Today, I saw a man walk past a large Chronicles of Narnia display at a local book store. He scoffed and said to his companion, “It’s just the Christian Harry Potter.” As if Christians had organized and created The Chronicles to combat the popularity of J.K. Rowling’s books.

The first American edition of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was printed in September, 1998. Seven years ago.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe written by C. S. Lewis was first copyrighted in 1950. Fifty-five years ago.

The Chronicles of Narnia are not just anything. Especially Christian knockoffs of Harry Potter.

Natalie Jost says that The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ” is NOT a Christian book at all.”

“I suppose the character is there, but as David Van Biema’s article discusses, the Chronicles only have a few subtle lines sprinkled throughout that might claim it a Christian theme. Most of the story is pure fiction as Lewis intended.”

“Despite C. S. Lewis’ Christian character, his story is just a story – a good one, but just a story.”

Um… maybe I said this earlier… The Chronicles of Narnia are not just anything. They’re not just a good story. There’s more there than that.

Jost does have a point though. Lewis did not start writing The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as a Christian book.

"Lewis also dispelled the myth that he had originally fashioned the stories for the purpose of demonstrating Christian principles:

‘Some people seem to think that I began by asking myself how I could say something about Christianity to children; then fixed on the fairy tale as an instrument, then collected information about child psychology and decided what age group I’d write for; then drew up a list of basic Christian truths and hammered out “allegories” to embody them. This is all pure moonshine. I couldn’t write in that way. It all began with images; a faun carrying an umbrella, a queen on a sledge, a magnificent lion. At first there wasn’t anything Christian about them; that element pushed itself in of its own accord.’" – Wikipedia

“That element pushed itself in of its own accord.” So Lewis didn’t start out intending to write a Christian book… but a Christian element is there.

The Times article that Jost links too calls part of
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, “Christianity in a kid-lit veil.”

“The White Witch: “That human creature is mine. His life is forfeit to me. His blood is my property.”

Aslan (later) : “The Witch knew the Deep Magic. But if she could have looked a little further back… she would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards.” —from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis “

That’s not just character and it’s not subtle. It is Aslan as a Christ figure, giving his life for the traitorous Edmond. That is Christian.

In one of his later books, Lewis writes this:

    "Dearest," said Aslan very gently, "you and your
brother will never come back to Narnia,"
    “Oh, Aslan!!” said Edmund and Lucy both together in despairing voice.
   
“You are too old, children,” said Aslan, “and you must begin to come close to your own world now.”
   
“It isn’t Narnia, you know, ” sobbed Lucy. “It’s you. We shan’t meet
you there. And how cane we live, never meeting you?”
    “But you shall meet me, dear one,” said Aslan.
   
“Are–are you there too, Sir?” said Edmund.
   
“I am,” said Aslan. “But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.” – Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis [Book 5]

Why did Lewis bring any of us into Narnia? So that by knowing Aslan a little there we might know the one called “I am” better here. 
Perhaps that’s not what he planned when he first started to imagine the faun the
queen and the lion… but that is what he wrote.

• The Chronicles of Narnia Boxed Set
• Narnia Movie

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