I think that one would not find Doug Batchelor or Joe Crews in the majority of most things we find today, but then here they are stating their approval of C. S. Lewis.

I fully believe that if one of them was peaking out about it, there would be no hesitation to post it on here; so how is it different to post their support?

Trust me, I do not always support the majority (just read my posts in other topics to prove that). But when it comes to this topic, I know what I have read. If that aligns with the majority, so be it, but if it does not align with me majority, so be it. Not one thing these leaders have to say influences my opinion on the matter because I have read the works of C. S. Lewis and I know the truth contained within them.

Can anyone give a specific example from the works of C. S. Lewis that makes his works bad, or must we rely on what others have to say, movie reviews, and assumptions?

Nice line-up Dave. Shawn Boonstra, Doug Batchelor, and Dwight Nelson. Yes, I respect all three of them but what exactly is the point? Am I to follow them regardless if they may be in error on a subject? I thought we were to look to the Bible to be our light and authority and not to the wisdom of men.

That is why we have the Holy Spirit as our guide and teacher. It’s the Spirit of Truth that will lead us into all Truth, not fiction, not the words of men, not movies or fables.

“The Holy Spirit has been given us as an aid in the study of the Bible. Jesus promised, ‘The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.’ John 14:26. When the Bible is made the study book, with earnest supplication for the Spirit's guidance and with a full surrender of the heart to be sanctified through the truth, all that Christ has promised will be accomplished. The result of such Bible study will be well-balanced minds. The understanding will be quickened, the sensibilities aroused. The conscience will become sensitive; the sympathies and sentiments will be purified; a better moral atmosphere will be created; and new power to resist temptation will be imparted”. {CT 357.1}

This is what we need, this is what every Christian needs! The fictional books that you are so tirelessly defending will not help us today nor prepare us for the trials of tomorrow.

The first time I read the Great Controversy I stayed up all night. Time after time my eyes became filled with tears, my heart became heavy and I had to pray thanking God for who He is, pleading with Him for my past sins, asking Him for the strength to endure. There are no illusions in that book as to who God is. Many have testified that reading that book brought them to Christ because the book lifts up Christ!! Can we be of Christ and still worship Mary? Can the Chronicles of Narlia lead man to Christ and yet not mention Christ? If it is not lifting up Christ, then who is it lifting up? Sure, when you repeat in the child’s hearing on how “Christian” the movie is, then what do you expect to hear other than agreement? But let’s come back to reality shall we. How does a movie that does not mention the name of Jesus lead people to Jesus? Is this the best that the modern day Christian can do?? Is it any wonder that we are loosing our young people like a busted pipe looses water!!

Please, no diversions. I have nothing against CS Lewis, nor will I ever question his salvation. Those were never the issue. This real issue is what we allow into our minds and more over what we are encouraging others to put into theirs.

“The readers of fiction are indulging an evil that destroys spirituality, eclipsing the beauty of the sacred page. It creates an unhealthy excitement, fevers the imagination, unfits the mind for usefulness, weans the soul from prayer, and disqualifies it for any spiritual exercise.” {MYP 272.2}

This statement is clear. It has nothing to do with an Adventist “schema” that you seem fond of saying…it is the straight truth. I would think that the words of a Prophet have more weight than the words of Mr. Boostra, Batchelor or Mr. Nelson (who has been quoting from Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven life on the pulpit).

But this takes me back to the question that I have always asked…”do we really believe that Christ is coming soon? Or are we just giving lip service to sound good?”

It baffles my mind to think the Adventists who say that Christ is soon to come are encouraging people to read fiction! Is this the best that we can do? Why not encourage others to read / study their Bible, and Steps to Christ, and The Great Cont, and Adventist Home, and Councils on Diet, etc, etc. What about books from Uriah Smith and our other pioneers? Is this what those who were called to preach the end-time message are busy doing?

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions".

“Even fiction which contains no suggestion of impurity, and which may be intended to teach excellent principles, is harmful. It encourages the habit of hasty and superficial reading, merely for the story. Thus it tends to destroy the power of connected and vigorous thought; it unfits the soul to contemplate the great problems of duty and destiny.” {CT 383.2}

Up to this point I have not seen anyone produce Biblical evidence or from the SOP that encourages us to develop a taste for the unreal, works of fiction on magic. Instead many are in open rebellion to the councils to stay away from the above. My advice to you my friends is to be very careful.

2 Cor 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

As the end-time generation, we must get the victory over the pleasures of this world and thankfully, Christ will freely give this power to all those who earnestly seek it.

2 Cor 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not , but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
2 Cor 10:5 Casting down imaginations , and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

--Ren

Satan is seeking to destroy God's people by any means that he can. His methods have become more suttle and more crafty than ever.

I encourage all those that are watching and guarding their gates to continue to do so.

Be sober and watch...

--Ren

It seems everything there is to say has been said, let everyone be convinced in their own mind and follow their conciences.

