As a child, I loved to read. I tore through many of the popular books in a fraction of the time it took many of my classmates. The library in my small town school had my name on many of the cards on the inside cover of the book. In fact, while I was in seminary I did substitute teaching and on two occasions I was at my former elementary school. During a break, I went to the library and actually found a few of the books I had read and one of them still had a card with my sloppy third or fourth-grade handwriting on it. As a young reader, my favorite books were the books about Ramona Quimby by Beverly Cleary. If I had any inkling of difficulty in falling asleep, I would pull one of those books off the shelf and would pound through it again until the power of gravity on my young eyelids became too much to bear.
When I was roughly a decade old, I remember receiving a box set of the Chronicles of Narnia. I do not remember all the details, but I do remember that it was a gift. My certainty on this is a result of a vivid memory I have whenever I look at the box set that I still have more than 30 years later. The flashback takes me back to the obnoxious loud yellow chairs in my grandparents living room where I tore the wrapping paper off of the gift. The memories I have of the Chronicles are not limited to the unwrapping of a gift but also I remember reading the books while lying on my grandmother's inflexible sofa. The series snared me as soon as young Lucy took off through the wardrobe, even though I had no real idea what a wardrobe was. I thought a wardrobe was the clothes that I owned. I was also perplexed by the lamppost in the wood because I didn't have a context for an ornate metal light stand and so I imagined the large wooden posts with lights hanging out over the streets that were the staple in the small town my grandparents lived in.
The fascination only grew when my mother informed me that there were Christian overtones in the books. She wasn't sure what those themes were, but she told me that she thought this Narnia place I was describing is like heaven. If you have read this long, I am going to assume that you are familiar with the Narnian tales. You then understand my confusion of how Narnia was anything like heaven if the evil, white witch could have any control over it. Despite the confusion induced by my well-meaning mother, the Christian imagery became clear for me at the Stone Table. If I wasn't hooked before the story of Aslan's death and resurrection, that storyline definitely guaranteed the reading of the remaining six novels
Over time I became less interested in literature and stories and developed an affinity for girls and metal music. I could barely remember the tales much less tell you how they could impact my Christian discipleship.
Fast forward 20 plus years and my young daughter began to love stories herself. At this same time, I heard some exciting entertainment news. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was being made into a feature film. This gave me a reignited fire for Lewis's tales of Narnia. I read them with my daughter in preparation for the movie. My desire to understand Narnia increased to a fanatical level. As a new Amazon customer, I discovered a plethora of books on the Chronicles. I bought a large assortment of them and devoured them in much the same way I did the Chronicles as a young child. I also discovered the Focus on the Family Radio Drama interpretations of the stories. On a long, solo road trip from Ohio to South Dakota to help my mother move I listened to all seven stories.
All this biographical information to say that I love Narnia. Even as an adult have spent a significant amount of time enjoying the stories. Recently I developed a conviction that I need to be introducing my two youngest children to good literature. With that conviction I am reading the Chronicles through again with them. One chapter at a time while tucking them into bed at night. With a renewed appreciation of the stories, it was exciting to see that Live Like a Narnian: Christian Discipleship in Lewis's Chronicles was on sale for Kindle for a mere $1.99. While I did not have the joy of unwrapping the book on my grandmother's loud couch, I did enjoy the brief moment of anticipation as the book hurtled through the vastness of the internet to my Kindle.
As I read the book the primary thing that came through to me was Joe Rigney's absolute love of all things Narnia. This book was not written at a time when the Chronicles were experiencing popularity due to an impending movie release. Instead, Rigney is writing out of his desire to be a true Narnia himself. I have read a lot of books on Narnia and none of them comes close to this one. Rigney captures the essence of Lewis and how we he envisioned Christian formation. He does this by not only showing it throughout the seven Chronicles, but also by connecting the themes to Lewis's other writings. Even though I am a rather big fan of Lewis, in general, I have not read The Abolition of Man. After reading this book it is now towards the top of my "To Read" list. While some may think that the references outside of the Chronicles might be unnecessary, I found it to be a way of expanding Rigney's idea of breathing Narnian air.
Another one of the things I appreciated about the book was that there was not an emphasis on The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It is easy to see many of the Christian themes in that volume but there so much to explore in the other six Chronicles. Rigney brings us through the wardrobe, magically pulls us from the train station, and puts us into the water near a Narnian ship. We experience how we should have values shaped by the behavior of Kings and Queens of Narnia and even a talking badger.
While there is a balanced treatment of all seven Chronicles, I believe that his greatest focus is on The Horse and His Boy. If asked to pick a favorite tale this book would be my pick. The journey of Shasta, Bree, Hwin, and Aravis has always tugged at me more than any other story. Their journey shows us much about our journey in this life and the way God, in his providence, leads us and works all things together. This tale is the least likely to receive a movie treatment of all seven books, but I am looking forward to reading it again with my children. Live Like a Narnian has opened up a new appreciation for the story. I am not going to dress up as King Lune for Halloween anytime soon, but Rigney has helped me to see how Lewis's fiction can inspire me towards an abundant Christian life.
I did find that some of the chapters can feel like they run on but I was so excited about the book that I read most of it in one sitting. Had I approached the book in a more reflective or devotional way I don't think I would have felt this way. To get the best benefit out of the book I encourage you not to be a glutton like me but instead feast with great joy at Aslan's table.
In conclusion, if you are a fan of the Chronicles you need to pick up this book. It is a valuable resource to understand the Chronicles but also has great value for your Christian walk and discipleship. As a pastor the book makes me want to find a way to incorporate Narnian themes into a class for families as we all move further up and further in.
Comments
Post a Comment