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Warrior4Jah
Member



Joined: 2005/7/5
Posts: 382
The Netherlands

 Narnia series

Have some of you read the Narnia book series?
As I'm not reviewing this book not having read it myself I suppose this topic fits best in the lounge. :-)

My question is this, what does seperate Narnia from Lord of the Rings? I found C.S. Lewis book 'The problem of pain' a good read.

What are your people's insight on this?

Be blessed,
Jonathan


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Jonathan Veldhuis

 2005/12/3 7:29Profile
dohzman
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Joined: 2004/10/13
Posts: 2132


 Re: Narnia series

Personally I believe the types in Narnia more closely picture a christian allegory than that of Lord of the Rings, however, The movie LOTR did open up some previously closed doors to share Jesus (did you know ---btw--- that Tokken was one of the students/assoc. friends or Lewis and wrote LOTR at Lewis' proding?)In issues like this I believe we have a choice to look at the glass half empty or half full :-) , and I always like to view the oppurtunity laid before us in the positive. Our time is running out.


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D.Miller

 2005/12/3 8:04Profile
Warrior4Jah
Member



Joined: 2005/7/5
Posts: 382
The Netherlands

 Re:

Quote:
The movie LOTR did open up some previously closed doors to share Jesus


How so?

Quote:
(did you know ---btw--- that Tokken was one of the students/assoc. friends or Lewis and wrote LOTR at Lewis' proding?)


Yes, I've read that. But I was having doubt about LOTR. So I'm a bit confused.. :-?


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Jonathan Veldhuis

 2005/12/3 13:14Profile
clownstruth
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Joined: 2005/12/3
Posts: 8


 Re:

In regards to sharing the Gospel, there are some very spicific things that have to be addressed that "commercialised evangelism" tries to avoid sometimes. How do these movies press people to consider their sin, show a need to repent, or even glorify Christ?

I heard someone say once that a movie like Lord of the Rings has as much in it to deceive a person as to open them up to Christ: One of the good guys is a wizard (witchcraft is Biblically forbidden), not to mention that it is about as packed as it could be with mere stories. Is it possible, that while the storyline is loosely taken to represent spiritual warfare, that it's meant to be just entertainment, nothing more?

I have a hard time, when the only tool many of our evangelists are using is a movie, and then trying to explain how that movie is tied into truth.

 2005/12/4 1:05Profile
Warrior4Jah
Member



Joined: 2005/7/5
Posts: 382
The Netherlands

 Re:

Quote:
In regards to sharing the Gospel, there are some very spicific things that have to be addressed that "commercialised evangelism" tries to avoid sometimes. How do these movies press people to consider their sin, show a need to repent, or even glorify Christ?


So far I know there are no commercial movies which let people consider their sin, show a need to repent or glorify Christ.

Quote:
I heard someone say once that a movie like Lord of the Rings has as much in it to deceive a person as to open them up to Christ: One of the good guys is a wizard (witchcraft is Biblically forbidden), not to mention that it is about as packed as it could be with mere stories. Is it possible, that while the storyline is loosely taken to represent spiritual warfare, that it's meant to be just entertainment, nothing more?


Well It's possible for God to open up a person for the gospel after viewing such a movie.
Whatever means God uses to get a person to be looking for the Truth is between God and that person and such a movie might be one of the little things. But I doubt that this enables us that we can point to movies instead of Christ now, certainly if the movie contains unbiblical things..

LOTR or such has a nice story and admittedly it would be very entertaining if I would not know that God indeed forbids witchcraft and wizardry. I have no reason to watch this movie, apart from entertaining myself.

Quote:
I have a hard time, when the only tool many of our evangelists are using is a movie, and then trying to explain how that movie is tied into truth.


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Jonathan Veldhuis

 2005/12/4 9:25Profile
lamuskrat
Member



Joined: 2005/10/3
Posts: 117
Gonzales, La

 Re:

Quote:
I have a hard time, when the only tool many of our evangelists are using is a movie, and then trying to explain how that movie is tied into truth.



I agree. Let's just close the door to the churches, fold up all revival tents (as few as there are), stop handing out tracts and start handing out "Variety" and program fliers. We'll let Hollywood and its filth expound the gospel and biblical truths for us. NOT. (head lowered in shame)


Quote:
LOTR or such has a nice story and admittedly it would be very entertaining if I would not know that God indeed forbids witchcraft and wizardry. I have no reason to watch this movie,...




You would be surprised at how many "born-again" christians see this movie as acceptable and think it can be used to bring souls to Christ as if it was heaven sent.


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Mike Androne

 2005/12/4 12:04Profile
Warrior4Jah
Member



Joined: 2005/7/5
Posts: 382
The Netherlands

 Re:

Quote:
You would be surprised at how many "born-again" christians see this movie as acceptable and think it can be used to bring souls to Christ as if it was heaven sent.


Well most of my friends have no trouble watching this at all. I doubt that most know what the term 'born again' actually means.
My question about Narnia still stands though.

