push an agenda. If you check out Seventeen magazine lately, you’ll find articles on how to work spells like a Wiccan! Many kid’s books are written by those who specifically want to push their ideology and those are the uses of magic (WINX, WITCHES, Anything by Diane Duane or Phillip Pullman in my opinion) that I have trouble with.
Comment by a christian college professor — 10.10.05 @ 12:50 pm
I don’t think that “Christian” can be used as an adjective. Especially when you consider that all good things come from God, as does truth.
When it comes to C.S. Lewis, the Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe was intended to be read as an allegory on the life of Jesus. It was written for his neice, who’s name happens to be Lucy. ;o)
(by the way- just for your useless trivia files, J.R.R.Tolkien and Lewis were pretty good friends. And although Tolkien was, reportedly, also a Christian, he detested allegory and hidden messages in works, preferring instead to read fiction for pure enjoyment sake. With that in mind, you’d understand why he didn’t particularly care for the Narnia chronicles. Too much to read between the lines, it seems.)
Comment by Jewels — 10.10.05 @ 1:05 pm
Lewis was perhaps the most brilliant Christian apologist of the 20th century, and among its most brilliant writers of *any* genre. His Narnia series was intentionally allegorical; many of the books directly mirror biblical narratives. This is clear even in the narrative of the books themselves, as Aslan in several places mentions that he is really just a symbol for Another. Whether or not someone else defines them as “Christian” or not, there’s certainly no question that *Lewis* intended them to be.
C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters is also highly recommended; it is unequivocally Christian and an extremely insightful exploration of temptation and our capacity for triumph over it.
Comment by Gidgidonni — 10.10.05 @ 1:11 pm
I don’t worry about the magical elements of the Harry Potter series. Like you, I can appreciate the complexity of the plot and the emphasis of good over evil, even the fact that sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference (e.g. Professor Snape)
But the main thing I like about Harry Potter is that it gets kids to read, and not some thin comic book, but a really thick book.
And once you have made it through a book that size, and you know that it will be at least a year, and maybe much longer, before you see the next book in the series, and you begin looking for more books, and then you discover a really magical place: “The Public Library”
Comment by Don Singleton — 10.10.05 @ 1:18 pm
LaShawn Barber explores christian themes in fiction.
Pingback by O Theophilus.com — 10.10.05 @ 1:32 pm
And for you Chronicles of Narnia folks, La Shawn Barber is not sure she is ready to call them “Christian” books.
Pingback by The Anchoress — 10.10.05 @ 1:40 pm
You might want to put a spoiler warning at the top of your post. Some are waiting for me. Not me, but I’m sure some are.
Just an idea.
Comment by Juice — 10.10.05 @ 2:26 pm
That was supposed to say some are waiting for the “movie”! Got ahead of myself.
Makes it funny, though.
Comment by Juice — 10.10.05 @ 2:27 pm
La Shawn,
I find this to be an extremely interesting topic. I have read all of the Harry Potter books and enjoyed them, although they tend to get darker as the series progresses. My grandsons have also read them. However, when I decided to purchase the first one for one of my nephews, I had a very clear check from the Holy Spirit that I should not buy it for him. I have read all of the debates about the series and refuse to believe that the authoress is Satan in disguise. However, I have reservations, hard to explain, about the books. It’s that fine tension between my faith and my culture, I guess.
Francis Schaeffer wrote about this in several of his books. And I have an interesting anthology at home of essays by Christian writers on the influences that Christianity should have on the Christian artist.
Excellent topic to explore.
Comment by ljbgranny — 10.10.05 @ 2:51 pm
LaShawn,
I’m really glad you brought this up. I am elderly by any standard but my own. I did not read the Narnia books until about 5 years ago and it was assigned reading by my granddaughter. I enjoyed them but was totally amazed at what they were, especially since my fundamentalist sisters were so fond of them. I saw the allegories but still could not believe they were so against Dungeons and Dragons and so for Narnia. Witchcraft all. I’ve read and enjoyed the Potter books but they DO get darker and darker. My take on the first one was “this will come down to a Christ-like sacrifice.” Of course, I’m not sure this will happen but after this last book that is more and more my prediction for the series. I do not know J K Rowling’s beliefs, whether she is Christian or not, but I can see her theme. And as to what that has to do with Christianity, I just can’t say. And I’m not really sure I would recommend it to a child who had not already read the book. There are some really good books to encourage children to read that have nothing to do with magic.
