The Narnia Code!

I first read the Narnia books (all seven of them) when I was an adult, probably around the age of twenty-two. They are wonderful children's stories that, if taken at face value are just that, children's stories. But, when one is reading them there is no doubt that an obvious parallel is taking place between the world of Narnia and our own. In other words, the books are allegorical. They tell one story as a way of telling another. The first book, The Magician's Nephew, finds the children 'falling into' another world. At the time they arrive it is an 'empty world'. They find themselves there just at the point that Aslan, the Christ-figure, is creating life in the empty world. It's powerful writing and wonderful to read.

The second, and most famous, of the books is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. This tells the story, in allegory form, of sin and redemption. In the story, the boy Edmund is skillfully tempted by the witch to eat her Turkish delight. He then, almost unwittingly, chooses the witch (sin) over Aslan (God) and then discovers his ill fate when it is too late. Aslan rescues the boy, but the witch demands blood! She refers to a 'deep magic' (really referring to deep spiritual laws that demand justice) that the boy's life 'is hers'. The climax of the story is that Aslan substitutes himself in place of Edmund and dies at the hand of the witch on the stone table. When all seems lost, Aslan returns to life - declaring that there was a yet deeper magic that the witch didn't know .."that when an innocent life"..gave itself in place of another .."death began to work in reverse." A true picture of what Jesus did for all mankind. The other books have different and exciting parallels.

However, Dr Michael Ward in The Narnia Code, finds a further cosmic meaning to the books of C.S Lewis. I must admit that I was sceptical to begin with and thought that this could be a lot of nonsense (the sceptic in me!). But, when I watched the programme on BBC iPlayer, I had that feeling that something has just quite easily 'slipped into place' and I believe he is right. The programme was excellent and toward the end had interviews and comment from some leading scientists who are Christians. I loved the way one of them put it, something like: "We can interpret the world through science, but there is another way! C.S. Lewis started from the point of man having consciousness and interpreted the world from that perspective" (my impression of what he said - it will not be entirely accurate). When Dr Ward was asked at the end "... and do you believe C.S. Lewis?" He simply answered "I do." If you get a chance to watch it or read the book, do it! Find out more here.