[Movies] poster for The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

I think you'd miss out on the wonder and mystery of the discovery of Narnia if you read the Magician's Nephew first.

 

Kind of like if you watch the Star Wars series starting from Episode 1.

 

I'm with JV on that one. Lewis was squarely in the Church of England, which would make his beliefs rather traditional. Furthermore, his fictional and non-fictional works (of which I've read almost all of) are quite consistent with evangelical Christian theology. I'm not sure I understand why you would think that a fantasy book would be at all problematic. It wasn't a problem for Tolkien (one of the Christian writers in the writing group that was heavily influencial on Lewis even before he became a Christian). Fantasy novels such as Lewis' and Tolkien's are generally rather popular amoung evangelical Christians.

I would agree that most people are quite aware that his works are Christian but I did meet a U of H grad student (in biology, perhaps that was his excuse) who really liked Screwtape Letters and the Narnia series but didn't want to examine either too closely because he had heard there was some Christianity in it. How he could have missed it in the first place is beyond me.

 

Now the question is: will Mrs. JB show up to defend HER man?

 

It isn't a problem for him to write fantasy in the slightest although it depends heavily on what is being written. Harry Potter, for example, is often decried on evangelical programs as the work of witchcraft and satan.

As for Lewis, I actually have read some of his latter essays that touch on more of the mystical traditions of Christianity and even the Gnostic Gospels, which are pretty well outside the mainstream of traditional Christianity. Obviously, he was still rooted in his earlier beliefs as well.

I like all of it and find it interesting. Joseph Campbell has even referenced some of it because it ties in well with mythos and religion. The Chronicles were some of the first "real" books I ever read so they have a special place in my heart.

 

My favorite was the Voyage of the Dawn Treader myself.

It seems like everybody has a different favorite to this series.

 

As for the movies, much as I had said with Lord of the Rings, they had better not screw it up.

And, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the best in the series. Lewis' invocation of the mystical is at its most palpable. You can tell when he wrote that one that he was on a mission of sorts. The rest of them, while great, seems to me to have been written on an ebbing enthusiasm -- as though Lewis was himself discovering the Narnia world with you while he was writing LWW, but already knew it when he did the other 6.

 

I don't agree with those who write off the Harry Potter series as being the work of Satan. Personally, I don't find her writing to be up to my standard for children's literature and I think the main characters get away with a lot of spite for each other and blatant disrespect for the adults around them. But there are plenty of non-fantasy books with those problems. For the record, I don't particularly care for Christian children's books that are poorly written or have theologically questionable implications. In fact, I would hold those to a much higher theological standard since they purport to be Christian.

You are right in pointing out that there is an Evangelical movement to boycot/avoid Harry Potter. It is something I hear about but don't really encounter. Without verging too much toward a D & D topic, I don't think that their position or tactics are helpful.

As to C.S. Lewis's writings about the gnostic gospels and his incorporation of myths and mystical traditions I recall him being very careful to distinguish between his core beliefs and his creative supposition. He was painfully aware that his views about theological matters were followed by a lot of non-Christians listening to his radio program and reading his books and he tried to make sure that when he wrote about or spoke about less orthodox subjects it was clear these things were not a core aspect of his faith. "Mere Christianity" gives a fairly clear (and orthodox) picture of what he believed as a Christian.

Most, if not all, people have plenty of things they believe might be true but aren't willing to fully absorb into their world view and are quite ready to drop if they are disproved. For example, is there life on other planets? I believe Lewis' position was that there might be life somewhere else in the universe but if there wasn't he wouldn't be surprised or disappointed.

 

Oh ... it's ON!

 

pics of the cast:
http://www.narniaweb.com/casting.asp

 

excellent book. so is The Great Divorce. just amazing.

on the discussion of Lewis' faith...he wrote a book about it. i can't remember the name of it...i'll try to find it...but he talks about how he became a believer. he was pretty orthodox, frankly...certainly evangelical. he used metaphor brilliantly...curiously enough, so did Jesus Christ.

 

I also really enjoyed and was challenged by the Screwtape letters. I was then curious about the U2 song "The Fly" -- I'm not sure I see the correlation.

The Fly Lyrics

Oh, baby child...
It's no secret that the stars are falling from the sky
It's no secret that our world is in darkness tonight
They say the sun is sometimes eclipsed by a moon
You know I don't see you when she walks in the room

It's no secret that a friend is someone who lets you help
It's no secret that a liar won't believe anyone else
They say a secret is something you tell one other person
So I'm telling you, child

A man will beg
A man will crawl
On the sheer face of love
Like a fly on a wall
It's no secret at all

It's no secret that a conscience can sometimes be a pest
It's no secret ambition bites the nails of success
Every artist is a cannibal, every poet is a thief
All kill their inspiration and sing about their grief

Over love...

A man will rise
A man will fall
From the sheer face of love
Like a fly from a wall
It's no secret at all

Love...we shine like a
Burning star
We're falling from the sky
Tonight

A man will rise
A man will fall
From the sheer face of love
Like a fly from a wall
It's no secret at all

Oh, yeah!
It's no secret that the stars are falling from the sky
The universe exploded 'cause of one man's lie
Look, I gotta go, yeah I'm running outta change

 

The book where Lewis talks about his conversion is:

Surprised by Joy


he talks alot about his faith and beliefs in Mere Christianity

both excellent books.

The one that is the most honest is probably "A Greif Observed" where he talks about the depression and questioning of his faith after death of his wife

 

that's it. surprised by joy...great book!

and you're right...Mere Christianity is an epic, epic book about the faith. incredible.

i have not read A Grief Observed..thanks for pointing that one out for me.

there is not one C.S. Lewis book i've read that i didn't enjoy.

 

Thanks Oski...

I see now.

I wasn't being rude -- I truly was curious about the connection that I didn't see.