Hey! thanks for the spell checker.
Comment by Ruth H — 10.10.05 @ 3:06 pm
Yesterday, I was reading the story of Pinocchio to my 5 year old grand niece. Although Christ may not be mentioned,it is certainly “Christian” in its message. Pinocchio didnt listen to Jimminy Cricket (his conscience) but was tempted by evil Strumboli to be a “star”. I could see the parallels between the story and the story of the Fall of man in Genesis.
It’s a good story with a message of “listen to your conscience” in a way that children can understand and appreciate.
There a fairy godmother in the story that does magic but when I got to that part I just told her a fairy godmother is like an “Angel”. I see no harm in it.
Comment by Ted Wegener — 10.10.05 @ 3:29 pm
Fantasy in general, as a genre, can be a great tool for a writer to put over a moral message. As the novel is explicitly set in a fantasy world (whether it be Rowling’s world, which is pretty similar to our own except that some people have special magic pwers, or some completely homegrown land full of elves and dragons), readers don’t come to the book with preconceptions. Whereas everyone has heard of the Roman Catholic Church, and most probably hold one (or many) opinions about it, nobody has heard of, say, the High Council of the Wizards of Gwirm.
An author is therefore free to cast the High Council as protagonists in a novel without worrying about readers having prior “knowledge” of that body.
I see no danger in fictional books featuring “magic” - it mostly gets used as a tool to allow moral decisions faced by the characters have world-changing effects that are interesting to write about. Each of us in the real world is faced with moral decisions that we must make on a daily basis, and whilst the consequences of those decisions may be serious for us, they tend not to make a very interetsing story for anyone else to read.
Comment by Sam — 10.10.05 @ 3:51 pm
Consistency is key! It makes me so sad to go into a “Christian” bookstore and see a row of anti-Harry Potter books right next to a row of books about how to “see Christ” in Lewis and Tolkein. I realize that many people are anti-Potter because of the wizardry. But because Lewis and Tolkein are professed Christians, their use of wizardry and magic is acceptable. All of the “christian hype” about the new Narnia movie literally makes me laugh! Personally, I own Rowling’s books, Lewis’s, and Tolkien’s. I also own the movie Mary Poppins, The Sword in the Stone, etc., also full of “magic.” My main point - be consistent! If you don’t like witchcraft as a theme in children’s literature, then don’t single out Harry Potter and accept whatever else has a Christian name. That’s the problem in the religious world - if someone says something is good and can pass it under a Christian label we all eat it up without finding the truth for ourselves!
Comment by Tiffany — 10.10.05 @ 5:01 pm
I remain perplexed about the concept of “Christian fiction.” Am I missing something? Is the idea that the contest for the best parable is never ending?
Christian themes, on the other hand are another matter altogether.
Comment by heliotrope — 10.10.05 @ 5:52 pm
My husband and I read the Chronicles of Narnia to our children every other year or so, and have enjoyed them both as literature and as a type of extended parable. It’s not difficult to tie in elements of the book to significant theological truths. (Even our seven-year-old can comprehend the Aslan/Christ analogy.) They’ve given us many enjoyable evenings.
I’ve read all the Harry Potter books, but I’m only just now allowing my son to read the first, and we’re discussing it chapter by chapter. Is it a “Christian” book? Well, if by Christian we mean pertaining to Christ, and deliberately pointing to Christ - No. But it has nuggets of truth in it, and I can point my children to those easily enough. As for the magic - my take is that it’s portrayed as a mechanical skill for those with aptitude rather than attempting to interact with the supernatural. One of our local librarians summed it up beautifully - “It tells the kids that the power is in themselves!” She sees this as positive…I beg to differ. Children seeking power within themselves to change their world to one more of their liking are, quite frankly, making themselves God. (To make things clear, I’m not talking about children who are trying to better themselves through sports, scholastic activities, service clubs, etc. - I’m talking about the kind of child who loves the idea of magic or witchcraft or positive visualization, whatever, because it puts them in control.) If a book is appealing to my child for those reasons, I want him to be able to see it, and evaluate it by God’s standard rather than the desires of his own heart.
Comment by Linda — 10.10.05 @ 6:13 pm
I must say that when I first read these books (about 31 years ago-age 12) I immediately saw the parallels between Aslan and Christ. I just finished re-reading the series for the umpteenth time and cried in all the places I always cry in. The very last paragraph of the Last Battle is the one that makes me sob every time.
