I recall when I was younger
many Christians were critical of CS Lewis' Narnia due to perceived pagan
elements and intrusions. Recently I was a bit taken aback to realize there are
contemporary 'Christian' critics who are more upset over his traditional
values.
I have not read JK Rowling's books and am not really interested in them, but I've read a lot about them and have viewed some critical documentaries. Some are critical specifically of her worldview while others are critical of all forms of fantasy which incorporate magic and other dimensional worlds and thus they would be equally hostile to Lewis and Tolkien.
Rowling seemed particularly
offended over the issue of Susan because to Rowling her great sin that led to
her being an outcast, was that she had discovered 'sex'.
I realize that Rowling has been
very controversial but some argue her works in fact are compatible with and
expressive of a Christian worldview. Apparently she professes to be some kind
of Christian. Of course in these days and in particular within the British
context of the Churches of England and Scotland... it doesn't necessarily mean
much. I know many a Mainline American Christian whose Christianity is basically
comprised of the Golden Rule and a sort of works based understanding of
salvation and reconciliation to a God they view in terms of agnosticism or at
best Deism. The Established Church in Britain is no different. It departed
Biblical Christianity long ago.
I don't know where Rowling is
at but her comments seem to demonstrate a flawed and at best very shallow
conception of the Christian life, sanctification and redemption from sin.
Lewis though he would seem
rather worldly to many of his Evangelical fans did have a sharp and vibrant
understanding of the antithesis and what it meant to be part of God's Kingdom
and yet live in this world. I think Narnia itself is a sort of picture of the Kingdom.
We as Christians participate in another world that does not wholly relate to or
correspond with our own world. We have our own concerns, fellowship and even
ideas that someone outside of the Kingdom could not possibly understand. Like
an outsider's inability to get to Narnia, in reality the lost cannot see the
Kingdom of God.
In the Last Battle when Rillian
appears to the 'Friends of Narnia' I'm reminded of the sweet fellowship that
only a company of Christians can share. Of course the 'Friends' wanted to be
together and share their memories, insights and experiences of a world and a kingdom
that others could not understand. They were citizens of Earth and England but
their hearts were in Narnia or to put it in Biblical terms...Zion.
In retrospect Susan was already
on a bad path. We see the first hints of a weakened faith in Prince Caspian
when she is the most resistant to Lucy's insistence that Aslan is beckoning
them to follow.
Susan does not appear in The
Voyage of the Dawn Treader but she is referred to as having gone to America
with her parents. For those who don't recall, Peter was with Professor Kirke
studying for an exam, Susan went to America with her parents and Edmund and
Lucy ended up with Eustace their cousin. It was through the spare bedroom in
his house that they entered Narnia once more.
Susan is very 'grown up' acting
and interested in the things of the world and finally in The Last Battle we
learn she is no longer a friend of Narnia. It's said that she's into clothes
and makeup and those sorts of things.
Rowling is critical of these
statements indicating she believes Susan has done nothing wrong. Sexuality is
not a sin.
Admittedly these things are not
evil in and of themselves but Lewis is demonstrating that Susan has made these
things into something more, an end in and of themselves. Sex or wanting to be
grown up are not inherently or intrinsically wrong but at the same time these
things if not in a proper context or framed properly in the heart are
indicative of worldliness and spirit that is not in submission to God's will.
Susan no longer dreamed of
Narnia, she was very much at home in this world. The world's framework has
become her own along with the desires and aspirations it generates.
Rowling's impoverished
understanding of Christianity (which I think are probably reflected in her
Potter books) misinterprets Lewis and actually tells us more about her than
him.
All of this said, Lewis and
Tolkien are not above criticism. The theology of Narnia is a little shaky at
times but there's more going on there than people realize. Since I first read
them as a child, I've re-read the Narnia Chronicles many times. Each time I
revisit them I pick up on a lot more whether in the realms of philosophy,
historical reference and mythological influence. Apart from the obvious
commentary regarding Eustace and Jill's school or the worldview of the
Telmarines, there are other more subtle and quite interesting theological and
sociological comments he seems to be making and the books are both interesting and
often at odds with the viewpoints of many of his Evangelical fans.
Speaking of modern criticism, while
Lewis is criticised for portraying Calormenes (Muslims) as cruel and demonic, I
think his treatment of them is not entirely unfair. Their world contains
elements of wonder and a certain majestic nobility, which I think he reflects, but ultimately (from a spiritual perspective viewed as Christians who are in a state of
antithesis vis-à-vis the world) all other religions are indeed demonic.
Tolkien is probably worthy of
more criticism in this regard for in Middle Earth all that is non-European is
monstrous and bestial. While Tolkien has also profoundly influenced my life and
thinking as the years pass I've grown both more appreciative of his project but
at the same time more critical, for I see more clearly both the Roman Catholic
and Sacral influences on his thinking. Lewis is by no means in the clear on
these issues either but I think more theologically profound and patently more Christian than
the worldview and philosophical system reflected by Tolkien.