Finding God in the Land of Narnia (Saltriver) [Hardcover]

Kurt Bruner (Author), Jim Ware (Author)

Book Description

Series: Saltriver

In Finding God in the Land of Narnia, best-selling authors Kurt Bruner and Jim Ware explore the deep spiritual themes of redemption and grace found in the popular Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis. With amazing clarity that captures the tone and style of C. S. Lewis himself, the authors offer a depth of insight that will surprise even the most ardent Lewis fan. Each chapter will help readers gain not only a deeper understanding of the popular Lewis series, but a deeper understanding of God himself.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"It is not our intention to turn Lewis's stories into sermons," say Bruner and Ware, authors of Finding God in the Lord of the Rings. "But we do hope to draw spiritual insights from the faith that inspired their author and informed their plots." The authors use selected scenes from the Narnia Chronicles to open each of the more than two dozen short, thematic chapters of this book. These chapters address spiritual themes that many Christians can relate to: why do bad things happen to good people? How does the Holy Spirit work in the lives of the faithful? What should people do with feelings of disappointment in God? Those who haven't yet read the entire series may be confused by the examples given here, which jump quickly among the Narnia books without always identifying which novel is serving as a chapter's opening illustration. And despite the authors' determination not to reduce Lewis's Chronicles to mere sermons, many of these chapters feel like superficial narrative preaching, with a story, a brief meditation and a final take-away thought for reflection. Still, some of the authors' observations are insightful, and the chapters are short enough that the book could even be used as a month-long collection of daily devotions.
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From the Back Cover

“Now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story. . . .”

Best-selling authors Kurt Bruner and Jim Ware (Finding God in the Lord of the Rings) once again unpack a world of fantasy to reveal the Great Story hidden within. With more than 65 million copies sold and a major feature film based on the series, The Chronicles of Narnia captures more imaginations today than ever before. C. S. Lewis fans will love the many surprising insights the authors uncover, and parents will discover new ways to show their children God’s character and presence in their lives.

As the great Lion, Aslan, says about our brief sojourn through Narnia: “By knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.” So slip through the wardrobe for a while to explore the land of Narnia. You just might be surprised by who you find there! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: SaltRiver (June 21, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 084238104X
• ISBN-13: 978-0842381048
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #227,741 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #31 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > History & Criticism
  • #42 in Books > Children's Books > Religions > Inspirational

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book!, August 12, 2005

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Finding God in the Land of Narnia (Saltriver) (Hardcover)

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) is remembered for two things - his great works of Christian theology (Mere Christianity, The Great Divorce, and many more) and his Chronicles of Narnia books. Many people examine the Narnia books for Christian allegories, but as Mr. Lewis himself stated, the books were not written as allegories, but were fantastic stories into which Christian truths pushed themselves. This book is not so much an examination of the theology of the Chronicles of Narnia, but a look at the Christian truths that are found there nonetheless.

I must say that I found this to be a wonderfully interesting book. The authors examine the Christian truths reflected in the Narnia books - everything from creation, to sin, redemption, and the nature of man. If you are a fan of the Narnia books, then you will enjoy this one. Indeed, I don't doubt that C.S. Lewis himself would have enjoyed it.

And, I will add that this book is simple enough reading that you can give it to a high school or even junior high school student, and they will be able to read and fully understand it. This is a great book that I highly recommend to everyone!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great devotional for lovers of Narnia, March 9, 2006

By 

Virginia Smith (Kentucky USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Finding God in the Land of Narnia (Saltriver) (Hardcover)

I love this book! I know those Narnia books better than I know my own, so I was skeptical that the book would tell me anything new. But I've gotten a LOT out of the parallels the authors outline. I never considered the spiritual meaning of Father Christmas breaking through the White Witch's winter. Or the Pevensies being "drawn into" Narnia by Queen Susan's horn in PRINCE CASPIAN. The authors don't simply cite Biblical parallels - they outline spiritual truths exemplified in some of my favorite passages, and they use many of Lewis' other writings to support their points. I highly recommend this for lovers of Narnia looking for a great devotional book.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good but not great, October 12, 2005

By 

Jedi Batman - See all my reviews

This review is from: Finding God in the Land of Narnia (Saltriver) (Hardcover)

I found this book very good but not as nearly as insightful as other books on the subject. The chapters just seemed to end out of nowhere. The authors should have decided if they were writing a devotional or just a book on Narnia because I felt like they were trying to do both and it just didn't come together.

That being said it is a good book. A nice touch is the simple fact that it touches on all of the Chronicles. You get at least a tidbit from each and every book in the series.