Comment by kimsch — 10.10.05 @ 6:36 pm
“Are Christians the only ones who can integrate Christian themes into their work?”
I say no. One of the best TV show episodes I’ve seen that dealt with the nature of faith and why one might enter the ministry was written by a Jew that is now a self-described atheist. He has written that he recognizes the importance of spirituality in the lives of many people and felt it was something he wanted to explore. Unlike many in Hollywood, he realized that religion is a positive force in most that follow it, so the treatment is respectful and non-condescending.
Oh - J.K. Rowling is a member of the Church of Scotland.
Comment by ech — 10.10.05 @ 6:37 pm
CS Lewis on the Chronicles of Narnia:
“If Aslan represented the immaterial Deity in the same way in which Giant Despair represents Despair, he would be an allegorical figure. In reality however he [Aslan] is an invention giving an imaginary answer to the question, ‘What might Christ become like, if there really were a world like Narnia and He chose to be incarnate and die and rise again in that world as He actually has done in ours?’ This is not allegory at all.”
- Letters of CS Lewis, 29 Dec 1958, quoted in The Quotable Lewis (Martindale, Root: 59)
Comment by Alex — 10.10.05 @ 8:57 pm
I think I got a little off topic with my first reply, but since I wrote something on calling things “Christian” a while back, if you don’t mind La Shawn, I’ll just link to that. It’s in my archives or else I’d do a trackback. I was looking specifically at songs at the time, but the meaning crosses over.
http://marklaroi.blogspot.com/2005/04/christian-musicchristian.html
This one is related to the first response I made, but a better explanation.
http://marklaroi.blogspot.com/2005/07/harry-potter-and-other-charming.html
Comment by Mark La Roi — 10.10.05 @ 9:37 pm
unChristian Lit?
LaShawn Barber had a lively discussion going earlier in the day about what makes literature Christian…
But does that mean that the protagonists use of magic in a fantasy story makes the story incompatible with Christianity, or even unChristian?
Trackback by Grinding Gears — 10.10.05 @ 10:27 pm
I have a friend who was a public school teacher and is now a public school counselor. She is also a Christian preacher.
In response to comments that Harry Potter books were anti religious because of their wizardry/witchcraft theme she had a simple response.
She has children who had never picked up a book and started reading Harry Potter. These are children who needed to read but wouldn’t. Harry Potter may well have changed the lives of these children. Not because they were about wizardry/witchcraft but because they were adventure books that held their interest.
Comment by davod — 10.10.05 @ 10:59 pm
Re: Jewels #21…To augment those useless trivia files a little more, in C.S. Lewis’ That Hideous Strength (Book 3 of the Space Trilogy), there are a couple of references to “Numinor.” This is actually the “Númenor” of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work; Tolkien had orally related the story to Lewis, and Lewis spelled it the way it sounded to him.
Comment by Erbo — 10.11.05 @ 12:52 am
LaShawn,
You cited many Keanu Reeves movies in which his characters sacrifice themselves to save the world. What is missing from those plots is the substitutionary sacrifice. In each, the Reeves character is a garden variety hero saving the innocent and good from the evil doers out to destroy the world. See the difference? I wouldnt really call a figure in a work of fiction a messiah figure unless he dies to save the unworthy. I fear that the word messiah is thrown around a bit too lightly by a lot of people and the true meaning of the word has been obscured and confused with the noble hero type.
I think the Time writer gets it right. What would make the Narnia movie Christian would be the same lines that make the Narnia books Christian. Aslan substitutes himself for a traitor who after his corruption by the evil is being claimed by death. This couldnt be more Christian.
I have my reservations about some of Lewis’ ideas. I think he sometimes takes things a shade outside of orthodoxy. But Aslan in particular is as solid and orthodox a Christ figure as there is in kid’s lit. He, more than anything else, makes the Narnia books Christian. The rest is window dressing to entertain the kids while they are absorbing that message.
Comment by Peggy — 10.11.05 @ 11:09 am
PS. Slightly off topic
My favorite line from the Narnia books is when someone says that Aslan, ie Christ, is not a tame lion. Lewis really emphasizes and plays with this. I translate the line into Our God is not a tame God and I am reminded of how true that is all the time. Its something subtle about The Lord that Lewis just nails better than anyone, I think. Our Lord doesnt play to what we humans think is reasonable or possible or proper. Christianity is the only faith that openly admits (and glories in it) that it runs counter to human wisdom while so many other faiths have been invented since its advent which seek to return religion to more easily believable territory.