Surely there must be someone who read the books!


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Jonathan Veldhuis

 2005/12/4 12:31Profile
Agent001
Member



Joined: 2003/9/30
Posts: 386
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

 Re:

Certainly CS Lewis wrote the series from the Christian worldview and it carries a lot of underlying Christian themes. It is a significant Christian contribution to a world of literature saturated with non-Biblical worldviews.

However, I do not think he had evangelism in mind when he wrote the book. Nevertheless, since these books have captured the imaginations of the secular world, it serves as a possible common ground from which Christians can communicate the Gospel, by highlighting the Christian themes and further refering seekers to Christ and the scriptures as the ultimate source of inspiration for CS Lewis.

It is not [b][i]the[/i][/b] tool for evangelism, but it certainly can be [b][i]a[/i][/b] tool for evangelism. Clearly, we must carefully consider [b][i]how[/i][/b] we use such tool; but we could hardly fault CS Lewis for writing a series of novel as a Christian writer.


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Sam

 2005/12/5 10:51Profile
Roxi
Member



Joined: 2003/6/29
Posts: 39
Tallahassee, Florida

 Re:

If you do decide to read the Chronicles of Narnia (which I highly encourage you to do) please read them in the correct order.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Prince Caspian
Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Horse and His Boy
The Magicians Nephew
The Last Battle

:-D Tiffanie


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Tiffanie

 2005/12/5 13:00Profile
Randilover
Member



Joined: 2005/1/21
Posts: 17


 Re:

I absolutely love the Narnia books and have read them when I was younger and even as an adult as it is exceptional.

First, Narnia is geared toward a younger audience. LOTR's is a novel. It's an adult or young adult read. Narnia books, however, could be read to a 6 year old (i.e.- a chapter a night before bed). The series was actually started when Lewis had some children staying at his country house during WWII to keep them out of the way of the city bombings. He oral communicated the stories, and only later on in life put them to the page.

Second, there is less of a fantasy “world” than the LOTR. Tolkein created Middle Earth out of whole cloth. He gave it a history, characters, it’s own languages, etc. There is no passing from Middle Earth to our Earth. However, in Lewis’ Narnia, ordinary children from our world actually “slip” into Narnia. It makes it more interesting for those who would read it, as you could be one of those children.

Thirdly, as said before, the types are far more obviously Christian. Aslan the lion himself actually tells the children (I forget which book, The Dawn Treader, I think) he is Jesus in the world they come from. Not to spoil it for you, but there is a crucifixion and resurrection in the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It’s moving and awesome. Therefore, it can probably be said that children (and adults alike) will be able to draw the line from Narnia to real life. I heard Focus on the Family this morning and the point wsa made: people will be able to more clearly draw the line from this story to the Bible. It’ll jump out more (“Hey, that’s just like Jesus!!!)

Fourthly, there are other themes he weaves into the books regarding absolute truth, eschatology, obedience, sin, and items along those lines.

Finally, to those who seem to comments on how the LOTR and how the Bible condemns witchcraft, please get your collective heads out of your legalistic sand holes. Gandalf the wizard in no way what-so-ever endorses witchcraft as the Bible condemns (have you even read the books?!?), and for all intent and purposes was a type of Christ as he is actually resurrected in the story. There has been such a multitude of information on how LOTR and Narnia are different than a Harry Potter type witchcraft, to not have done the research and then make the comments above is irresponsible. Are books that were written recently like “Finding God in the LOTR” lying when they can (quite easily) draw the parralles between Biblical truth and Tolkein’s works?

C.S. Lewis talks about magic in his books (see the book “Letters to Malcolm, Chiefly on Prayer”), and space travel and other planets as other spiritual realms in his fiction, maybe we should just close the covers on his works as well. Lord knows there is nothing to those “damnable” theories. Or maybe, just maybe, they are representing something in their stories of good and evil, resurrection and redemption, faith and hope and love, something that can and IS used constructively to further people in their relationship and knowledge of/with God and Jesus himself. Tolkein made the point (as I am sure he had his miserly critics in his own lifetime) that there are two types of escape (or “entertainment” as some have said). You will think of a man cowardly escaping from the front lines of a battle much differently than you would of a man escaping from a prison to get home. Tolkein believed his books belonged in the later category drawing lines in his themes to greater realities of truth of a heart and soul after true truth.

I’ve never met a person that thought the LOTR movies were evangelical (as in to evangelize people) in anyway what so ever. It was not written for that intent, nor was the movie made for that intent either. But I think they can be used as bridges to the greater reality and truth of Jesus as they carry biblical themes. But please don’t be so prideful to think that revival tents or churches or tracts offer more than a movie or a theater. You’d be hard pressed to prove they offer more to people than other options. You know it is not the location of a message, it’s the message itself. Tolkein made no greater parable than our Lord himself would have used in his own time.

 2005/12/5 13:14Profile





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