12.15.2005

LWW chapter 5

1. Ed’s pride and spite make things really bad for Lu, as he lies about the truth, AFTER having experienced it himself. See Hebrews 6:4-6.

2. Lu calls her siblings all beasts for not believing her. Ironic. The Narnian beasts are there, but the true beast is in our denial of the truth and ridicule of those who believe it.

3. Great line when Peter and Susan go to see the Professor: “Logic! Why don’t they teach logic at these schools?”

4. Peter’s objection: “But if things are real, they’re there all the time.” Professor: “Are they?”

5. Professor’s final suggestion: “We might all try minding our own business.” Narnia is an analogy to spiritual experience/reality. This suggestion implies that that dimension of life should remain somewhat private. This theme comes up in other Narnia books. Aslan tells one inquisitive child that He tells her no one’s story except her own. This flies right in the face of the spiritual exhibitionism and voyeurism of modern evangelicals, always encouraged to tell others their story (spiritual journey, sometimes). We ARE called to bear each other’s burdens, but this doesn’t mean prying into intimate spiritual moments. Peter and Susan are trying to “figure out” Lu, doing her harm in the process, just because she doesn’t fit into their categories of reality.

6. Theme of intellectual humility in this chapter: Peter goes to the professor, acknowledging the situation is beyond him. Narrator says even the professor knew very little about his house.

7. Perhaps “some magic in the house had come to life and was chasing them into Narnia.”
See these two articles for more on a proper view of magic:
http://www.credenda.org/issues/14-2thema.php
http://www.credenda.org/issues/14-2tohu.php

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