I love it that our God is no tame “lion”. He’s a “Real Lion” as the Narnia books are fond of saying. Doesnt the Good Book say that The LORD is the Lion of Judah? Just think about it for a second. That Lion is on our side but is not ever our pet. Its hard for me to explain why , but its a immensely comforting thought. Its the way the truth should feel. Am I right?
Comment by Peggy — 10.11.05 @ 11:25 am
LaShawn,
Love this post and the discussion it has fostered. But I think you need to elaborate on what you mean by “Christian”. You say you would hesitate to call the Narnia series “Christian”, but you don’t really elaborate other than to say that you have a problem with the magical elements in the story. I know God’s word condemns sorcery, but that is in the real world. And the “Chronicles” are allegory in a fictional world. I would argue that they even reach the level of parable, Lewis was trying to illustrate much greater truths. Jesus often used the same teaching technique as you know.
The Narnia tales certainly are more than just interesting stories. I define Christian as being like Christ. And Aslan is certainly a Christlike figure. The Chronicles are not just about good vs. evil. They are about sacrifice for an unworthy soul, the fact that there is a horrible penalty to pay for “sin”, that pain is so often needed for true character growth, and many other truths are illustrated. I would argue these are very harmonious with biblical teaching. Just because Lewis uses a fictional world with magic and sorcery and the like IMO doesn’t negate the truths behind the parables. I think your critique of the Chronicles could be used to negate some of Jesus own teaching. What I mean is when Jesus used hyperbole to illustrate a point. For example, Jesus said if your eyes cause you to sin, poke them out for it is better to enter heaven blind than to enter into hell with your full eyesight (total paraphrase I know). Now everyone knows that even a blind man can lust, but Jesus was saying do whatever it takes, no matter how radical, to remove sin from your life. Would it be valid for me to discount that lesson from Jesus because he used an example that isn’t based in reality? Or any of the lessons He taught us using parable?
I read the Chronicles about 3 years after I had been born again and I could clearly see the parallels between Aslan and Christ. I also remember particular episodes which had a strong impact on me spiritually. Are the Chronicles a replacement for Bible reading? No. But none of us are monks living in a monastery who can devote ourselves to 24/7 bible study (few of us realistically have that discipline anyway). I plan on reading the Chronicles with my kids and using the Bible illustrate what Lewis was trying to show.
Comment by Kevin — 10.11.05 @ 12:49 pm
I’ll believe that Hollywood is serious about the Christian content of C. S. Lewis’ work when someone there makes a movie faithful to his “Great Divorce”. The fanciful story of a cast of characters who, finding themselves in cold and dreary Hell, are offered a chance to take a bus trip to Heaven and remain there if they so choose. What they find there and why they make the choices they ultimately do, says directly more about human nature than is hidden in most of the Chronicles of Narnia.
Lewis said that he wrote his imaginative fiction by first visualizing one or more climactic scenes and then building a story around them. Most readers of the Narnia books will be easily able to imagine what those scene(s) may be in each book. In the “Great Divorce” there are probably two: the first glimpse of the great, gray expanse of Hell where a cold drizzle falls through even the most impressive structure and where it is always about to become night, extinguishing whatever hope remains; and the hard, bright reality of the decision field of Heaven where individuals either renounce the smallness of their treasured illusions of worthiness or victim hood, or prefer to clutch these tiny treasures to their breasts for eternity as they board the bus for the return trip to final separation from all that is Good.
There is probably no such climactic scene in his serious work on the oft-debated question of the power of God vs. the obvious presence of evil in the world, “The Problem of Pain”. But, in those of his WW2 radio talks that have been collected into “Mere Christianity”, at least one stands out.
After describing various forms of “Life”, starting with plants which grow but are immobile, passing through the fecundity of the swarming insect kingdom, and noting the extent to which some animals display almost human characteristics, Lewis contrasts the level of life we now enjoy with what he understands is promised. He says it is as though we are all, though lovingly and creatively fashioned, the inmates of a great sculpture shop through which is sweeping the rumor that we will all soon come to life.
Comment by Neal Jordan — 10.11.05 @ 3:49 pm
Peggy, I think you’ve pinpointed it. God isn’t our pet, to sit, come, shake hands, etc when told to. He will do what He wills, when He wills it. We are the ones who have to obey.
