The Lion, the Witch, and Worldviews
By Charles Taliaferro
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (LWW), published in 1950, is probably the best known of C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia. When I read it as a teenager, I identified with Edmund, a little later with Lucy; I liked Peter enormously but felt he was out of my league. Now that I have been a professor for decades and spent much of my life defending Christian Platonism, I identify with Digory Kirk, “the professor.” He castigates Peter and Susan for not using logic. “‘Logic!’ said the Professor half to himself. ‘Why don’t they teach logic at these schools?’” And in the last book in the series he exclaims, “It’s all in Plato, all in Plato; bless me, what do they teach them at these schools.”
Lewis was masterful in layering theology into his highly successful fantasy tales: I have defended the ransom theory of the atonement in the LWW in several places (see, for example, The Chronicles of Narnia and Philosophy, 2005). The details of the ransom theory and even the plotlines of the Chronicles are not essential to the main point of this essay. (Though if you have not read the Chronicles, drop everything and read it straight away.) I am sure Lewis would be delighted if you focus on the characters and events in the fantasy tales, but he also wanted you to see through the narrative a bigger reality beyond the text. You might love Aslan as a character, but you are also invited to see through Aslan to encounter the living God (as Jesus Christ). The Chronicles are not pure apologetics and I know readers who adore the books without having an inkling of the Christian context. But we may note a lesson to be learned from the Chronicles when it comes to reflecting in the Christian worldview.
We may readily speak of the Christian worldview or, in light of the diversity within Christianity, worldviews. But note that as Christians we are not called to worship Christianity and the Christian worldview. We are not made in the image of a worldview, nor are we saved (redeemed or sanctified or find atonement with God) by a worldview. The Christian worldview and even scripture itself is that through which (in Latin, objectum quo) we encounter the Triune God.
Having a worldview can provide consolation, provoke one to change, promote justice or injustice, but worldviews themselves are not the sort of things that can love or hate or listen to prayers or forgive sins. Those of us who seek to contribute to the Christian worldview(s) need to see them as windows or doorways. One may build a window and admire the special glass, fashion a door and relish its oak carving, but their function is to see through windows and to use the door to enter or leave abodes. A good Christian worldview is like the wardrobe in the LWW; it is a portal or conduit to explore that which lies beyond it: Aslan’s country and perhaps even the One whom Lewis modeled Aslan after, the incarnate Lord.
— Charles Taliaferro, Professor of Philosophy and Overby Distinguished Chair, St. Olaf College, is the author, co-author or editor of over 35 books including The Golden Cord and Praying with C. S. Lewis.
Recommended Resource
One of the defining characteristics of Christian theism is its understanding of the nature and attributes of God. As one studies the doctrine of God, a number of questions naturally arise: Does God change? Does God have emotions? Does everything occur as God wills? Is God entirely good and loving? How can God be one God and three persons?
Skeptics frequently charge that one or more of God’s attributes is incoherent, or that they contradict one another. Believers often wonder what it means, for example, that God is unchanging or all-loving, and how they should understand God in light of these qualities.
Given the importance of these questions for the Christian worldview, we highly recommend John C. Peckham’s recent book on this topic, Divine Attributes: Knowing the Covenantal God of Scripture. Drawing on Scripture, theology, and philosophy, Peckham explains each attribute in detail, engages with the most important scholarship related to it, and shows how each can be understood in a theologically faithful and philosophically robust manner.
See our recent excerpt from the book titled The God of the Philosophers?
“This volume on the divine attributes and ‘covenantal theism’ is a superb work of theology. It is thorough, nuanced, and balanced. As in his other works, Peckham is both winsome and bold: he winsomely engages important age-old and more recent theological conversations and controversies, and he boldly challenges certain theological positions while confidently articulating and defending the considerable merits of covenantal theism.”
— Paul Copan, Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics, Palm Beach Atlantic University; author of Loving Wisdom: A Guide to Philosophy and Christian Faith
“Divine Attributes will be a game changer for debates about the nature of God. Strict classical theists and open theists must deal with the powerful biblical case that Peckham presents. If you are looking for a theology text that is faithful to the biblical witness and sensitive to the philosophical challenges that arise from thinking about the nature of God, then Divine Attributes is the book for you.”
— R. T. Mullins, Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies
Find Divine Attributes: Knowing the Covenantal God of Scripture at Baker, Amazon, and other major booksellers.
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(*The views expressed in the articles and media linked to do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of The Worldview Bulletin.)
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