Quest Ministries: Three New Discoveries about Narnia

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Three New Discoveries about Narnia

I've come across three books, both new and old, that fearture Narnia. I wasn't aware of any of them until a few weeks ago.

The first is a fairly scholarly work, the one I quoted in my last blog, C. S. Lewis in Context by Doris T. Myers.

The second is titled The Magician's Book: A Skeptic's Adventures in Narnia, by Laura Miller, a regular contributor to the New York Times Book Review, co-founder of salon.com, and a self-proclaimed non-Christian.

Then there's The Everything Guide to C. S. Lewis & Narnia, a pretty good dummies-style book by Jon Kennedy.

I'm planning on writing more about the second two books in days to come, but for now I want to quote two passages from Myers's work. She concludes her discussion of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe this way: "The children love Aslan not because they owe a debt of gratitude, but because he is beautiful. Narnia teaches them to love beauty so that later they may embrace truth and goodness" (132). That statement is so incredibly meaningful to me. Those of you that know me probably know why it has such meaning for me.

Another statement by Myers that is worth meditating on is from the beginning of her discussion of Prince Caspian. "At the end of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe the Professor advises the children about getting back into Narnia. He says, 'Don't go trying to use the same route twice. Indeed, don't try to get there at all' (186). His words echo John's experience in The Pilgrim's Regress; every time the young man tried to see his Island [Lewis's symbol for Joy] again, he attained only a substitute or a corrupted form of it. The theme of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, the attainment of Joy through the love of Aslan, is also the theme of Prince Caspian" (132).

© 2009 by Stan Bohall

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PROFILE

Contact Information:

Experience:

For over forty years Stan has developed people and organizations through preaching, teaching, organizing, writing, motivating, and listening. He especially enjoys interacting with people in one-to-one and group settings.

Stan has a Master of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell. In 2012, he completed a certificate program in spiritual direction from Selah (http://leadershiptransformations.org/selah.htm).

Stan also loves to help people navigate life’s challenges by discussing popular stories. Fiction written by C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo, and a host of others help us understand how God’s Story interacts with our own.

Specialty Skills:

Organizing people, events, and projects

Analyzing challenges, and proposing and implementing solutions

Creative writing

Conversant with computer software and the Internet

Video-conferencing via Skype and other software

Accomplishments:

Stan led an organization that was on the brink of disbanding. Through his leadership it became a more vibrant cohesive group, optimistic about its future. He led its members in group activities. He also worked with its leaders to evaluate and update the organization's purpose, financial health, and organizational structure. As a result, the group became healthier, larger, and more outward focused and welcoming.

He led a group in a ten-week discussion of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. The majority of the participants read 100 pages per week to prepare for their sessions. He met with the group for two hours each week to discuss the contents, truths, and applications of this beautiful piece of literature.

For several years Stan led a multi-week training course for an organization. The purpose of the training was to help members understand and communicate the organization's core values with potential members. He recruited people to be part of the training, taught them how to clearly express the principles, and provided the means for them to be in touch with potential members. Leaders emerged from this training program, confident in their ability to communicate.