Comment by kimsch — 10.11.05 @ 4:45 pm
I first read the Narnia books when I was in third grade. Although I grew up in a regularly church going Lutheran family I had not gotten the idea of who Christ was. I remember deciding once that I would ignore Jesus in my prayers, because ever since He had come, nobody really paid attention to the Father anymore. When I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe I saw right away that Aslan was Jesus, and I suddenly realized at a gut level who Jesus was and what he had done for me, and I loved Him.
I think that allegory has always been a way of teaching spiritual truths- look at Pilgrim’s Progress! If a work of fiction leads one to a better understanding of truth as found in the Bible, I think it can be called Christian.
However, I don’t think this usually happens when the author is not himself/herself Christian. A Christian may be able to discern some truth (as all truth is God’s truth) from a non-Christian’s work, but a non-Christian is very unlikely, in my opinion, to be brought to recognize God’s truth in the work of someone who doesn’t know Him. For example, in the Harry Potter books, which I enjoyed, there are various non-Christian concepts elevated: deception (Harry holds out vital info all the time from Dumbledore) disobedience (Remember, Christians are called on to obey authorities unless their edicts violate God’s law- I hardly think that curfews and other such insignificant rules that Harry routinely violates fall into this category.) Even though the act of Harry (or his mother, Sirius Black, Dumbledore) in sacrificing himself/herself for others is a Christian value, these are not, in fact, examples of a blameless Messiah atoning for the sins of the guilty. In the way in which all good can be ultimately traced back to a good God still mightily at work in His fallen world, these heroic acts have a touch of the divine. But the books, as I mentioned earlier, are a mixed bag.
Comment by D. Bruggers — 10.11.05 @ 4:53 pm
C.S. Lewis was a great Christian intellectual in his non-fiction books. His Narnia books are not Christian in the sense of being either intellectual analyses of Christian doctrines or straightforward retellings of Christian narratives. They are, however, manifestly meant to be accessible allegories that retell those narratives in an accessible way that will invite a child to view religion, not as a dry Sunday thing, but as a living, breathing life adventure. This is obvious in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” which retells the Crucifixion; “The Magician’s Nephew,” which is Genesis; and the “Last Battle,” the most explicitly Christian of the books, which takes on the Last Judgment and End of Days, with strong references to the medieval paintings (for example, the saved go to Aslan’s right, the doomed to his left, a traditional fixture in early Christian iconography).
It is true that each of these stories can be tied in some way to some other culture’s mythology, but given Lewis’ deeply felt religious belief, why dig that far? Why not take it as given that these are intended to invite children to dig deeper into Christian faith, as surely as Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress,” an unabashedly Christian book, was intended to do some generations earlier.
Comment by Bookworm — 10.11.05 @ 5:42 pm
As a Hollywood insider I know that issue surrounding this movie from the onset was whether or not Hollywood would/should “secularize” the film or remain completely true to Lewis’ Christian themes. But frankly I never understood why this was an issue. It’s true the story is filled with Christian allegories and themes,but so is Star Wars, and as is noted in the piece LaShawn referenced, the story owes alot to English folktales, and classical myths, more so than NT Christianity.
In my opinion- this is not a work of Classic Christian Literature - any more than Superman is.
Both draw on Christian themes, yes, but drawing on Christian themes, some of which can be argued have their echos in the mythos of cultures that precede Christianity by 1000’s of years, does not make any story film or tv show “Christian” per se, let alone a Christian classic.
In a town whose most influential powerbrokers are jews,gays and secularist democrats, it’s hard to image Disney NOT secularizing the movie -but since Doug Gresham who produced the film is Lewis’ stepson- I’ve heard from several of my friends in Tinseltown that the Christian themes have not been watered down. Having said that, these people are hypersensitive to “Christian themes” so what they would consider “not watered down” may differ from what Christian conservatives have in mind.
As a student of comparative religion, and as someone with judeo christian roots- I don’t believe that TLWW will have the emotional evocative impact of “The Passion” simply because Lewis’ story bears the echos of many classic myths, and while the Narnia series most certainly contains Christian themes, it is not overtly or soley Christian.
