C.S. Lewis

It all began with the proposal to show "The Chronicles of Narnia -- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" in a fellowship setting to invite our non-Christian friends to join. Someone, out of good intention & nature, raised the concern that the movie/book has been controversial among Christians. Then another person, also out of good intention and nature, mentioned that the author's other works display some "unorthodox Christian" or questionable thinking.

I quickly dismissed the concern, without verifying whether the assertions were true or what the controversies might be. C.S. Lewis's series of Chronicles of Narnia isn't meant to be studied as the Word of God, nor Lewis's hardcore theology. Does the series of Children stories embody his view of God and religious belief? Yes! There are intentional parallels between the Narnia stories and the Christian beliefs. Yet, they're still children stories, not theological monographs.

Most of the problems, I would say, were generated when people force theology into Lewis's works, or critique his Chronicles of Narnia as a theological discourse. If we find some spiritual enlightenment through the movie/book, great. If we think we've gained more understanding of the sinful nature of human, or the sacrificial love of God through the characters Edmund and Aslan, great. But when one insists to read it as something that it's not meant to be, one's digging a hole, an unnecessary one.

I like the distinction David Bruce made in the gospel tract that capitalizes on the Narnia story, "Although the story of Narnia has many similarities to the story of Jesus, there are also some differences. For example, Aslan sacrificed his life to save only Edmund. But Christ gave His life to save everyone. Aslan takes on the punishment for Edmund's sin so that Edmund can live. Christ came so that all might be free from sin and experience eternal life with God."

Now, to the second person's concern -- what if Lewis believed in the existence of purgatory or something "strange" to the orthodox Christians (which I have yet to verify). The fact that I find much of Lewis's writings inspiring doesn't mean I side with all his views. I don't have to agree with his "All" to appreciate his "Part."

Who can be free from error anyway, except God? John Calvin's and Martin Luther's theologies are not 100% impeccable. Only the Bible, the Word of God, can stand scrutiny. We don't confuse the Bible with the "study of it" through various angles/aspects. (By the way, isn't it what the word "theology" means, the study of "Theo"? Whose study? Man's! Man's prone to error. Ergo, these various brands of theology are not error-free.)

Then why refer to other sources? Why not just stick with the Bible? Why watch the Narnia movie? Why not just watch Jesus of Nazareth? These secondary sources could be the fragmented, human, yet valuable, understandings of God and of spiritual truth. We can learn about God and about the Word of God and its applications in others through the lenses of these intellectual treasures and journeys of other fellow pilgrims.