/Thomas

Well we had better EDIT (censor) the scriptures BECAUSE not all of the stories were literal, MANY were "fiction" pointing to reality. This is also what CS Lewis does, so lets get serious here and look at the roots of the stories, where they are pointing us to and the full intent of the stories! IF we are so "pig headed" (oops thats not kosher ) to not understand that scripture uses SYMBOLISM, which points to SERIOUS reality and likewise the Narnia series uses SYMBOLISM to point to reality...then we had best go hide our heads in the sand, beacause sombodies got OSTRICH syndrom, (maybe this is another form of AVIAN flu? )
-Thank you Dave for your serious and relevent posts. Shalom

Greetings Beachbum,

What is your position regarding the councils below which we have been given?

“Even fiction which contains no suggestion of impurity, and which may be intended to teach excellent principles, is harmful. It encourages the habit of hasty and superficial reading, merely for the story. Thus it tends to destroy the power of connected and vigorous thought; it unfits the soul to contemplate the great problems of duty and destiny.” {CT 383.2}

“The readers of fiction are indulging an evil that destroys spirituality, eclipsing the beauty of the sacred page. It creates an unhealthy excitement, fevers the imagination, unfits the mind for usefulness, weans the soul from prayer, and disqualifies it for any spiritual exercise.” {MYP 272.2}

Either we believe them and will follow them, or we don't believe and will reject them. This is a personal decision that we all must make.

--Ren

Ren

May I refer you to the secound post in this thread. Ellen wrote that aswell. Do we have an irreconcilable contradiction from the writings of Ellen here?`

/Thomas

This might be one of those areas where we can never reconcile all differences, either among ourselves or with the writings of Mrs. White. Those against CS Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia (CON) will bring up what she said about fiction, and those for the CON will bring up the fact that she recommended fiction (alegories). There is fiction and symbolism in the Bible, that is undeniable. The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus was fiction, also an allegory, undeniable.

There will be those on this thread that will never accept the fact that this issue will have to be reconciled in the heart of the reader. Both sides can be "proved" with the Bible and Mrs. White, but likely those that are hard set one way or the other will never acknowledge that fact. As some wise person on here said earlier, we need to be careful that we don't end up condemning Mrs. White with her own writings.

Also what might be fine for an adult to read might not be fine for a child to read. Lets face it there are many passages in the Bible that we'd not want our children to scrutinize too closely! (Like the story of Ester)

Redfog

Perhaps I should have given my personal testimony on this subject several posts ago. But, here it is now. Maybe I came across as never having read fiction, of knowing nothing of it, but I can personally attest to all of this being true that Ren posted above from EW's writings:

“Even fiction which contains no suggestion of impurity, and which may be intended to teach excellent principles, is harmful. It encourages the habit of hasty and superficial reading, merely for the story. Thus it tends to destroy the power of connected and vigorous thought; it unfits the soul to contemplate the great problems of duty and destiny.” {CT 383.2}

“The readers of fiction are indulging an evil that destroys spirituality, eclipsing the beauty of the sacred page. It creates an unhealthy excitement, fevers the imagination, unfits the mind for usefulness, weans the soul from prayer, and disqualifies it for any spiritual exercise.” {MYP 272.2}

All my life I loved to read, I grew up reading fairy stories, "Little Women," Nancy Drew mysteries, and others. I love history, and finally developed a passion for historical fiction. I immersed myself in it, and sometimes the fiction was more real to me than the world around me, even after I was a wife with a family.

After I joined the SDA Church, I had a terrible time learning to read the Bible and the SOP. For years, it was dull and boring to me, simply because I was used to more exciting stories. Of course, I had been taught the Bible stories from a child, but reading the Bible myself was a chore.

There were some bad events occurred in my life which some of you on here know about, and those drove me to desire a closer walk with Jesus. And to find a closer walk with Him, I needed to look for Him in His Word. No, the gift of desiring to read the Bible did not come overnight, although my committment to a closer walk with Him did come almost that way. But, gradually, I did learn what wonderful, exciting revelations Jesus had waiting for me if only I would try them, both in the Bible and the SOP.

Recently, I was thinking of the huge, thick book, "Gone With The Wind," which many years ago I read without thinking it was a chore at all. I know now that if I were told I must read it, now it would seem like an impossible task. But, I was also thinking, "Just suppose I decided, I will just read a chapter or two of this historical fiction, just to see what it is.." there is every possibility I would get "hooked" again. That is what I have been told that it means to be a "recovering alcoholic," one can never take that one drink, ever again. I believe anything we do which takes our mind from Jesus is just the same.

That is why I feel as I do about fiction, for I KNOW from bad experience that it does dull one's desire for the Word, and only through the grace and love of Jesus have I been enabled to enjoy and somewhat understand it. And, I daily thank Him for this.

Thank all of you for allowing me to share my testimony on this subject. I have no "fight" with anyone as to what they read, eat, watch or do. If you should ask my convictions, I will be glad to share, but that is all. We are told to do all to the glory of God, and that truly is between all of us and God. I just know what is right for me.

In His Love,