Christian themes are prevelant in many stories and films, that Hollywood produces, including Smallville, a modern retelling of the Superman mythos. Personally, I consider “Superman” and by fiat “Smallville” to contain far more Judeo-Christian themes than simply NT Christian themes. Sending Kal El ( Hebrew for “all that God is”)to a “new world” to escape his own death in a world that is about to be destroyed borrows from the OT stories of Moses, and also serves as an analogy for modern day kindertransports that occured in Europe when Jews sent their kids to the “new world”(America) as they sensed the impending doom that Hitler would bring. The concept of a superhuman protector contains echos of OT stories about the “Golem”.
The Matrix and Star Wars, as well as Touched by An Angel, and Joan of Arcadia were all ecumenical, offering themes compatible with a Judeo-Christian worldview, but were not “Christian” per se.
“What the Lion’s filmmakers do with the charming storytelling that surrounds them is—theologically—optional. But if these key ideas are muddled, the film may be a classic, but never a Christian classic. And its revenues, large as they may be, will reflect that.”
His thinking seems to imply that the books were Christian classics, and I would respectfully disagree. The books were classics…PERIOD. The film will succeed at the box office with or without the inclusion of the four lines,because kids movies traditionally attract repeat viewings by kids. This is not “The Passion” nor has it been marketed in the shameful way “The Passion” was. In my opinion, even with the inclusion of the four lines, its doubtful this movie will have the impact on Christian Conservative adults that David Biema seems to believe.
After all, TITANIC remains the highest grossing movie of all time, followed by Star Wars: A New Hope, and Shrek. So I m not quite clear as to where David is coming from.
“What makes certain books “Christianâ€? Or music? I think we as Christians do a disservice when we have various litmus tests in order to label something as Christian. We then fall into creating a false dichotomy between the sacred and secular”
I ‘m not Christian, but I do have a personal relationship with God, and I agree with Dignan.
One interesting example is the many heated conversations one finds on various message boards as to what qualifies as “Christian rock” Is it simply a great marketing tool? If not,then where do we draw the line in defining or labaling something as “christian” rock, let alone “christian classic” or “christian literature”.
If the members of a rock group are Christians, but the songs they write don’t soley reflect Christian themes, or celebrate their relationship with Christ, then should their music be considered “christian rock”? Or must Christian rock soley reflect their relationship with Christ?Is Christian rock music made only by Christians for Christians? Can non Christians write songs about Jesus, and by fiat, have their music deemed “Christian rock”?
Ben Harper did a great CD with The Blind Boys from Alabama “There Will Be Light” which is considered by many as Christian rock- but is it? I’m not Christian but I loved that CD, okay I LOVE ALL things Ben Harper, (especially Blessed To Be Witness) and I also enjoy Mercy Me, Live, Pivitplex, Switchfoots “Meant To Live”, and Dust In The Wind, and Carry On My Wayward Son,by Kansas (who many consider to be one of the first Christan Rock bands well over 20 yrs ago). These songs resonate with me deeply.
My journey through life does not separate the secular and the spiritual.My relationship with God is the cornerstone of my life, and the most important relationship I have. It is intrinsic to all I do and to who I am. My life isn’t divided into relationship with God and ALL other things. My relationship with God is my life and my life is about my relationship with God. The sacred and the secular are interconnected for me personally, which is why I find it challenging when Christians themselves embrace a dichotomy between the sacred and secular. I guess it comes down to how you answer the question: Does the choir sing both sacred and secular music?
Comment by Huntress — 10.11.05 @ 6:54 pm
“I’m not Christian, but I do have a personal relationship with God, and I agree with Dignan.”
I say this with all respect to your feelings, but according to the Scriptures which tell us who God is and how to know Him, no, you do not have a personal relationship with God because John 14:6 says “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.”
“No one” is a very exclusive term. It’s wonderful to see that you seek God though, and I’m interested to learn why you aren’t a Christian.
Comment by Mark La Roi — 10.11.05 @ 9:21 pm
Thanks for posting this, La Shawn. It really caused me to think and examine this issue deeper. In the process, I posted the link to it on my blog and it created quite an interesting dialog. Thanks for providing a lot of food for thought!
Christian Elements in Fiction?
Good Magic? Bad Magic?
Comment by Crystal — 10.12.05 @ 2:40 pm
I know that I’m here late in the discussion, but I’ll give my two cents. I think it’s a wellknown fact that C.S. Lewis intended there to be Christian elements in this particular book series. How to determine if elements in books, movies, music etc are Christian? Look for the intent of the author.
Comment by RepJ — 10.13.05 @ 9:15 pm