The Chronicles of Narnia – An Introduction

A man stands on the street corner in the bustling downtown square. In one hand is a Bible, in the other a megaphone, a sandwich board sign hanging from his body. He calls out to the crowd about the condemnation to come, appeals to them to find salvation from the coming wrath. But no one stops to listen. No one heeds his warnings. They mostly just keep their heads down and their eyes fixed ahead as they quickly walk past.

Out in the country a young man sits down in the grass and begins to tell a story. Crowds gather close, lean in to catch ever word. He weaves a fanciful tale that grips the emotions and calls to something deep in the heart of every person. As he concludes, he drives home ancient truths that kindle a fire in the souls of those listening.

Why the difference? Is it that the man on the street corner is wrong? Is it that his message is flawed somehow? Is it that the storyteller just has a deeper grasp of spiritual truths?

No, it is simply this: Stories have a power over us. They disarm us and expose us and draw us and teach us in ways that a simple lecture never could. They take theology out of pure academic exercise and give it life and breath. This may be, at least in part, the reason Jesus so often taught in the form of parables, using stories to communicate spiritual truths.

Many have attempted to follow in the Savior’s footsteps of using stories to teach the lessons of faith. Obviously, without the eternal wisdom of God, they can only imitate to a lesser degree. Nevertheless, some have been so gifted by God as writers that their stories are rich symbols of that which is true. One of the best examples of this is the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.
Treatments are usually usa cheap viagra prescribed after analyzing the right cause of problem. However, I am able to use a combination sildenafil viagra de pfizer http://valsonindia.com/100-cotton-yarns-of-all-counts/?lang=af of both. So instead of looking to find out the root cause viagra cialis on line of problem. It makes a good number of valsonindia.com cialis price people, even when they have the urge to increase their virility to think twice.
In Narnia, Lewis brings to life everything from the nature of redemption to the way Christ guides the Christian to the end of all things. Unlike other Christian fantasy authors like J.R.R. Tolkien, Lloyd Alexander or Andrew Peterson, Lewis’s story does not simply reflect a Christian world view. Rather, it intentionally brings to life the message of Scripture.

This shouldn’t be confused with saying that Narnia is allegory. In allegory, each thing represents another thing, so that you have a one-to-one comparison. Lewis wasn’t interested in allegory. He addressed this idea in a letter to a young lady when he said,

I did not say to myself, ‘Let us represent Jesus as He really is in our world by a Lion in Narnia’: I said ‘Let us suppose that there were a land like Narnia and that the Son of God, as He became a man in our world, became a Lion there, and then imagine what would happen.’ If you think about it, you will see that it is quite a different thing.”

The power of this approach is that it draws the reader into the fantasy world – there is an appeal to escaping to a land of enchantment and mythical creatures and grand adventure – but then it teaches enduring truth with the picture it paints. By stepping back from the real world, we are given a new perspective on concepts that might have become diluted by our own flawed interpretation, jaded experience, or sinful apathy. We see the truth afresh, and are reminded of its beauty.

This makes Narnia unique and compelling, and it is what has led many thousands of people to adore the series. There is much to be gained in reading them, and many lessons to learn. So Luke and I are going to take a break from examining the popular books on the shelves right now, and turn our attention to the Chronicles of Narnia. We’ll look at the central themes of each of the stories in the series and how they bring to life the enduring truths of God’s Word. If you’ve read them before we hope that the discussion will at least be a pleasant reminder, and perhaps will open your eyes to things you hadn’t seen before. And if you have not read them, our hope is that you will be encouraged to do so.

A brief note on the order: There are seven books in the series, which were published in a particular order when they were first released decades ago. Later publishing runs changed the order so that they appeared chronologically in how they were listed, which is the way Lewis preferred them to be. However, from a reader perspective, we feel the original order – or what’s known as the Classic Order – is actually better (sorry, Lewis!). So that is the order in which we will be publishing our discussions.