The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

I know he wasn't a first rate theologian. In fact, he was not a theologian at all. I realize his atonement theory was skewed and had too much of "ransoming from the Devil" theory mixed in. I know he was not a Calvinist nor did he come to understand "all" of the bible's wonderful truths about God sovereignty. I don't care.

C.S. Lewis' story The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe was fantastic. I simply loved it. From the first scenes during the bombing of England and the children being forced on the train to the country, to the Final Battle scene with Knight Peter battling against the White Witch. The only draw back to the movie was Liam Neeson's voice as Aslan's.

I have loved the Chronicles of Narnia for many years now. I own Focus on the Family's Radio Theatre's adaptation. I reread the books with my children every year or so. They simply stir the imagination to think of truths that are beyond us in creative ways.

Although there have been many objections to Lewis' Christianity, we must keep in mind that he was a product of his day. Lewis embraced Christianity after being an atheist for many years. He was foremost an intellectual and had more philosophical baggage than we could possibly imagine. In the end, God's grace had taken a man who was in "outer darkness" and shown him a glimpse of Christ. The Light of Christ being enough to save any man, including Lewis. He trusted Christ and Christ alone.

In my reading of Lewis, it seems to me that it was his story telling that may have given him the underlying reason to embrace Christ and Christianity. After writing stories since he was a child, a friend and author challenged Lewis as to the meaning and purpose stories point to, even more than philosophy and science. Does not every story have an author? Does not every story seem to be a battle between good and evil? A Character needing to overcome some problem? If this is true in fiction, why could there not be a God who has also written a story?

As Paul's letter to the Romans clearly teaches, men have the laws of God written upon their hearts. C.S. Lewis simply came to see a truth that men by their evil nature surpress. God has taken that heart of stone and given Lewis a heart of flesh. I pray that God would do that for the next generation of Americans. Perhaps with more movies that assist the general public in forming a Christian worldview, the Gospel may not be far behind.