[Linux4christians] Narnia [OT]

[Timothy Butler]

>
> Then I say lets get rid of the Word of God. It is no longer needed. We
> have allegories and movies to do the evangelizing for us. It is  
> truly a
> dawn of a new age. We no longer need the objective truth of the  
> Word of
> God. We have the subjective imaginations of sinful men to guide us to
> heaven.

	Brian, you are so busy being sarcastic, I wonder if you're even  
interested in hearing the other side. However, I thought I'd try one  
last ditch effort: To say that stuff outside of God's Word can help  
to save people is not to say that the Scriptures are gratuitous. More  
than the written Word of God, I believe in the power of the living  
Word of God who reaches out through His Spirit in whichever ways  
necessary to touch people. God's written Word is only valuable  
because of the living Word that it reveals.

	Was I saved from reading God's Word alone? No! Would I have even  
bothered to read God's Word has I not be encouraged by family, my  
pastor, etc.? I can say I would not. They all preached the Gospel,  
sometimes in just the way they lived, sometimes directly. So too can  
books, movies, art, etc. We'll never reach the masses who are turning  
away from "hypocritical, outdated religion" by rattling off Bible  
verses. They've been trained to be on guard for that. But, living  
those verses, writing and creating things that expound the truth of  
those verses -- those are the kind of things that can reach people.  
When I manage to live a bit by God's Word, I don't have a little sign  
that said "(1 Cor. 2)" floating above my head, however hopefully  
people might see something in my life and decide to look into it.  
(I'm not saying I live that good of witness, but certainly some  
people do.) In that way, Christians become living allegories for the  
love of Christ. Likewise, if an author creates a story and models a  
character on Jesus, and people say "I really wish Aslan was real,  
because he's amazing," that's opened the door. Then they can look  
into it, and see, "oh, while Aslan is just a fictional lion, I can  
see in the Gospels that he's a symbol for the very real Christ."

	I just found an article tonight that has another Lewis quote:  
"'Laurence can’t really love Aslan more than Jesus, even if he feels  
that’s what he is doing,' said Lewis. 'For the things he loves Aslan  
for doing or saying are simply things that Jesus really did and said.  
So that when Laurence thinks he is loving Aslan, he is really loving  
Jesus; and perhaps loving him more than he ever did before.'" <http:// 
www.catholic.net/us_catholic_news/template_article.phtml? 
channel_id=1&article_id=3519>

	People aren't reading their Bibles today, so you can't count on them  
knowing that already. I was talking to a professor of religion the  
other day; he was grading finals for "World Religions." The majority  
of students thought that the purpose of Christianity was to seek the  
Eight-fold Path. 10% did not know that the death and resurrection of  
Jesus Christ was central to Christianity. And this is in a school in  
the midwest of the supposedly most Christian country on the planet.  
The Bible is our ultimate authority, but when people aren't reading  
their Bibles, aren't listening to preaching from the Word, and are  
indifferent to the whole thing, what are we to do?

	Jesus spoke in parables and made sure some would not understand, but  
He also revealed the truth via parables to those he chose (I could  
wax Calvinist here, but I won't :-)). Perhaps Narnia is a modern  
parable. Sure a lot of people won't get it at all. But maybe some  
will have a seed planted... they'll yearn for a real Aslan. They'll  
recognize the universal need to be saved. And then, when the time is  
right, God can call them. I believe God can utilize anything for His  
purposes. He can utilize an "altar to an unknown god" to enlighten  
Athens. He can utilize the ill intent of 11 almost murderous  
brothers  to save his chosen people. He can, and does, use anything  
to accomplish his will. As Joseph said, "You intended to harm me, but  
God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the  
saving of many lives" (Genesis 50:20 NIV).

	-Tim

---
Timothy R. Butler | "Now  that  I am a  Christian  I  do have moods
Editor, OfB.biz   | in which the whole thing looks very improbable:
tbutler at ofb.biz   | but when I was an  atheist I had moods in which
timothybutler.us  | Christianity looked terribly probable."
                                                       -- C.S. Lewis