Making Sense of Narnia

Polly Toynbee, in the UK Guardian, reviews "The Chronicles of Narnia." See her complete review here. Ms. Toynbee thinks the movie is OK, but thinks that "unbelievers should keep a sickbag handy" because the Christianity of C.S. Lewis represented therein will make one sick.

Here are two quotes from Ms. Toynbee regarding Christianity:

Of all the elements of Christianity, the most repugnant is the notion of the Christ who took our sins upon himself and sacrificed his body in agony to save our souls. Did we ask him to?

Without an Aslan, there is no one here but ourselves to suffer for our sins, no one to redeem us but ourselves: we are obliged to settle our own disputes and do what we can. We need no holy guide books, only a very human moral compass. Everyone needs ghosts, spirits, marvels and poetic imaginings, but we can do well without an Aslan.

(If you are not familiar with the world of Narnia -- Aslan, a lion who represents Christ, lays down his life so that sins might be forgiven and then miraculously rises from the dead to defeat the White Witch, representing Satan. )

Ms. Toynbee cannot image a world where she might NEED a savior. I do know a world where I need a savior -- and so does Ms. Toynbee and everyone who has walked on this earth, other than Christ. Ms. Toynbee is offended that Christ did not ask her permission to die for her sins. One of the beauties of the Gospel is that Christ did not wait for our permission, but "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

In the second quote above, Ms. Toynbee is right that without Aslan ("Christ") "there is no one here but ourselves to suffer for our sins, no one to redeem us but ourselves." That is a burden that we cannot carry -- thankfully, Christ has paid the price for our sins as we are told in Romans 8:1-4:

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (ESV)

Ms. Toynbee, none of us have any hope without "Aslan." Christ is the only hope for sinners who need a Savior. My prayer is that we all might see our own sinfulness and our need of a Savior! May God open our eyes so that we hunger and thirst for His mercy and love and might treasure Christ above all things.