Previously published as "'Christian' Elements in Fiction" at La Shawn Barber's Corner.

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.

Continue reading 'Christian' Elements in Narnia

I tried to link to an interesting academic article I read titled Harry Potter and the Half-Crazed Bureaucracy, but the site is down. Fortunately, I downloaded it to my hard drive last week.

University of Tennessee law professor Benjamin Barton argues, among other things, that based on her treatment of government in the Harry Potter books, J.K. Rowling is a libertarian. Since the site is down, I uploaded the PDF article to my server: Harry Potter and the Half-Crazed Bureaucracy.

Visit Moviefone to view the trailer of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

In October I spoke at a conference called the God Blog Convention, and attendees were treated to a preview clip of what I know will be an excellent movie.

I found a story via Narnia Web titled, Is that lion the King of Kings?. The writer asks, "Is the world created by British author C.S. Lewis a rip-roaring piece of fantasy — or a fairy tale suffused with Christian imagery?"

Both. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a fantasy story replete with Christian imagery. For example, with the power of his voice, Aslan the Lion sings Narnia into existence (depicted in The Magician's Nephew). God created the world by speaking it into existence. Christ, free from sin, sacrificed himself on the cross for those he came to save, all guilty of the most heinous crimes. Aslan, innocent of a crime, sacrifices himself for the guilty party. Aslan the Lion is a creator. Christ, the Lion of Judah, is the Creator made flesh. These parallels are only surface level; the imagery goes much deeper.

I'm blogging about the USA Today article mainly because of this passage:

"I'm an evangelical Christian, but the enthusiasm with which my fellow evangelicals are leaping at the possibility of using this film as an 'evangelistic tool' — a phrase that's often used — is distressing to me," says Jacobs, author of The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C.S. Lewis. "Lewis wrote a story about redemptive sacrifice, but he didn't set out to write that. He set out to write a children's book that would be exciting and adventurous.

"He was not trying to win anyone to Christianity with this story. And I think you can tell that by the way so many people can read it and love it without having any idea of the biblical connection."

Alan Jacobs, evangelical Christian, is missing the point entirely. As an English major who studied Literary Criticism, I know the author's intent is important in understanding themes and symbolism in their work. But in this case, C.S. Lewis's intent hardly matters when the imagery is so overt. It matters little whether Lewis was "trying to win anyone to Christianity with this story." It doesn't change the fact that characters represent biblical ideas. And just because the book has mass appeal doesn't prove that Lewis wasn't trying to "win" souls.

Stories like Narnia and Harry Potter are so popular because they “echo the Great Story we are wired to receive and respond to,” says John Granger, Orthodox Christian and author of Finding God in Harry Potter.

If we believe that God created each of us with an innate desire for a connection to God, then we must believe that the unsaved share this desire. Certain themes — unconditional love, sacrifice, hope — resonate with most people. That's why engaging and entertaining books like Harry Potter appeal to so many.

Clive Davis has a Narnia round-up.

(Disney Enterprises/Walden Media image)