The Christian Post has an insightful piece on the new Chronicles of Narnia installment "Prince Caspian."
Since the Naria novels were written by Christian apologist C.S. Lewis, it should be no surprise that shadows of Christian theology would be present.
But as the article points out, there are more than just shadows of similarity with our world today:
“We enter a world of skepticism that is very much like our own,” commented Mark Earley, president and CEO of Prison Fellowship Ministry, in a column this week. “Let’s just say that the best-selling books of Miraz’s kingdom could easily have been titled ‘The Aslan Delusion and Aslan is Not Great.’”
The conflict changes this time from a direct good versus evil fight – where Aslan is pitted against the White Witch in the first Narnia story – to a war between followers of the opposing powers. But on a personal level, the characters struggle individually with their faith in the stories about Aslan, including Prince Caspian himself who has never seen the lion.
“Here is something with which Christians today can certainly relate,” Earley observed. “It is one thing to be among the first witnesses who exult in the risen Christ. It is quite another to act out of faith when the stories of His witnesses are so many centuries removed from our world.”
Earley has a point. Why else would Jesus have said, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
I don't think there's a single Christian out there who hasn't examined their faith in a critical light from time to time, and even doubted. With all the skeptical and contradictory messages being sent by the secular world, faith can be a tough row to how--especially when God isn't exactly providing daily, incontrovertible miracles to bolster you.
But then, sometimes even seeing isn't necessarily believing. Remember that Adam and Eve knew God in a face-to-face way that we do not--and they still chose to believe a lie over God.
Maybe that has something to do with why God doesn't make it easy, why He doesn't provide daily miracles to get us to believe--if you can maintain faith in Him simply on His promises and His track record, then maybe that's the kind of people God is looking for to populate the new Earth someday.
Anyway, I'm sure that, though Prince Caspian will definitely be entertaining, you'll walk away with some food for thought...if you have eyes to see and ears to hear, that is.
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