Customer Reviews

Finding God in the Land of Narnia (Saltriver)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

Finding God in the Land of Narnia is by the same authors who gave us Finding God in Lord of the Rings. An interesting duo of books as C.S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkein were Christian frinds who had a great influence on each other. Though Kurt Bruner is credited in the Amazon listing, he is again ably assited by Jim Ware and I wish we knew more about these two very excellent authors. They reveal an understanding of the use of fantasy to teach the basic tenets of Christianity. Though the emphasis today is on the first book due to the film, this is an excellent handbook to the series. There are many other good ones, however this book is concise and excellent to give one who has just seen the excellent Disney film on the first Narnian book. There are quotes by Lewis from other books which should encourage readers to get into all the great books this master of theology produced.

C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia are the most beautiful fantasy books ever written. Despite the fact that some people regard Lewis as "preachy," his beautiful imagery and adherence to Truth make him one of the greatest writers of the 20th century.
Some people might have difficulty unraveling the spiritual truths from the fantastic elements of the Narnia stories. If this truth applies to you, then "Finding God in the Land of Narnia" will prove to be a marvelous asset. I was immediately drawn into this easy-to-follow and rich examination of the Narnia classics. The authors' language is entertaining and fun. Instead of lengthy dissertations, the authors have addressed different symbols in short chapters. The chapters read like daily devotionals, making this book an excellent tool for a study of the seven books in conjunction with a Bible study. Scripture is used extensively to corroborate certain points. My favorite chapters are as follows:

1. "Aslan's Song": With an indescribably beautiful melody, the Great Lion sang the Land of Narnia into existence. Our creativity mirrors the first Creator.
2. "Turkish Delight": The sweetness and allure of the White Witch's treats brought Edmund Pevensie into her web of deceit. The lovely round box, swathed in green silk ribbons, waits enticingly for us all as sins caressing sweetness calls to us. Will we succumb and eventually sicken as a result of our gluttony?
3. "The Coming of Father Christmas": In the frozen, death-grip of Jadis' icy winter rule, Christmas breaks forth to weaken her power. Like the day nearly 2000 years ago when Hope was born during the rule of tyranny to dispell the Curse.
4. "Strange Revelry": The joyous celebration of the return of joy in a land ravaged by war and fear. We all should be joyous people who express our gratitude for being free.
5. "A Change of Clothes": Only Aslan can remove the cumbersome dragon hide that has imprisoned Eustace Scrubb for so long. We all must submit to the One who can rip away our evil deeds, an often painful process, but one that is necessary if we are to be transformed.

These are just a sampling of the marvelous insights in this fantastic book. Please give the book a chance. God bless you all.

This book was a great read. I read this book before reading The Chronicles of Narnia and I am glad that I did. I was pleased with the seller too. The book was in excellent condition as promised. Would definitely buy from this seller again.

I enjoyed this book (although it disappointed me in some ways). FOLLOWING ASLAN by Kenneth McIntosh is a very similar book, except his is written for young children. Both authors do a good job of tying Narnia, the Bible, and our everyday lives together in a way that makes us realize that there are no lines between the spiritual, the ordinary, and the world of the imagination. Both books make excellent daily devotionals for families. A family with young children could use Bruner's book without too much effort--and although McIntosh's book is written for young children, as an adult, I found spiritual truths there that challenged me. In Bruner's book, I was just hoping he would lead me a little "further up and further in" than he did!

This is a good book for mature audiences. I would not allow my younger children to read it, as some of the analogies are disturbing, such as "God is like a lover, not a rapist."