This famous bit of dialogue (adapted with reasonable faithfulness to the screen) from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis seems to be a preacherly favorite, and for good reason. When I think about the ways American churches have domesticated Jesus (who can frankly seem a bit rough-around-the-edges in the Gospels) it IS kind of scandalous. However, I wonder if preachers love this passage so much because they feel domesticated themselves and this gives them permission to push the boundaries; to "call sin sin" "roar" a bit (assert their authority in some way). Again, I tend to think that part of the problem of mediocrity in American Christianity is that if a church attempts to exercise any social authority in the lives of its members, they go elsewhere (if consumerism in church selection isn't a sign of domestication, I don't know what is).
However, the abuse of authority is also a serious problem in Christianity. So I find it absolutely fascinating that Lewis uses his phrase "not a tame lion" as the rationale behind the subjugation of Narnia in The Last Battle. If you haven't read it - DO. As with the rest of the series, it does contain the ethnocentrism that detracts from its contemporary potential, but the portrayal of deception and the abuse of beloved doctrines is brilliant. As the free Narnians are manipulated into willing slavery, they ask "how could Aslan demand all this?" The response is always, "Well, he's not a tame lion, after all." In one poignant scene, King Tirian of Narnia frees a group of dwarves and tries to enlist them to help free other Narnians, but they balk at his request, being a bit confused after their deception about who Aslan really is anymore. Tirian's undoing is his recitation of the now cursed aphorism, "He's not a tame lion, after all!" The dwarves walk away.
It seems that everyone has forgotten the crucial clause added by the Beavers: "But he's good! He's the King I tell you!" It never comes up. The element of criticism that could have been applied is lost. Notice that the application of this criticism requires a fundamental assumption: that there IS a correlation between what the Narnians think "good" means, and what "good" must mean to Aslan. Unlike many theologians and pastors, who quickly jump to the conclusion that God's ways (and their own?) are too transcendently "other" to be questioned, Lewis (like his hero George MacDonald) invites critical thinking about cherished theological maxims and their deployment by those who claim to speak for God.
In the book of Job, Job rants and raves and demands his day in court with God, counter to his companions who offer the conventional wisdom. In the end, God responds in a strangely nuanced fashion. On one hand, God rebukes anyone's (or is it just Job's friends?) capacity to challenge God's ways, but the text also affirms that Job did not sin in anything he said and God states that Job has "spoken of me what is right." I admire Lewis for his foresight about this beloved phrase and his willingness to include its abuse and manipulation in the last of the series.
However, the abuse of authority is also a serious problem in Christianity. So I find it absolutely fascinating that Lewis uses his phrase "not a tame lion" as the rationale behind the subjugation of Narnia in The Last Battle. If you haven't read it - DO. As with the rest of the series, it does contain the ethnocentrism that detracts from its contemporary potential, but the portrayal of deception and the abuse of beloved doctrines is brilliant. As the free Narnians are manipulated into willing slavery, they ask "how could Aslan demand all this?" The response is always, "Well, he's not a tame lion, after all." In one poignant scene, King Tirian of Narnia frees a group of dwarves and tries to enlist them to help free other Narnians, but they balk at his request, being a bit confused after their deception about who Aslan really is anymore. Tirian's undoing is his recitation of the now cursed aphorism, "He's not a tame lion, after all!" The dwarves walk away.
It seems that everyone has forgotten the crucial clause added by the Beavers: "But he's good! He's the King I tell you!" It never comes up. The element of criticism that could have been applied is lost. Notice that the application of this criticism requires a fundamental assumption: that there IS a correlation between what the Narnians think "good" means, and what "good" must mean to Aslan. Unlike many theologians and pastors, who quickly jump to the conclusion that God's ways (and their own?) are too transcendently "other" to be questioned, Lewis (like his hero George MacDonald) invites critical thinking about cherished theological maxims and their deployment by those who claim to speak for God.
In the book of Job, Job rants and raves and demands his day in court with God, counter to his companions who offer the conventional wisdom. In the end, God responds in a strangely nuanced fashion. On one hand, God rebukes anyone's (or is it just Job's friends?) capacity to challenge God's ways, but the text also affirms that Job did not sin in anything he said and God states that Job has "spoken of me what is right." I admire Lewis for his foresight about this beloved phrase and his willingness to include its abuse and manipulation in the last of the series.
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